- The
- poet
- and
- musician
- Anthony
- Joseph
- met
- and
- spoke
- to
- Lord
- Kitchener
- just
- once,
- in
- 1984,
- when
- he
- found
- the
- calypso
- icon
- standing
- alone
- for
- a
- moment
- in
- the
- heat
- of
- Port
- of
- Spain's
- Queen's
- Park
- Savannah,
- one
- Carnival
- Monday
- afternoon.
- It
- was
- a
- pivotal
- meeting
- in
- which
- the
- great
- calypsonian,
- outlined
- his
- musical
- vision,
- an
- event
- which
- forms
- a
- moving
- epilogue
- to
- Kitch,
- Joseph's
- unique
- biography
- of
- the
- Grandmaster.
Lord
- Kitchener
- (1922
- -
- 2000)
- was
- one
- of
- the
- most
- iconic
- and
- prolific
- calypso
- artists
- of
- the
- 20th
- century.
- He
- was
- one
- of
- calypso's
- most
- loved
- exponents,
- an
- always
- elegantly
- dressed
- troubadour
- with
- old
- time
- male
- charisma
- and
- the
- ability
- to
- tap
- into
- the
- musical
- and
- cultural
- consciousness
- of
- the
- Caribbean
- experience.
- Born
- into
- colonial
- Trinidad
- in
- 1922,
- he
- emerged
- in
- the
- 1950s,
- at
- the
- forefront
- of
- multicultural
- Britain,
- acting
- as
- an
- intermediary
- between
- the
- growing
- Caribbean
- community,
- the
- islands
- they
- had
- left
- behind,
- and
- the
- often
- hostile
- conditions
- of
- life
- in
- post
- War
- Britain.
- In
- the
- process
- Kitch,
- as
- he
- was
- affectionally
- called,
- single
- handedly
- popularised
- the
- calypso
- in
- Britain.
Kitch
- represents
- the
- first
- biographical
- study
- of
- Aldwyn
- Roberts,
- according
- to
- calypso
- lore,
- christened
- Lord
- Kitchener,
- because
- of
- his
- stature
- and
- enthusiasm
- for
- the
- art
- form.
- Utilising
- an
- innovative,
- polyvocal
- style
- which
- combines
- life-writing
- with
- poetic
- prose,
- the
- narrative
- alternates
- between
- first
- person
- anecdotes
- by
- Kitchener's
- fellow
- calypsonians,
- musicians,
- lovers
- and
- rivals,
- and
- lyrically
- rich
- fictionalised
- passages.
- By
- focussing
- equally
- on
- Kitchener's
- music
- as
- on
- his
- hitherto
- undocumented
- private
- and
- political
- life,
- Joseph
- gets
- to
- the
- heart
- of
- the
- man
- behind
- the
- music
- and
- the
- myth,
- reaching
- behind
- the
- sobriquet,
- to
- present
- a
- holistic
- portrait
- of
- the
- calypso icon.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
