Nearlin Taitt

Taitt was a guitarist with the legendary band of the 1950s and 60s, the Dutchy Brothers, and also arranged for a number of leading steelbands in San Fernando including Guinness Cavaliers. He once tuned a pan, literally, with his shoe to be in tune with a piano.

I grew up hearing about musical pioneer Nearlin Taitt and was disappointed in not reading about his passing in the daily newspapers; only this online newspaper Tntinsider carried the news.

The country certainly lost a gifted son of the soil in this gifted steelband and music pioneer from San Fernando and one of the many individuals who helped put the southern city on the map musically, along with the likes of Bobby Mohammed, Larry Du Boulet, Steve Achaiba, the Dutchy Brothers, Watty Watkins and the late Zaid “Tosca” Mohammed.

Taitt died in Montreal, Canada at the age of 74 years after a long and illustrious career mainly in Jamaica, and eventually in Canada where he had settled.

An accomplished guitarist and pannist, Taitt is credited with revolutionising popular music in Jamaica to produce the Ska and Reggae beats with his unusual guitar riffs.

Taitt continued to pursue music after he migrated to Canada. However, long before this move, Taitt became a legend among his musical peers here in Trinidad:

At a memorial service for Taitt on January 30 at Belgrove’s Memorial Chapel in San Fernando, Cavaliers co-founder Bobby Mohammed reminisced about Taitt’s remarkable talent as a tuner: “ I could never forget, Nerlin and I going to perform together one evening at a benefit radio programme in Port-of-Spain to raise funds (in the late 1950s). “Nearlin told me to check the piano as he played a note on the pan to see if they were in sync. “They were both in different keys, so Nerlin took off his shoe, took his pan stick and began knocking the pan stick with his shoe on each note, and believe it or not, he tuned-over the whole pan in key with the piano,” Mohammed said.

Taitt was a guitarist with the legendary Dutchy Brothers, and arranged for several steelbands, including Southern All Stars, Gondoliers, and Guinness Cavaliers.

According to Mohammed (Bobby), Taitt was one of a small group of people that encouraged him and other members of Southern steelbands to develop their musical talent: “Nearlin Taitt was one of the people who encouraged me as a young piano player to keep on. “I remember when Nearlin came to our home bringing the first tenor pan, I combined the piano with him on the tenor pan and we made beautiful music.” This started a series of events that led to the establishment of Cavaliers Steelband in San Fernando.

Taitt later travelled to Jamaica and started a music band there: “We heard he went to Canada and continued with his music there, but we never heard more of him until his death last month,” Mohammed said.

Saved as: “Nerlin Taitt (obit.)

The Cinderella man of West Indies cricket is now approaching the nervous nineties. This iconic sportsman is still cheerful and chirpy and remembers his historic 1948 after-Carnival innings.

Andy Ganteaume, the oldest surviving West Indian Test cricketer, quietly celebrated his 89^th birthday on January 22 at his home in the Santa Margarita hills, St Augustine, with its magnificent view of the Caroni plains.

Andrew Gordon Ganteaume is part of the intriguing folklore of the gentleman’s game: he is the cinderella man of West Indian cricket, scoring a century in his only innings against the England at the Queen’s Park Oval 62 years ago- and never to be selected to play another Test match.

That memorable innings in the First Test, which was played immediately after the 1948 carnival celebrations, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 11 , ending on February 16, is told in some detail in Andy’s biography, My Story, The Other Side of The Coin, which was published in 2007.

Over the years, there has been the typical Trinidadian mauvais langue about an innings which has given him a batting average superior to that of Don Bradman.

People who were not even at the Oval to see the match confidently assert that it was one of the slowest innings ever and this was the reason for his not being selected again for the West Indies.

“Someone asked me and the fellow is not even a cricketer, how many singles I made in my century”, Andy related.

“I told him 99”.

Actually, he scored his 112 in 270 minutes, an average scoring rate, and hit 13 fours.

This belied talk that he scored slowly.

Ganteaume, a short wicket keeper batsman who played locally for Maple, was in the West Indies squad, at the age of 36, for the forgettable 1957 tour of England, but was not selected to play in any match.

Ganteaume continued playing for several more years.

A charming, convivial man, played with or against some of the great West Indian players- George Headley, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott, Jeffrey Stollmeyer, Allan Rae, Norman Marshall, Alfie Valentine, Sonny Ramadhin, Gary Sobers, Wes Hall, Rohan Kanhai, Bruce Paraideau, Robert Christiani, J. K.Holt Jr et al.

Worrell was at the crease with him when he made his century on February 13, 1948.

Andy also represented Trinidad and Tobago in football with fellow internationals, Jeffrey Stollmeyer and Gerry Gomez also in the team.

Andy, a man of mixed ancestry (his maternal grandfather was the child of indentured East Indian sugar workers), remains cheerful and philosophical about his strangely abbreviated Test career.

]]> http://www.tntinsider.com/trinidadiana/03008/ganteaume-still-at-the-wicket/feed/ 0 http://www.tntinsider.com/trinidadiana/02446/the-qrc-mystique/ http://www.tntinsider.com/trinidadiana/02446/the-qrc-mystique/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:36:42 +0000 TNT Insider Staff http://www.tntinsider.com/?p=2446

The Queen's Royal College Main Building

Old boy ROLAND SAMUEL ventures where QRC angels, wherever they are found, fear to tread.

What QRC stamp is discernible among V.S. Naipaul, Eric Williams, C.L.R. James, Rudrunath Capildeo or H.OB. Wooding? QRC has been anointed an institution, precluding that an alumnus would have been cloaked with the mantle of intellect, vision well-roundedness and excellence, on setting foot there.

This piece may provoke the ire of the QRC faithful, but its true objective is to probe whether or not “the QRC Boy” is a myth, ideal, reality or concept.

What QRC stamp is discernible among V.S. Naipaul, Eric Williams, C.L.R James, Rudrunath Capildeo or H.O.B. Wooding? Among other national icons like Patrick Solomon, J.B. Stollmeyer, Lloyd Best, Lance Pierre, Deryck Murray, Peter Minshall, Jackie Hinkson, Ray Holman or Arthur Lok-Jack what QRC traits are identifiable?

Any attempt to establish this necessitates an examination of the administration and management of the school, the character and personality of the masters, and perhaps the class affiliation of the students themselves. I am under the impression that in the early epoch, elitism was significant in the selection of the intake. The existence of an entrance examination was also clearly designed with academic refinement in mind. High standards of behaviour and attitude would have been shared, and would have facilitated symbiotic influence.

A critical and perhaps significant factor was the prominence of the school and its particular aura. In the early years, there were only two prestigious colleges-CIC and QRC. Mere attendance automatically bestowed on the student an element of prestige. However, the national intellect and academic talent formerly shared by these two giants were subsequently dispersed among the fledgling colleges and eventually dissipated throughout the secondary school ranks.

QRC was administered by a white expatriate, the last being T.V. Haines whose reign ended circa 1960. The colonial master was equally symbolic and real and probably created effective control and obeisance among staff and students, ultimately fostering the institutions of the school. The role of the “masters” (teachers) may have been relatively less influential.

“Masters” of intellect, deserving of admiration included W.D.Isaacs. Eric Kirton, the venerable Patrick White and Hope Braithwaite. C.V Gocking seen as a luminary in education was wont to lull himself to sleep while teaching, elevated on the form room dais. Others were indeed competent and responsible like Bunny Bhagan, Nichols, R.W. Mitchell, Debysingh, Ralph Laltoo, Jackie Martin, Walter Jones and Arindell.

There were eccentrics like Oscar Seemungal and Martin Riley and there was the strange “Henry”, who, foisted on us by CIC, promptly proceeded to inflict Latin deponent verbs on us hapless 3A students. The brothers, A.A. and V.V. Gopaul went through the motions of mathematics, as Rice trudged along the paths of history and Messrs Christophe, Inniss and F.O. Abdulah delivered their goods in mechanical, cold and humorless fashion.

The vituperative style of R.W.Mitchell certainly would be seen as anathema in contemporary educational theory. Many of us, however, survived his insults and discovered the discipline to be successful in exams. Deserving of honourable mention was the supremely benign Edwards who taught woodwork. One cannot forget the meek Horace Springer and the abrasive John Grell. In concluding this assessment, curiosity prompts me to ask if French students were inspired by Dr Orville McShine or Samuel Cole.

The academic success or eventual social elevation of QRC students may not necessarily have been automatically attributable to its teachers. No attempt is being made here to do disservice to their role nor their efficiency, where it existed, but the one played by the student himself, may have been infinitely more decisive. Many grasped that the ‘masters’ worthy of greatness or prominence in their field may have been vast. In many instances, motivation by default existed. No one was expected to perform admirably. Self motivation thus evolved.

Did the principal exert influence? I do not have intimate knowledge of T.V. Haines’ personality nor his character. I experienced a single personal episode with him in his office, to which I was sent by Frank Abdulah. Not realising a final exam was still in progress, I had entered 1 EX classroom running, and faking a clout at Michael Smart’s head after hearing a bell which I had, mistakenly, assumed to indicate the end of the break period. In fact, invigilation was still in progress. Abdulah may have written my name in the Black Book for the presumed infraction. The “Sheriff” questioned me for a total of one minute. On my explanation, he summarily dismissed me without caning or admonition.

Representative of colonial power, the “Sheriff” would stride, like a colossus, across the field from his quarters or down to the sacred Hall. His garb consisted of an un-pressed suit and a rather narrow necktie as he stepped almost militarily, in his dingy brown brogues, as if inspecting his troops. At assemblies, misconduct was unacceptable. I recall on occasion he would arrive at 1 EX in the absence of a particular ‘master’. He would instruct us to consult our Phillips atlas and would spend the period making us try to locate towns or cities on the map of England or Wales. I have no idea whether he was intellectual, scholarly or bright. The institution of principal, however, was significant. Respect for the incumbent was automatic, whether or not merited.

Over the years, a finite number of QRC alumni have occupied the higher political, social, academic and intellectual echelons of our nation, the majority, however, dwelling, essentially, below the national radar. In my senior years, now at 68, I cannot say, definitively, that my alma mater has had a profound influence on me. My father always expected academic progress while my mother’s mantra was ‘order and discipline’. I prefer to believe that life experiences post QRC were more crucial.

For some, the mere idea of investigating the pseudo phenomenon of “The QRC boy” may be seen as preposterous or even sacrilegious undertaking. QRC has been anointed an institution, precluding that an alumunus would have been cloaked with the mantle of intellect, vision, well roundedness and excellence, on setting foot there.

With respect to achievement and professional and personal development, the focus seems effectively shifted from the individual to his alma mater. The common assumption was that the school engendered this success, the role of the individual being quasi minimal or coincidental.

In conclusion, I am unable to assert whether or not the emergence or creation of a QRC prototype, or the semblance of one, is readily observable. Undoubtedly, a powerful psychological bond has been established and has forged powerful unifying links among its alumni, all fully fortified by the sheer potency of that indomitable Intercol passion.

The pristine grandeur of the main building with its majestic and imposing clock tower, sonorous with its Big Ben chimes, the ivy clad Science Block, the humble pavilion and the adjacent manicured playing field, the magnificent front lawn with its splendid obelisk and noble samaans, certainly an awe inspiring ambience for us to savour.