WELCOME BAHAMAS - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - 2008
Music ambassadors to the world Bahamian musicians make a mark in the world WELCOME BAHAMAS - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - 2008
No matter where you go in The Bahamas, music is a central element of life. From toe-tapping rake 'n scrape and traditional Junkanoo and goombay to gospel jazz, pop and rap, The Bahamas is a nation of music-makers.
Island music is an eclectic blend of traditional African rhythms and pop culture influences from every corner of the world. Calypso and Latin rhythms from Cuba and Mexico meld with funk, soul ad contemporary music from the US and western markets.
Music fills the air Bahamians are still making the music that has helped to put these islands on the international stage. From the heyday of the 1940s through 1960s when as many as 40 clubs were filld every night with tourists, celebrities and locals, Bahamian music makers are in sync with the world music scene.
"In the early days, there was lots of music being created over the hill in native nightclubs, which were packed with patrons after the big otels closed down," says Charles Carter, a veteran media executive and owner of Island FM radio 102.9 in Nassau.
Rake 'n scrape, goombay and Junkanoo kept dancers hopping at home and abroad.
On the world stage One of the first Bahamian entertainers comng to international attention was a diminutive dancer and drummer by the name of John Berkley "Peanuts" Taylor.
Legend has it that Peanuts started his career at the age of four when he confronted the internationally renowned dancer Paul Meeres, claiming e could dance better than the famed star.
Meeres reportedly replied "You're nothing but a peanut"-a nickname that would last a lifetime. Peanuts put on a show on the spot and Meeres hired the boy and put him on the stage with "Princess" Augusta Lewis, ad billed then as "Big Bina and Peanut the Wonder Boy." Within a few years, he was recognized for his energetic dance and broad grin. By 18 he was touring Asia and Europe with a 25-member entourage.
Peanuts says today that he developed proficiency as a dummer when a band leader asked him to fill in when the regular drummer missed a gig.
Peanuts was one of the first musical ambassadors of The Bahamas. He toured the globe, performing on top US TV shows, including those hosted by Johnny Carson and Ed Sullian.
Over the ensuing 30 years, Taylor operated a series of successful nightclubs in The Bahamas, always welcoming talented musicians and entertainers from home and abroad.
"Musicians are instrumental in going abroad and being ambassadors for tourism her," says Peanuts today. "We have a magical power that you can't learn in school. You can't really put a name on it. We give love without having to impress anyone with how intelligent we are."
A generation of talent Peanuts was soon to be joined by a genertion of musicians, singers and entertainers who often left The Bahamas to entertain audiences around the world.
Denis?Donaldson, a soft-spoken gentleman from Nassau known affectionately as "Froggy" by his family and friends, was one of the world-class plyers who garnered respect, as far back as the 1950s, from internationally recognized greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Woody Herman.
"In those days, we all worked in the clubs at the hotels," recalls Donaldson from an easy chair in his wellappointed home studio where he still works on orchestral arrangements.
"We would take our instruments and go over the hill to the Bahamian clubs after the hotel lounges closed. Many tourists and visiting musicians followed us, and players would sit in. W'd jam all night, until the last patron left the place."
In common usage, "over the hill" refers to the area in Nassau that is separated from the seaward area by a ridge, or hill. There, clubs like the Silver Slipper, Zanzibar, the Cat and Fiddle and Peauts Taylor's Drumbeat Club became world-renowned for the high energy, talent and great music played there.
Like Peanuts, Donaldson found his calling as a bassist quite by accident. He was waiting to play saxophone when the bass player failed to show. Thebass was sitting on the bandstand so "I had a go at it." Completely self-taught, his talent soon paid off as he became sought after by the great Stan Getz, among others.
Less known but equally influential was a humble man from Andros by the name of Josep Spence. Widely considered to be the best folk guitarist in The Bahamas, he played for anyone who wanted to listen. Word of his skill spread quickly and he made his first recording in 1958. This led to recognition by Woody Guthrie, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal an a host of others. Though he spent some time in the US as a performer in the early 1970s, Spence was happiest riding the streets of Nassau on his bicycle with a guitar slung over his back.
"He played from his heart," recalls Charles Carter, a lifelong pesonal friend and avid supporter. "His music was joyful and inspirational. I fell in love with his sound instantly."
Dark years, new light The heyday of over-the-hill clubs faded in the late 1960s as hoteliers sought new ways to attract and keep customer occupied. They stayed open later and hired entertainers to perform exclusively in their lounges, forcing an end to many of the local bars and night spots.
But, the Bahamian spirit of music-making was unstoppable. A generation of younger musicians found ther ways to attract listeners.
In 1969, a group led by members of the well-known Munnings family produced the first international smash hit for aspiring Bahamian musicians.
An energetic band called The Beginning of the End-featuring the vibrant voice f Raphael "Ray" Munnings, with his brothers Leroy on guitar and Frank on drums-put The Bahamas on the world stage again.
The band's smash hit, Funky Nassau, zoomed up pop charts around the world, selling more than a million copies.
Locally, Charles Carer supported the song on his radio show. Today, Carter's station is devoted to Bahamian music, much to the satisfaction of a growing audience.
Unfortunately, The Beginning of the End was appropriately named as the band was unable to capitalize on its sucess and disbanded in 1975.
This marked the end of the soft, subdued sound of traditional Bahamian music. Goombay, rock and roll and funk were the new order of the day, says Munnings. Younger musicians embraced the sound and energy of modern music.
Bahamans have learned that gaining and maintaining worldwide recognition is a daunting task.
"Competition is fierce and audiences seldom remain faithful to a specific sound or entertainer," says Munnings. "Musicians have to constantly reinvent themselves whil pursuing relentless public appearance schedules if they hope to top the charts for any length of time."
Who let the dogs out After more than 20 years as a successful band under various names, Baha Men emerged in 2000 with their bona fide number-one worl hit, Who Let The Dogs Out. Respected regionally for their unique brand of music, the group released its first album, Junkanoo, in 1992. Though popular at home, the band would not gain worldwide status for years, but continued to play toward the internatinal stage.
Originally written by Anslem Douglas for Trinidad and Tobago's carnival season in 1998, Who Let The Dogs Out was re-recorded by Baha Men for the movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. The band then released it as a single. It went on to chart wellin the US and was the fourth best-selling single of 2000 in the UK.
Then it was adopted by sports teams from New York to Seattle and Houston. The Baltimore Ravens used The Dogs during their run to the Super Bowl that year.
That success would not be repated but Baha Men continue to be a mainstay in today's burgeoning Bahamas music scene.
Rekindling the embers Though much of the glory of the over-the-hill days has faded into the past, there's a renaissance taking place in The Bahamas music scene.
Musicans such as Patrick Carey from the Baha Men, Obafemi "Obie" Pindling from Visage, along with Falcon Watson, Neil Symonette and Adrian D'Aguilar continue to shape Bahamian music styles today.
Symonette is a sought after world-class drummer and percussionit who performs with Leo Kottke and Joss Stone. Adrian D'Aguilar is as comfortable playing smooth jazz or contemporary funk in Nassau as he is when he tours New York and Los Angeles, where his talents are recognized by international stars.
"Musicians in he Bahamas have to believe in themselves," reflects Carey, who plays jazz at local venues, along with Denis Donaldson, Fred Ferguson, Tino "Sheep" Richardson and others.
"Our young players are taking their music to a whole new level," Carey adds. "It's nt going to be easy, but then it never has been. They will have to work for it and they will need the support of people who can make things happen and open doors."
Adrian D'Aguilar echoes Carey's sentiments. As a world-renowned bassist, he has lived and wrked thousands of miles from home for many years. Now, living again in The Bahamas, with a new home and a young family, he is enjoying success based on hard work and dedication.
"I am amazed at all the talented people that continue to be born in this smll country of ours. The talent just keeps coming up and it is up to us to keep it moving for them," he said from his home.
Fred Munnings Jr, son of one of the country's most respected and notable musicians, is confident that "Bahamian artists will maintin a cultural impact with tourists here and people everywhere. It's all about relationships. You can't have a relationship with a building, it is the people who make it work. We have to continue to be creative, influential as well as entertaining. We needto cause our young people to take pride in who we are as a nation."
New generation Many Bahamian youth are getting a musical and cultural education from top international musicians such as JoAnne Connaughton.
Connaughton is the conductor of the BahamasConcert Orchestra, which includes teenagers and senior citizens. In addition to being a conductor, this English-born musician is an educator.
"There is not much opportunity for young people to learn music in the formal education programmes here, so we fel it is imperative that we make the effort to help talented youngsters get a solid footing in music theory as well as with their chosen instrument," says Connaughton.
"There are many talented musicians in The Bahamas but very few of them fulfil their potntial because they do not get skilled teaching ? nor are they exposed to international music standards," she says.
Connaughton adds that young Bahamian musicians need three things today: high-quality teaching; exposure to a wide range of music and exchane programmes so they can play with, and learn from, world class musicians.
"My goal is to have a full-time professional symphony orchestra in The Bahamas within 10 years," says Connaughton. "I see the next generation of Bahamian musicians as much more sklled than the last, and having much greater exposure to international standards and experiences."
She believes the next 20 years will be a time of great growth in Bahamian music.
"Musicians will start to write music for [the orchestra]. The more they wite, the better they will get, and so there will develop a repertoire of Bahamian orchestral music? ."
Obie Pindling of Visage agrees. As the driving force behind one of the island's successful bands for more than 20 years, he is confident of the future."Young people will always want to create new music. As long as they are talented and dedicated, they can make their mark."
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