Pan, Parang and Pork. A Clash of
Steel III
We went off at four thirty with a Jesse
arranged trip with two bus loads to Queen's Park Cricket Club, or the Trinidad
and Tobago equivalent of The Oval. A very smart building with a high quality
ground. The event was held in the vast car park. We arrived knowing we would see
Parang for the first time, see some pan bands and be fed and
watered.
The evening started with several numbers in
Parang tradition, complete with a box bass similar to
the picture on the right, but just as I took the shot a man jumped in front of
it.
HISTORY OF PARANG:
There are a few theories about how Parang music came to be
in Trinidad. One is that it all started during the Spanish rule (from 1498 to
1797) and the Spanish and French creoles kept the music alive after the British
took over. Another commonly supported view states that Parang came to be in
Trinidad from Spain but via Venezuela. Without a doubt, interactions with the
people of Venezuela (where Parang music is also played) have helped to keep the
tradition alive throughout the years. After Trinidad's independence in 1962, a
gradual revival of Parang music (as well as many other local arts) began to take
place. Competitions on a national scale started and the National Parang
Association was formed in 1971. Parang music also has had it's stars, most
notably Daisy Voisin. Though she sadly passed away in 1991, she is still
referred to as the queen of Parang by many fans.
WHAT IS PARANG?
Parang as
a word is an interpretation of the word "Parranda" - this means basically "the
action of merry-making, group of serenaders". In Spanish this word is used in
the form "andar de parranda" or "parrandear" (used in Venezuela), meaning
basically "to go Paranging". Originally the "Paranderos" - as the singers and
players of instruments are called - went carol singing and playing from house to
house in the neighbourhood, serenading family and friends spontaneously. These
would in return often serve some food and refreshments such as pastels or other
snacks and ponche-a-creme to the merrymakers, and the resulting atmosphere would
be that of happy togetherness and the joy of a good Christmas lime that could
continue to early hours of the morning.
Parang season began in early November and
lasted until the sixth of January, the date of the the Feast of the Epiphany
(also known in T&T as "Dia de Los Reyes" or "Les Rois") - sometimes until
the beginning of February (the feast of Purification on the 2nd). Though
Christmas was and especially nowadays is THE season for Parang, other religious
and social events could also inspire Paranderos to come and play (Easter, Our
Lady of Mount Carmel, weddings).
The usual instruments that were (and are
still) used in Parang were mainly string-instruments, such as the Guitar, the
Cuatro (a four-stringed small Guitar), the Violin, the Mandolin and the
Bandolin, accompanied by some light rhythm-instruments such as the Chac-chac (or
Maracas) and possibly some other light rattlers to keep the beat. The rhythm is
what can be loosely described as Hispanic or Latin-based, though it is
distinctively different from other well-known Latin rhythms such as Montuno,
Son, Cumbia or Merengue.
Traditionally the lyrics of Parang were mainly
religious and Christian at that - hardly surprising, looking at the cultural
background of the people among who the music originated (Hispanic Catholics).
Many reminded of and recaptured the true meaning and message of Christmas and
were rooted in Hispanic Christmas carols of the Old World. The language was
Spanish, and not just any kind of creole or local Spanish, but "Castellano" -
old and original Spanish dialect. This differs somewhat from the more "modern"
dialects spoken in Venezuela and the Caribbean in it's pronunciations and the
particular vocabulary used.
Though nowadays most listeners cannot tell the
differences, Parang songs come in many different styles and categories,
classifiable by their lyrical contents and the musical measurements. The best
known perhaps are the Aguinaldos (also known as Serenales) - Relating the story
of the Nativity and characterized by their hexa-syllabic quartets. Other styles
worth mentioning are Guarapos and Despendidas. Guarapos are secular in nature,
allowing a wider range of topic - the length and content of the song depends on
the lead singer's choice and skill of rhyming and composing verses. A Despendida
is sang as the last song upon leaving or when the Paranderos prepare to pause
for a while - usually the song's last verse even states this, for example "A mi
me parace es mucho cantar, parale la voz para reposar".
PARANG TODAY
The
traditional Parang is alive in Trinidad & Tobago today, played by both small
local groups still going around, delighting family and friends with their
performances, and also large, well organized groups that compete in a national
Parang competition every year. But Parang has also evolved in the course of time
and whole new styles and influences have been added. The more secular society of
today shows in topics, as does the more varied ethnic and religious background
of the artists involved in different forms of Parang.
Soca and Calypso music have been fused with
Parang, and the result is Soca-Parang - With lyrics sang in English, inspired
and praising the "Americanised" Christmas with it's Santa Claus and lots of
gifts, or sometimes as racy as the carnival time Calypsoes involving wine, women
and other things not very related to the Christian views of the holiday season.
East Indian instrumentation and Chutney melodies have also been mixed in with
Parang. In recent years Parang versions of Latin hit songs have been rather
popular. The mixing has been so thorough that these days almost any lively
Latin-sounding music is seen as Parang by many of the general public.
In exchange for the entertainment, parranderos
are traditionally given food and drink: pastelle, sorrel, rum and ponche crema (a form
of alcoholic eggnog with a million calories, we don't buy it very often because
we add rum and drink a bottle between us).We thought it was good but not being able to understand,
after twenty minutes we had had enough.
Cocktails in a variety of
colours were free from five until seven. Bear got stuck in and discussed flavours with Michelle from Irony
It was very funny taking pictures of photographers taking pictures of me. The first
one did it seriously but the second couldn't help giggling.
Meanwhile on the stage next to us, the Parang
group were joined by some of the members of the local and home steel band, The Invaders. The other stages were being loaded with
drums.
We were given two 'Cutter' tickets each, one
dinner and one sweet. First steel band - NLCB
Fonclaire.
Cutter meant starter, off we went to
investigate. There was a choice of vegetarian, pork which Bear had
and chicken which I chose. Cheeky little after-taste that lost me my bottom
lip. Mains were oil-down pork, chicken, cold meats and salads. We had score
cards in front of us for the public vote. I thought the NCLB Fonclaire were good
at riding scales but lacked experience.
PCS Silver stars
Each band played for forty minutes in front
of a panel of judges giving 30-30-30 and 10 points for artistic interpretation,
musical skill, variety and stage presence. Along with NLCB Fonclaire, we saw TCL
Group Skiffle Bunch, Couva Joylanders, Clico Sforzata Steel Orchestra and our
favourites - PCS Silver stars. This picture of them shows a caped conductor
for this piece, the theme from Phantom of the Opera. Then came from the back of
the drums a little chap who moon walked and shook his bootie to a
rendition the band played of Michael Jackson's Bad. The crowd loved
it.
Invaders
Second to last was the home band - Caribbean
Airlines Invaders. The crowd were up on their feet dancing and singing along.
The two girls in the pale blue tee shirts really stole the hearts with some
impressive bottom wiggling while the rest of the band danced, swopped places and
had a fun time.
All too much for
Connie.
We had to leave at one just before the last
band had finished. We were in bed just after two thinking that Sunday morning
may have a slow start. We had to wait to see the results in the paper to find
that the Invaders had beaten the Silver stars by one point with the Joylanders
and the Skiffle Bunch in a tie for third place.
ALL IN ALL A REALLY GOOD
NIGHT OUT. I WAS CAUGHT CATCHING A FEW ZEDS BUT LOVED
THE RHYTHM.