Today, NASSER KHAN starts a two-part series that takes a look back at the contributions to our Carnival art forms—mas, calypso and steelpan.
The first features the legendary masmen and women who captured a large share of the Band of the Year titles from the 1950s to the 1980s and who pioneered and paved the way for the more modern-day legends. The second part, next week, will look at the heroes and pioneers in the calypso and steelpan arenas.
Harold Saldenah
Harold “Sally” Saldenah (1925-1985) had a deep love of history and intensely researched his topics to ensure that he was able to recreate the moments in time in history.
These historical epics are renowned for the magnificence, colour and splendour of their costumes. In the first of his six Band of the Year productions in 1955 Imperial Rome, 44BC to 96AD, he designed and created costumes using velvet, leather and copper to portray centurions, gladiators, vestal virgins, Caesars and Nero, even his soldiers in short skirts to be as “real” as possible. Norris Eustace was one of Saldenah’s chief designers while Ken Morris (1924-1992), a master of the art of copper crafting, fabricated the copper breastplates. The use of foils and copper and having “sections” in a band were innovations introduced by Saldenah into mas.
His first major production was Quo Vadis in 1953, based on the movie of the same name, and featured Roman soldiers with helmets made of papier mache painted to look authentic. El Dorado, City Of Gold in 1968, the last of his six victorious presentations, in which he used a lot of foils, has been described as creating a glistening spectacle in the setting sun at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Saldenah copped six Band of the Year titles (1955, 1956, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1968) before moving to Canada in 1977 where he assisted his son Louis with his Toronto Caribana bands. Following that hiatus, he returned to Trinidad in 1983 to produce the last three of his bands. He was awarded the Public Service Medal of Merit Silver in 1972 for Carnival Development.
The following is a listing of his presentations: 1953-Quo Vadis; 1954-Conquerors of Kisra; 1955-Imperial Rome 44BC to 96AD, 1st; 1956-Norse Gods and Vikings, 1st; 1957-The Glory That Was Greece; 1958- Holy War, 1st (Tied); 1959-Cree Indians of Canada; 1960-Siam 1250-1767; 1961-Zambesi Head Hunters; 1962-Julius Caesar's Conquest of Gaul; 1963- Controversy of Time; 1964-Mexico 1519 to 1521, 1st; 1965-Pacific Paradise, 1st; 1966-Asia; 1967-Epic of the Zulus; 1968-El Dorado, City of Gold, 1st; 1969-Psychedelic Latin America; 1970-Atlantis-Land of Seven Cities; 1971-Festival of the Tembu Warriors; 1972-Fantasy in Jewels; 1973-Fashionable Sailors from Paris; 1974-Sun Kingdom of the Amazons; 1975-Cult of the Leopard; 1976-A Sailor Is a Sailor; 1983-Masquerade to Carnival; 1984–Name that Tune; 1985-We Mas Have Clas.
George Bailey
George Bailey (1935-1970). Carnival 2010 saw a return of the spirit of the genius of the late George “Sir George” Bailey, via the Stephen Derek and Associates produced band Call that George, a 15-section presentation, each named and designed after bands produced by Bailey from 1956 until his death in 1970 (it should be noted that it was his brother Albert who was the band leader in 1956 although George himself did the designs). “Sir George,” so nicknamed due to his personality and the high standard of his art, along with Harold Saldenah, between 1955 and 1969, each captured six Band of the Year titles (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969). He was the first to capture a beaver trick of Band of the Year titles. One can only imagine the number of titles he would have added to his tally had he not passed away at such a relatively young age in 1970. A number of his bands were portrayals of periods of African history and before Bailey, one could not conceive of “African” mas matching the grandeur of Roman, Greek or any other European themes. George thoroughly researched his portrayals and came as close to the original thing as was possible.
Carnival presentations: 1956-Timu and the Leopard Kingdom; 1957-Back to Africa; 1958-Of Pagan History; 1959-Relics of Egypt; 1960-Ye Saga of Merrie England; 1961-Byzantine Glory; 1962-Somewhere in New Guinea; 1963-Realm of Fancy Bats and Clowns; 1964-Age of Gods and Heroes; 1965-Indian Lore; 1966-Kings Go Forth; 1967-Deities Spectacular; 1968-Fantasia; 1969-Bright Africa; 1970-Tears of the Indies.
In 1962, when T&T gained Independence he was a member of the committee that designed the emblems for the new nation. In 1969, he was awarded the Humming Bird Medal Gold for his contribution to Carnival development.
Irvin McWilliams
Irvin “Mac” McWilliams (1920-2007). During his band producing years from 1956 to 1988, he provided T&T with some 32 spectacular presentations many of which were based on themes of T&T, its history and its culture. The first of such local-themed bands was in 1961, Hail La Trinite. The last band, Stay up Trinbago, was in 1988. Such presentations, one might say, were learning tools for Trinbagonians as our folklore and culture were depicted through the vivid imagination of another legendary masman adept at portraying things local and who was credited as being the first to present a totally local theme on the streets of T&T in his category. He was also the first bandleader to use multiple mas camps to assemble costumes in their large numbers as bands grew, and he was the first to start selling off costumes if registrants did not collect them on time.
Band of the Year Titles: 1971 Wonders of Buccoo Reef; 1972 Anancy Story; 1978 Know Your Country.
Carnival presentations: 1956 King David and the Ammonites; 1957 Ten Commandments; 1958 Rulers of Persia; 1959 Feast of Belshazzar.; 1960 The Grandeur That Was Rome; 1961 Hail La Trinity; 1962 Tribute to India; 1963 Festival of Mexico; 1964 Monarchs of the Nile; 1965 She and the Tibetans; 1966 Effigies of the Gods; 1968 Conquerors of Niniveh; 1969 Realms of the Kings; 1970 One Day in Persia; 1971 The Wonders of Buccoo Reef; 1972 Our Anancy Stories; 1973 Mama Look Ah Mas; 1974 Somewhere in the Caribbean; 1975 Root of All Evil; 1976 Toute Monde Ca Danse; 1977 Season Greetings; 1978 Know Yuh Country; 1979 Our Famous Recipes; 1980 The Rains Came; 1981 Among My Souvenirs; 1982 Dance Zulu Dance; 1983 We Money; 1984 A Woman's World; 1985 The Days of Moses; 1986 Mas Trinidad Style; 1987 The Wedding of Montezuma; 1988 Stay up Trinbago
McWilliams was awarded the 1971 Humming Bird Medal Silver for his contributions to Carnival development.
Power couples of Mas, Edmund (1923-to present)/Lil Hart (1931-1991) and Stephen (1921-2014)/Elsie Lee Heung (1925-2006) actually started off as mas players with Harold Saldenah in the 1950s. Together they captured a total of ten Band of the Year titles, five apiece, between 1966 and 1988. In total, these two power couples produced some 62 bands between 1961 and 1994.
Power couples—Harts and Lee Heungs
Harts’ winning bands: 1966, 1970, 1983, 1986, 1988
Their presentations: 1961-This Was Greece; 1962-Flagwavers of Siena; 1963-The Etruscans; 1964-The Maya; 1965-Mesopotamia BC; 1966-Playing Cards; 1967-Oriental Fantasy; 1968- Brazilian Fiesta; 1969-Life in the Waters; 1970-Inferno; 1971-Butterflies and Moths; 1972-Four Seasons; 1973-A Medieval Dream; 1974-Mexico; 1975-Whe-Whe; 1976-The American Indians; 1977-Tribute to Broadway; 1978-Adventure on the High Seas; 1979-Faces and Places; 1980- Reflections of Childhood Days; 1981-Let’s Make Waves; 1982-Anthony and Cleopatra; 1983- Mas Sweet Mas; 1984-Tribes; 1985-Time for A Tale; 1986-Islands in the Sun; 1987-Local Sights and Delights; 1988-Out of This World; 1989-Polynesia; 1990-The Witches Brew; 1991-Come Leh We Dance; 1992– Bacchanal.
Lee Heungs’ winning bands: 1967, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1983
Their presentations: 1964-Japan-Land of the Kabuki; 1965-Les Fetes Galantes Des Versailles; 1966-Crete; 1967-China, The Forbidden City; 1968-Primeval-The Rites of Spring; 1969-1001 Nights; 1970-Conquest of Space; 1971-Yucatan; 1972-Russian Fairy Tales; 1973-East of Java; 1974-Terra Firma; 1975-We Kind A People; 1976-Paradise Lost; 1977-Cosmic Aura; 1978-Love Is...; 1979-Hocus Pocus; 1980-The Bermuda Triangle; 1981-Shangri-La; 1982-Victory at Trafalgar; 1983-Rain Forest; 1984-Regatta; 1985-Charade; 1986-Sombrero; 1987-Cocoyea Village; 1988-Laserium; 1989-Pow Wow; 1991-Toute Bagai; 1992-Columbus 1492-1992; 1993- Safari; 1994-Festivals.
Some names that are noteworthy of mention in the area of pioneering mas works are Cito Valasquez (1928-2006), Ken Morris, previously mentioned, Wilfred Strasser and Carlyle Chang.