Legendary local musician Clarence Curvan has added his voice to the growing confederacy of supporters of Massy Trinidad All Stars winning this year’s Band of the Year title. Based in New York for several years, Curvan, who returned home for this year’s Carnival, lamented the dearth of “creativity in mas” in T&T Carnival.
Said Curvan, now aged 76: “I am in total agreement with the Band of the Year for the past two years. All Stars deserves to win, as it was the only band portraying anything recognisable. It is difficult to choose a winner when all the bands are playing the same thing, perhaps only different by colour.”
An acclaimed T&T musician, Curvan has a deep and special affinity with the steelpan. His musical roots are deeply embedded in the national instrument: from being a pan player and steelband captain, he rose to lead one of this country’s top orchestras.
“I was born on St Vincent in 1939 next to a calypso tent (The Old Brigade),” said Curvan, “and, around the age of six, my mother and the neighbours would go to the calypso tent yard and peer through the holes in the fences. We enjoyed a night’s performance, so you could say I was nurtured on calypso and music. I grew up knowing all the popular calypsonians of that era, like Growling Tiger, Dictator, Commander, Spoiler, Spitfire and Lord and Lady Irie. This was the start of my experience in the calypso business.”
“Around the age of of 16, my mother began sending me for piano lessons by Norman Simmonds, a recognised pianist. I grew up as the eldest of three children, with a younger brother and sister. My father, a well-known prison officer, was very close to me, and he had other children, four all told.”
Curvan’s initial love in music was percussion, despite his piano lessons. “This was probably because of my steelband connection,” he surmised.
Starland days
Divided between his love of band music and pan, Curvan devoted some of his youth to the steelband. He explained: “As I got older, year after year, my interest in the steelband grew, and I was playing bass with Starland at the age of 15. When the original guys gave up the band, and being born and raised on St Vincent Street, and having a recognised steelband on St Vincent Street, I couldn’t just let it die. Having virtually grown up in the dance hall, panyard and calypso tent, I was already in the belly of the beast.”
Before devoting all his attention to his fast-rising orchestra, Curvan also took his Starland steelband to lofty heights. Following the success of the band’s 1956 presentation of Zapata, Curvan unleashed a huge Sea Bees band on the streets of Port-of-Spain on Carnival Monday of 1963. He followed this up on Carnival Tuesday with Back to Mexico. Curvan remained with the steelband for two more years before extending his talents internationally.
Learning in the orchestra
During his transition, Curvan began realising that orchestras were a vital commodity at dances and school fairs; his favourite group was then Sel Duncan Orchestra.
Duncan’s music and band had a positive impact on young Curvan. He said: “My entry into band music is a curious tale. One night, a neighbour gave a dance in Manzanilla and I somehow ended up on the stage with the band, knocking a cow bell. The band, Sonny Lewis Orchestra, elder brother of Joey Lewis, was one of the leading bands in the country back then, so being seen on stage with them increased my popularity. In that band there were musicians like Joey Lewis on piano, and Boyie Lewis on guitar. When the dance was over the bandleader paid me a dollar. After that night I found wherever the band had to play, and was very present on stage each time.”
The Sonny Lewis Orchestra became Curvan’s apprenticeship as an aspiring musician. He recounted: “I continued with Sonny (Lewis), all the while observing how a band was run. I also began messing around with other instruments. Two of my relatives abroad eventually got me a pair of bongos and I then eventually got into the Phill Britto Orchestra, the resident band on Radio Trinidad. I began learning the drums and just kept myself going after that.”
His own band
The Rediffusion Radio had two programmes for teenagers: Hi Teens in the morning, produced by Trevor MacDonald and Ashton Chambers, and an evening show.
Curvan remembers: “One day, one of the show’s producers asked me if I could find a small band to perform on the show. That’s when I got the incentive to form my own band, taking some of the guys from my street. I knew Beverly Griffith’s brother Selwyn, arranger of Starland steelband, so I invited Beverly, and had Stan Chaman on guitar. Back then I was already considered to be an accomplished drummer.”
The band was named Clarence Curvan Combo Estrellas Juveniles (Young Stars) and it became very popular, being fully booked and selling out for every engagement. Curvan eventually decided to add horns to his aggregation.
Observing that Sel Duncan’s band, consisting of just two saxophones in its frontline, garnered a tremendous following nationwide, Curvan decided to follow suit—but with two alto saxophones in his band to form a full orchestra. “I did this in 1960,” recalled Curvan. “My first sax men were Carlton Amand and Roy Cape. Cape and Amand gave me a sweeter tone. I also used to record with Joey Lewis’ band and Cyril Diaz Orchestra. I did all of Diaz’s recordings, working with Sparrow.
“At that time, Joey Lewis had a Chet Atkins tune named Teensville that was very popular across the land. I watched him perform it and saw its popularity. After Joey experienced a lot of technical problems with manufacturing stampers in the US, I went to Cook right here in Trinidad and did the stamper for Teensville at Cook on Sackville Street. Cook decided to record the band on a Monday afternoon. He had a radio programme on Radio Trinidad at 7 pm on a Friday, playing all the new recordings. My recording of Teensville was ready to be aired as a new release and the rest was history. That was the true genesis of the Clarence Curvan Orchestra being one of the leading bands in T&T and the Caribbean.”
Travelling the Caribbean
Fame came fast and furious for the young, talented and ambitious musician. He said: “My orchestra began getting contracts travelling up and down the Caribbean from the mid-60s. We spent more time abroad than at home during the year.
“I was the first dance band to secure a sponsor, sponsored by Fernandes Rum Company. Fernandes equipped us very well. Through impresario Choy Aming, every Sunday we played at the Penthouse at a rum punch party which was very popular. I eventually picked up an 18-month contract with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and grabbed at that opportunity with both hands.
“Even back then, I began seeing changes coming to our music. Smaller combo groups with younger musicians began growing in prominence. I thought it would do my country good if I could get out there and play our music in foreign lands.”
In the Bahamas, Curvan’s band was based at the government’s club—The Cat & Fiddle.
“While there, when popular American artistes like Percy Sledge, Carla Thomas, Tyrone Davis and Clarence Carter came to the Bahamas, my band was hired to accompany them,” related Curvan.
“I followed many popular Trini musicians who paved the way for me in the Bahamas. At the end of the contract, I was faced with three choices; remain in the Bahamas, return to Trinidad, or go to the States. I chose the latter, going there in 1971.”
New horizons in the States
Curvan said that going to the United States was a wise decision as it opened up new horizons for him: “After a few months of relaxation I put a group together in New York, with my agent Oswald Rodgers from Holland. I have always insisted on including a steelpan in my band. From New York, Rodgers secured contracts for us in Europe.” Curvan revived having pan and brass in fetes in New York and, in 2007, his band shared the stage with 2006 NY Panorama champion Pan Sonatas.
With New York as his base, Curvan began spreading the music and culture of T&T as far as he could. He said: “When I was abroad, I became involved in T&T culture in every nook and cranny. I judged carnivals in Nottinghill, UK, New York and across the Caribbean. I was well respected wherever I went. My band has played for T&T Independence balls in New York, Atlanta, Miami, Connecticut and Washington DC.”
Lament for Carnival’s glory days
Looking at today’s T&T Carnival, Curvan asked: “What has become of our beautiful and glorious Carnival? Where has the creativity in our festival gone? I hope All Stars’ win would make other bands and designers take a closer look at what they have been presenting for years.
“There isn’t too much creativity in the music, either. It’s only Joey Lewis and Roy Cape who are holding out today and keeping dancers on their feet. Having said that, I am realising that a lot of young people and women are getting involved in the music. Long ago we had to depend on the orphanages to supply good musicians. I feel that there is a lot of room for both dance music and soca music.”
Curvan does see some promise amongst some of our young musicians, composers and artistes: “It is my hope that the young people would properly learn music and bring back dance hall music so people can dance and have a good time.
“I enjoyed the standard of some of the soca music this year. Olatunji, Benjai and Destra did some good work. Machel is exceptional. He has a lot of strategy and knowledge and it is working for him. Soca music today is making a turn that is going to make it very big on the international market, especially the music being produced by Bunji Garlin.
“Our music has simmered to what it was a few years ago, making it more attractive and appetising to the foreign market. I myself have found myself moving to some of the music. I hope the young people can remain in that trend.”