Katzenjammers

WITH a repertoire comprising almost every conceivable genre of music, Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra is the pride of Black Rock, Tobago.

Katzenjammers will be the first band on stage tonight at the Queens Park Savannah in the national Panorama finals performing Winston Bailey’s (Shadow’s) Stranger. The piece was arranged by Terrance “BJ” Marcelle.

Formed in 1951, the medium band has long adhered to the watchwords of discipline, dedication and excellence, making it one of the leading outfits on the island.

“Wherever you see Katzenjammers, you see love,” said bandleader Beverly Ramsey-Moore, who also wears the hat of Pan Trinbago president.

“You see unity, a group of villagers, Tobagonians who not only play music but work together. Katzenjammers is just life.”

Referred to as “Mom Bev” or “Aunty Beverly,” Ramsey-Moore said the band has benefited tremendously from its discipline and commitment to excellence, so much so that they are often the envy of the other steelbands in Tobago.

“People refer to us as the biggish band in Tobago. But, it is not that we are biggish or puffed up, it is not about that. We always stand out. It is that leadership that works for us.”

And, there’s a reason for that.

According to Ramsey-Moore, 95 per cent of Katzenjammers’ players come from Black Rock, comprising members of several well-known families in the closely-knit, seaside community.

For instance, the Ramseys, from which the band’s leader emerged, has over a dozen players. Then, there are the Jordons and Douglas, both of whom also enjoy sizeable membership.

“We are just family so the band is easy to manage. As a result, when we come to Trinidad, for example, we do not have a problem with accommodation because everyone is comfortable with everyone.”

The two-time Panorama champions, who placed second in last Friday’s Tobago House of Assembly Pan Champs, got its name from a newspaper comic strip called the Katzenjammers Kids several decades ago.

As the story goes, Ramsey-Moore’s father, his brothers and others, in their youth, were toying around with the instrument when they caught the attention of a man from Trinidad who had played with a band called Katzenjammers.

“He saw them underneath this mango tree at Fort Bennett Trace with pans that they borrowed from a band in Plymouth. So, he later gave them music and said, ‘You must name the band Katzenjammers.’ So, while there was a band called Katzenjammers in Trinidad, there was one called Katzenjammers Kids in Tobago.”

From 2013 to 2018, Katzenjammers was sponsored by Petrotrin. But with the closure of the oil company last November and the formation of two new entities, Heritage Petroleum Company Limited and Paria Fuel Trading Company, the band’s future by way of sponsorship seems uncertain.

Despite the odds, Ramsey-Moore said the band’s resilience has enabled it to fulfil its agenda over the Carnival season.

“We are the only band in Tobago to win five national titles, a national tune of choice in 1967 and Pan in the 21st century in 2004 and 2008. We are always in the top five bands in Panorama medium category, always on the front line.”