Friends celebrate Robert Munro's music

GARY CARDINEZ

FRIENDS of Robert Munro came together to celebrate his legacy, his music and to keep his style alive at Kaiso Blues Cafe, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, last Thursday. The group was founded by David Boothman, the man behind Caribbean Renaissance Foundation, archivist and sound engineer Robin Foster and Michael Germain, musician and Latin music aficionado.

Also included in the Friends of Robert Munro are parang queen Alicia Jagessar, Julio Torres, Dominic Thompson, Clarita Rivas, Wayne Dopson, colleagues and friends.

Munro was a self-taught, gifted musician who gave his life to TT's culture and extended Caribbean communities by way of his sophisticated musical style and mastery of the cuatro. He mentored many musicians both young and old, professional and amateur. He was the consummate father figure, brother, friend and fraternal musician.

In his neighbourhood Corbeau Town (Coberton) in the city of Port of Spain, the Munro’s family home was the centre of attraction, bringing the community together with music resonating acoustically through Victoria Square, within a two-mile radius. There was always music in the air.

Thursday night's tribute of shared stories and memories of the 60s to present about the piped piper, illuminated Munro’s humble and charitable spirit.

The Friends are trying to keep alive his cultural inclusion and integration of Caribbean music –the Latin, calypso, zouk and Caribbean folk– all at the core of Munro’s musical integrity.

The celebration of this master musician, friend and brother and national icon saw emotional performances by Alicia Jagessar (backed by Friends of Robert Munro) who sang and played the cuatro on Rio Manzanara, Billirubina, Vivir Su Vida and Cuando Cuando.

The Friends continued with Latin songs they claimed he loved. Rochelle Antoine sang Ansiedad, Quizas Quizas and Moliendo Cafe while Denlis Bertrand sang Alma Llanera. The group also played some instrumentals including El Carite and Pajaro Campana which featured several mandolin solos.

Dominic Thompson was superb on his cuatro with a solo performance of While My Guitar gently Weeps. One set of friends made way for another set of friends in Wayne Dopson and Frenz which featured Gilet Revello with his set of Lap Sap Tung or Zylapans. Revello led the Frenz with Tempo and Pan in A Minor among several other songs.

He then made way for Jerry Prudent who together with the Frenz turned the Cafe upside down as the singer performed calypsoes like Jean and Dinah, Lizard and Ice Man with the entire audience as his chorus. Prudent then switched to songs like Sad Movies, Cupid, Release Me, Yesterday, Before the next Teardrop Falls and Tell Laura as members of the audience sang at the top of their voices.

When Prudent announced his departure the audience shouted one more, one more and pandemonium broke as he started David Rudder’s Bahia Girl. It was obvious that Wayne Dopson and Frenz were enjoying themselves as much as the audience was enjoying their performance.

In the end Boothman said the tribute to Munro will continue every two months as the group had no intention of allowing his memory and legacy to disappear. After the show Munro’s daughter Maria-Elena Newallo Munro gave the show her blessings when she said “It was wonderful, I enjoyed the performances immensely.”