How do we assess Blaxx?

AIYEGORO OME

A COMMENT is necessary about the late Blaxx (Dexter Stewart) and his legacy, including assessments and likely honours.

Shortly after Blaxx’s passing there was a call from Ainsley King, president of TUCO, for a state funeral for Blaxx. At a small celebration in Mason Hall, two of Blaxx’s friends, Keston Williams and Kenneth Ottley, claimed that Blaxx was given a raw deal. Ottley is reported to have said that if it were up to him, he would make Blaxx a national hero.

Clearly, there were many others who may have shared these sentiments. The outpouring of love at Blaxx’s funeral were testament of the regard for the late soca artiste. Those were assessments.

However, we should do a series of case studies of Blaxx’s work so that we can arrive at his contribution to the arts in TT.

A case study is “a research method that engages in the close, detailed examination of a single example or phenomenon...Case studies are often published by ethnographers, participant observers and historical researchers.”

Case studies don’t have to be written. They can be presented in various forms like videos, white papers or blog posts.

Here in TT, there are many eager students at UWI, COSTATT and UTT, as well as secondary school students doing research in the arts and communications studies.

Source material to complete Blaxx’s case study is not very hard. The memory of Blaxx is still with us. His family, his teachers, mentors, fellow musicians and managers are everywhere. Not to forget the innumerable accounts in videos, interviews, concerts and shows involving Blaxx.

There are the records of Soca Monarch and NACC Young Kings Monarch competitions. Yes, Blaxx was a participant in the Young Kings during the 31st annual competition at the Queen’s Park Savannah in 2015. How could we lose sight of what he may or may not have accomplished?

I make some references for source material for comparable purposes.

I recall back in 2009, Anita Elberse and Michael Christensen, under the auspices of the Harvard Business School, wrote a case study of Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta). It was “designed to help students understand the decisions that helped propel Lady Gaga into one of the entertainment world's biggest names. Written from the perspective of her manager, the case provides rich insights into the artist's touring, recorded music and social-media activities, as well as supporting economic data.”

We have material which may not have been case studies per se, but they set the context within which they may be done. There are media presenters like Llewellyn “Shortpants” Mac Intosh who anchors The Kaiso Café on 91.1 FM and then there is Kenny Phillips’s collection at WACK.

If we go further back there have been a number of earlier presenters who have done programmes. They would bridge the gap between then and now.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and SECU are current sponsors of the month-long salute to Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts, 1922-2000) on I95.5 FM. It was in honour of the Grandmaster’s 100th birth anniversary.

It was also equally gratifying for me to be involved in a one-day UWI symposium “Dreadness: The Mystic Power, Philosophy and Performance of Shadow 1941-2021" on March 4. It was hosted by The UWI St Augustine's Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies in celebration of Shadow’s (Winston Bailey) 80th birthday.

And, of course, there are writers and collectors like Dr Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, Zeno Obiageli Constance and Edward “Teddy” Pinheiro.

If we go even further back there have been a number of other presenters who have done very commendable programmes,

Among them UWI Professor Emeritus Dr Gordon Rohlehr who has been a phenomenal researcher about calypso. Alvin Daniell used to do a weekly series, Calypso Showcase, on TTT. Then there were Winston Maynard and Atta Kujifi among others on Bring Your Music and Come.

All we have to do is to begin the process of preparing case studies about Blaxx (and so many others) so that they will remain in our memory and be thereby honoured.