Continuation of the Frankie McIntosh story

Today I continue with the Frankie McIntosh story. This, of course, is a review of the book FRANKIE MCINTOSH and the ART OF THE ARRANGER, co-authored with Ray Allen, an American, a former Professor at Brooklyn’s College, Frankie’s Alma mater. As I indicated when Ray Allen approached Frankie about collaborating with him on the writing of the book, his major interest was in “… focusing on the life and music of one of the most celebrated soca arrangers and keyboardists of all time.” This is not to be taken lightly, coming from a professor of music at the Brooklyn College. I ended my last piece with Frankie’s arrival in Antigua at the invitation of a fellow Vincentian, Cooper Prescod. It was to fill a gap left by another Vincentian ,Carver James who had left on holidays, but who never returned. Frankie went initially for a short period but with James not returning was asked to stay and play with the Antiguan band LAVISCOUNT.

The environment in Antigua was quite different from St. Vincent since that country had gone heavily into tourism, so unlike St. Vincent where engagements were mainly on weekends and at Carnival time and other festive occasions, work was available for a musician almost every day. The American tourists wanted ‘standard Jazz repertoire”, American Rhythm and Blues and Rock tunes, with occasionally, some popular calypsos. With the Americans it was mainly music for listening, while when they played at other smaller clubs that were patronised by Antiguans, the band played calypsos and ‘long jams’, “when the music got hot and the dancing intense”. Frankie was all prepared for that because his father’s band played Latin boleros, merengues, waltzes, fox trots and American Jazz, with as he stated, “even a polka or two.”

One of the important things about Antigua for Frankie was that he was able to get in touch with American musicians that he would not have met in St. Vincent. One of them, the well-known percussionist “Montego Joe” Saunders. Frankie discussed with him his interest in continuing his music education in the US. He suggested Brooklyn College as opposed to Julliard or the Manhattan School of Music, for at Brooklyn College, he would not only be able to study Music but also be able to do a lot more in terms of literature, history, philosophy and science. This suited Frankie. When he left Antigua after a year he had already been accepted at the Brooklyn College. When he landed at the JFK Airport in October 1968, he entered a city where Anti-Vietnam war protests were continuing, it was a few months after the assassination of Martin Luther King leading to a continuation of marches as part of a Black Power advocacy. It was also a time when there was a growing demand for the establishment of Departments of African and Puerto Rican studies. In his early years, he was the only black student in his music class. Shirley Chislom of Barbadian parentage was elected to Congress as the first black West Indian woman. A growing number of West Indian migrants were beginning to move into Crown Heights, Flat Bush and south eastern Queens. Central Brooklyn after a while was being transformed into New York’s own “Little Caribbean” as Italian and Jewish occupants moved into the suburbs. This had an impact on the music with West Indian Carnival moving into Brooklyn in the late 1960s.

Frankie was able to use the diverse worlds of Caribbean and American music to make a living while he studied at Brooklyn College. He played with different groups around the city, even teaming up with Vincentian Lio Smith who with his brother Alan, owned Alan’s Bakery. He did some arranging for Lio Smith, among them Sparrow’s “I am a Robot” and Lord Melody’s “Rasta”. His playing at many small bars and Jazz gigs had been having an impact on his studies. But everything changed when he met Alston ‘Becket’ Cyrus and Granville Straker.

Ray Allen states, “The early collaboration between Frankie and Becket would eventually be recognised as harbingers of the burgeoning Soca revolution of the late 1970s. And for Frankie they would prove crucial in his emergence as a soca arranger.” Frankie described his meeting with Becket when he came to his home to work on some scores for a boat excursion that he had been engaged by Granville Straker to participate in, along with Ron Berridge orchestra. The next year was big for Frankie and Becket. Becket had brought him some new songs including “Coming Higher.” This caught the attention of Casablanca Records that wanted some of the material to go into a movie “The Deep”. “Calypso Disco” got onto the sound track, a break through with his music on an American record label and one of the songs used in a Hollywood movie. We are told that “Coming High” got great airplay in Europe and “Disco Calypso” became popular in the Caribbean and in the US. All of this made a big change for Frankie. He said that singers who heard about his work with Becket began approaching him to arrange for them. He also developed a working relationship with Granville Straker that led to the production of hundreds of calypso and soca tunes. He had been invited by Straker to lead the band Equitables, and to arrange music for recording sessions.

Frankie attributed his success as an arranger to Becket. “It was through the notoriety I acquired from working with Becket that my arranging career blossomed, and for this I am eternally grateful. He was a consummate gentleman and artist with a sense of morals and ethics not commonly found today.” For Frankie, “Arranging and recording would become my lifeblood for the next few decades, providing me with financial stability and a measure of artistic fulfilment.” “… arranging was more lucrative, and I didn’t have to be out half the night or spend extended time away from family.”

There is so much more in this book as will be seen from the titles of the chapters”- Chapter 1- Making Music in St. Vincent and Antigua; (2)- Brooklyn as Meh Home; (3) St. Vincent connection Alston Becket Cyrus and Granville Straker; (4) The Art of the Arranger; (5) Arranging with Small Island Calypsonians; (6) Arranging with the Trinidad Stars; (7) Jazzing Up Calypso in the New Millenium; (Epilogue – Our Calypso Tags. Appendices (1) Small Island Calypsos and Soca Songs (2) The Trinidad Calypsos and Soca Songs (3) Jazzing Up Calypso.

Becket sums up his working relationship and that of other calypsonians with Frankie, “We gave Frankie the words and melodies and he gave us the music.”

This book is a good read. Very informative and easy to read.

• Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian