Jazz Tropical Project – a return to music

Forty years after he had all but given up on playing on stage and had put away his instrument, Dexter Rose is back playing music publicly.

Rose says that it amuses him each time he sees the surprised looks on people’s faces when they see him onstage with the Jazz Tropical Project. For him though, this feels as natural as it did when he used to appear on local talent shows as part of the teenaged vocal quartet Black Orpheus which comprised four secondary school youngsters, Franklyn Max E Edwards, Brent Cyrus, Lorenzo Lorry Tucker and he.

Back in the 70’s, the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) music scene was bursting at the seams with regular talent shows. In fact, Rose says, his quartet’s first appearance was facilitated by the Slummates -which became Gratitude – at a show organized by a cousin Robert ‘Patches’ Knights. The Slummates was the top and arguably the best vocal group SVG has seen to date and comprised brothers Dolwin ‘I ee’ and Kent Knights, Chester Simmons, and another cousin Sly Rose, the blood relationships all being coincidental.

His Black Orpheus later expanded to adding his bass guitar and a guitarist Adamski John and would often perform using the drummer and keyboard player from the contracted accompanying band if not, as was more frequent, being accompanied by the top bands of the day such as Clymax and Mastermind.

Rose states that music is his first love and recalls how active the music scene was during the 60’s and 70’s.

Jazz Tropical Project band from left: Dexter Rose, (bass guitarist), Bryan Ortiz (saxophonist and music producer) and Juan Carlos Cepeda (pianist).

“Vincies used to fete on Wednesday nights, then on the weekends at places like the Crow’s Nest, owned by the late Bobby Brisbane at Villa, The Aquatic Club run by Stilly Fraser, Philo’s Disco in Questelles, the Spotlight Stadium in Georgetown and the mecca of them all, Ricks Discotheque. That building was constructed by the late pioneer Ricky Hillocks and was years ahead of its time in times of facilities, lights and sound.”

That building now houses the St James Medical School at Arnos Vale.

Dexter Rose performed either as vocalist or bassist with several bands before teaming up with the Intense Heat under the leadership of Bryan ‘Paper’ Alexander for the inaugural Reggae Festival in 1978.

Back then, he says, youngsters were into their most creative. There were spoken word poets such as his elder brother ‘Chivambo’ Rose, Glenroy ‘Sulle’ Cesar, Atiba Boob and DRAGS. African-conscious kaisonians such as ‘Black Messenger’ and ‘I Reality’ and another cousin, Errol ‘de Man Age’ Ballantyne-Rose all burst upon the kaiso scene.

Another cousin, the late Ferrand ‘Randy D’ Dopwell returned from studies in North America and began organizing the famed Snap Soul at the Steps of the St Vincent Grammar School.

So, what happened?

Rose laments that within a very short period from about 1979 to 1982 most of the bands simply disappeared. “Most of the musicians headed to the US or ceased to exist for one reason or another: Asterisks, Clymax, Envoys, Affetuosos with Dinks Johnson, the Latinaires Orchestra, Mastermind, all disintegrated, and the DJs entered to fill the void.”

He himself headed to New York where he rehearsed with the late Lio Smith’s orchestra though he never got to perform before he was offered the opportunity to study Journalism in Havana. There he formed his last bands for amateur university competitions. But he “had to concentrate on learning to speak and write Spanish like a local” so the bass fell by the wayside.

But the music was not forgotten as Havana was and is a musician’s dream, he explains. The Cuban Educational System hones musical or any artistic talent in a very structured way so anyone demonstrating potential can end up in dedicated music, art or dance school from age eight. Opportunities are provided for study free of cost from primary through university.

“By the time a Cuban student of the arts completes the equivalent of our community college they are ready for the world of professional performance in their chosen field. So if you find a Cuban musician graduated from university they are at an extremely high level of musical competence.”

Rose immersed himself in his studies and in the musical scene in Havana as a spectator and as a collector of music. He attended the yearly International Jazz Plaza Festivals which began while he was a student and continues today. “It would be a dream come true to be able to perform with my band in Cuba” he quips.

So how did he get back into playing? Totally by accident he says. While at post as Ambassador to Cuba he had purchased “a starter bass kit and also a great Yamaha piano” and had them just lying around at home. He returned to SVG after a “much too long” 11 years at post and one day visited the Epsilon Music Academy in Beachmont which had been started by a Cuban graduate of that country’s music system Zahily Laidlow, and ran into two “excellent young Cuban musicians.”

They began to jam, Rose on vocals with his arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine” which he had imagined in a Latin rhythm. They recorded it on his phone and a friendship developed. They began to jam at the academy and Rose invited Mwata Ballantyne-Rose, another cousin and former drummer with Clymax, and Jazz Tropical Project was born.

Rose says he considers it a miracle that after a 40-year break he is able to keep up with musicians who could be his children: Bryan Ortiz – a graduate saxophonist and music producer and pianist – Juan Carlos Cepeda. They formed Jazz Tropical Project as a takeaway from Rose’s Jazz Tropical two-hour programme which is into its fourth year on NBC Radio St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The Project is a continuation of my quest to foster music appreciation here in SVG and just as the radio programme has been used as a platform to promote local and Caribbean music and artistes who are into jazz, the Jazz Tropical Project intends to promote music education and appreciation throughout SVG. The public can expect to see Jazz Tropical Project giving community concerts even as we continue to perform in restaurants and clubs throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Just eight months after the bands formation they have performed in Canouan at Sandy Lane Yacht Club, Basils Bar Mustique, The Bequia Music Fest – where they were the opening night act and asked to accompany Dominican songbird Lili Octave – as well as memorable performances at Gate 3, Signature, Paradise Inn and where they first wet their feet, the Baystones Restaurant, Buccament.

He is especially proud of the performances the Jazz Tropical Project has done free of cost for the Thomas Saunders Secondary and West St George Secondary Schools, the Venezuelan and Cuban Embassies and at the UWI Open Campus’s Literary and Arts Festival recently.

What’s in the future? The public can look forward to a big production at the beginning of May at Basils at Villa featuring cameos by some of SVG finest performers. Stay tuned ‘cause Jazz Tropical Project is here. (Contributed)