Lovey's Original Trinidad String Band Encore 'Lovey'! (Historic Recordings 1912/1914) (3-CD)

(Archives Richard Weize) 65 titres, CD dans un livre relié de luxe de 48 pages (en anglais, 27 cm x 27 cm) avec photos et notes de pochette, édition limitée, magnifique documentation sur le groupe caribéen dirigé par le chef d'orchestre et violoniste « Lovey ».

« Encore Lovey ! » était le cri récurrent des danseurs lors des nombreuses représentations du Trinidad String Band sous la direction du violoniste George Robertson Lovelace Baillie, alias « Lovey ».

Depuis le début du XXe siècle, Baillie dirigeait un orchestre à cordes sur son île natale, qui a existé jusqu'en 1928. En 1912, le groupe s'est rendu à New York pour jouer dans la « Grosse Pomme ». Pendant ce séjour, ils ont été enregistrés par la Victor Talking Machine Company et la Columbia Graphophone Company, les tout premiers enregistrements d'un groupe des Antilles anglophones.

Le caractère hispano-américain novateur de leur musique a tellement renforcé leur réputation qu'en 1914, des ingénieurs de Columbia Trinidad leur ont rendu visite et ont enregistré au moins 50 chansons supplémentaires lors d'une série de sessions. Cette collection contient les enregistrements des sessions de 1912, ainsi que 40 de ceux réalisés en 1914. Le style du groupe reflétait les rythmes de plusieurs îles des Caraïbes et du continent sud-américain et constituait, outre le jazz et le ragtime, un autre style de musique de danse très populaire dont les racines remontent au XIXe siècle. À l'exception de quelques rares enregistrements provenant de Cuba, d'Argentine et du Brésil, il s'agit de la plus ancienne musique d'ensemble noir enregistrée sur disque en Amérique.

FIRST RECORDINGS BY STRING BANDS AND CHANTWELLS

The first recordings of idiomatic Trinidad music were made in the U.S.A. in 1912 when, at the encouragement of American tourists who had recently visited the island, a twelve-man group led by the violinist George Baillie (Lovey) travelled to New York City for concert engagements. Both the Victor Talking Machine Company and the Columbia Graphophone Company recorded Lovey's Trinidad String Band. Their performances, all instrumentals, featured paseos, Spanish waltzes and even Argentinean tangos, Spanish Main dance rhythms popular in the island during this period.²²

Two years later, at the end of July-beginning of August 1914, Lovey's band made further recordings for Columbia. This was just at the commencement of the First World War, for on August 1, Britain declared war on Germany. The War, however, had no immediate effect in the British West Indies. In the middle of the same month,the Victor Talking Machine Company (of Camden, New Jersey, U.S.A.) sent its team to the island "to make a complete repertoire of Trinidad's "local" music, including "'Calypsos,' 'Paseos,' Spanish Waltzes, Two Steps, Patois and East Indian songs by local performers." The arrival of the company's representatives was reported in both the Mirror and Port-of-Spain Gazette on August 28. The Mirror provided a few extra particulars: "We understand that Mr. Henry Julian, formerly of 'White Rose' has been practising assiduously for the above purpose and that several other bands and performers have been engaged."²³

Excepting September 6, recording sessions were held every day between the 3rd and 16th of the month. Victor's principal artist was the pianist and well-known string band leader, Lionel Belasco. Henry Julian (Iron Duke/Julian White Rose) recorded under the sobriquet J. Resigna. The other participants were Jules Sims (whose calendas were sung in French Creole), S. M. Akberali and Gellum Hossein (of East Indian ancestry), and the Orquesta de Venezolana de Chargo (probably made up of Trinidad creoles, some of Venezuelan descent).

The initial batch of Victor releases from these sessions was distributed in time for the 1915 Carnival (Mirror, February 8) and, excepting "sacred Mohammedan chants" by S. M. Akberali, virtually all the performances are of secular music played or sung by black creoles. Complimenting the waltzes and paseos recorded by the Belasco Orchestra, the Mirror went on to observe "A novelty in creole music is afforded in calypsos after the, rendering of 'Julian White Rose,' the celebrated chantrel, whose voice has lost none of its sweetness." They noted also that "the Bamboo Band "Kalendar" is a new feature which will appeal to lovers of originality." ²⁴ While the other repertoire reflected degrees of "respectability," the stick-fighting calendas sung by Jules Sims and chorus, accompanied by tamboo-bamboo, represented the defiant and sometimes violent extremity of black creole society that did not conform with colonial ideals of decorum.

Various Calypso 1938-1940 (10-CD)
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