ST PAUL’S CARNIVAL 2021 - PART 2
Yesterday I gave a little introduction to a project I’ve been working on for St Paul’s Carnival that will be shown this Saturday at 5pm. Today I wanted to introduce the panellists who will be taking part in our discussion ‘Carnival: A Global Evolution’.
Clary Salandy
One of the most inspirational talents working within the Carnival arts, her passion is infectious! Clary came to the UK from Trinidad & Tobago in the 1980s to go to art school, and inspired by the Mas Bands from back home she set up Mahogany Arts with her partner Michael Ramdeen. Between them they have created some of the most elaborate, intricate and meaningful costumes for Notting Hill Carnival and many other events around the world.
As well as creating award winning costumes, Clary is also a theatre designer and has taught on the Art Foundation Course at Central St. Martins School of Art and at the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture. She has also lectured on several arts courses nationally and internationally.
Nailah Blackman
Should be no stranger to anyone who listens to our Super Soca Show on Ujima 98FM, Nailah is one of the most exciting young artists in Trinidad & Tobago, covering not only Soca - a music she is well versed in due to the fact it was invented by her Grandfather, Ras Shorty I- but also Dancehall, RNB, Afrosoca and even a little bit of Reggae fuelled Drum N Bass with her new single ‘Wait’ (alongside UK producer Patrick). Despite the freshness of her sound, Nailah is no newcomer even at just 23 years old. She entered her first Calypso competition at just 6 years old and began her professional recording career at 11 and Carnival has been an integral part of her upbringing so it’s a real pleasure to have her on this panel. There will also be an exclusive acoustic performance from her after the panel. Given her current trajectory, Nailah is set to take over the world in the next couple of years so definitely keep an eye on her..
Dylan Pitcairn
I have to give a special thanks to Kayode and the team at Events St Lucia (who organise the island’s Carnival celebrations) for not only hooking us up with “the Caribbean Stevie Wonder” himself Teddyson John to give us a special performance but also for introducing me to Dylan who is a stalwart of Carnival over there having been a costume designer since he was 15 years old, starting with one of St Lucia’s longest running and most respected ensembles, Diamond Steel Band. Over the years his designs have won every Carnival title in St Lucia on several occasions, often maintaining the title for several consecutive years. He has also designed for Trinidad & Tobago (winning 3rd place in Queen Of The Bands), Vincy Mas (St Vincent & The Grenadines) and several other territories.
As well as his costume designs, he was band leader for New Dimensions between 1986 and 1999 and has been a songwriter for a number of Calypso artists, with one of his songs winning the Calypso Monarch crown in 2016. He served on the St.Lucia Carnival Bands Association as PRO and President; represented St. Lucia at ‘The World Carnival Festival’ in Trinidad & Tobago and is now the director of his own insurance agency, as well as being a lovely guy with many stories to tell.
Clive Smith
Despite the fact that he hasn’t always seen eye to eye with the Carnival, Clive is one of the best people to represent for St Paul’s having been an active member of the community since he first arrived from Jamaica in 1962. Starting as a professional footballer he became heavily involved in music, especially Soul and Jazz Funk (which he helped to introduce into the Carnival as a change from the Roots Reggae that dominated at the time), first as a dancer with his troupe Mahogany and then as a musician, starting the band Kobra before setting up his own recording studio and a couple of pirate radio stations (FTP - For The People and Black FM). However, he is perhaps best celebrated as a multi award winning filmmaker and setting up As It Is TV.
Ruth Ramsay
Most definitely one of the most passionate advocates for the Carnival arts in Bristol, Ruth started making costumes for the St Paul’s parade in 1996 and has been involved in a huge number of creative projects since, using her arts practice to explore and share her African & Caribbean cultural heritage. She is a strong believer in educating people to the history and culture of Carnival and has been delivering workshops in schools and community events. She also produced the Anansi & The Grand Prize show at Bristol Old Vic, which I’m gutted to have missed having been raised on stories of the trickster spider god since I was a young boy.
Alexander D Great
Although I only met him due to this project I’ve probably spoken to our eminent host for the event more than any of the others and I can’t get enough of his stories. He is a true raconteur and by far one of the finest Calypsonians to have graced these shores for an extended period of time. Born in the Trinidad capital Port of Spain but raised in London from the age of five, he was a huge Beatles fan in the 1960s and on leaving school became a professional musician and songwriter across a number of styles before returning to his Calypso roots in the late 80s. He eventually became Calypsonian in residence for the BBC, composing over 500 topical songs for them and was the UK Calypso Monarch in both 2010 and 2011. He also lectures in calypso at universities across the country and runs calypso and poetry workshops. Who better to take the helm for this talk!
What an inspirational bunch, it’s been a real pleasure and a privilege to meet them and have them involved with this project. I whole-heartedly recommend you tune in on Saturday at 5pm to hear what they have to say. You can get more information here and I’ll introduce the singers we have lined up later this week here on the blog, as well as share the official playlists I’ve put together.
