André Tanker
Encyclopedia
André Michael Tanker was a Trinidad and Tobago
musician and composer
.
was compared by David Rudder
to that of Bob Dylan
on American music http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/obituary/0,12723,913148,00.html. Tanker's work defines the Caribbean folk-jazz genre.
Tanker's mother was a dancer who was a descendant of Michel-Jean Cazabon
, Trinidad's first great painter. He grew up close to the Invaders pan yard
and the Little Carib Theatre. His first instrument was a steelpan
which he received from legendary pannist Ellie Mannette
at the age of 7. When he was "12 or 13" he began to play the guitar
and cuatro
. In his teens he formed a number of small ensenbles with Ray Holman which played local parties. This evolved into André Tanker and the Flamingos which played at the Trinidad Hilton
. He added jazz
and was influenced by the Cuba
n percussionist Mongo Santamaría
. In the 1960s and 1970s Tanker developed a link with Caribbean music and wrote songs of black consciousness and liberation. He developed an interest in Orisha
music and African drumming working with Andrew Beddoe of the Little Carib Theatre who was an Orisha priest.
Exposure to Indian music drew him to Indian classical music. He was influenced by Ravi Shankar and later worked extensively with Indo-Trinidadian
sitar
ist Mungal Patasar. Patasar and Tanker scored the soundtrack of the movie Bim
in 1973, the second locally produced movie in Trinidad and Tobago. He also wrote the music for the musical version of Derek Walcott
's Ti Jean and His Brothers which was produced for the New York
Shakespeare Festival in 1972. He followed this with music for Earl Lovelace
's The Dragon Can't Dance
and a production of Mustapha Matura
's Playboy of the West Indies
at the Lincoln Centre.
Tanker's classic works include Sayamanda, Basement Party, Morena Osha, Hosanna Higher, and Forward Home.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
musician and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Person
Tanker was considered one of the most original musicians that the country produced. His influence on the music of Trinidad and TobagoMusic of Trinidad and Tobago
Calypso music and steelpan is what Trinidad and Tobago is best known for, including internationally in the 1950s through artists like Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow; the art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte...
was compared by David Rudder
David Rudder
David Michael Rudder is a calypsonian from Trinidad.-Career:David Rudder is one of the top calypsonians of all time. In 1977, he joined Charlie's Roots, one of the top bands in Trinidad and Tobago. He spent many years as one of the vocalists with the band...
to that of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
on American music http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/obituary/0,12723,913148,00.html. Tanker's work defines the Caribbean folk-jazz genre.
Tanker's mother was a dancer who was a descendant of Michel-Jean Cazabon
Michel-Jean Cazabon
Michel-Jean Cazabon is regarded as the first great Trinidadian painter and is Trinidad's first internationally known artist. He is also known as the layman painter. He is renowned for his paintings of Trinidad scenery and for his portraits of planters, merchants and their family in the 19th century...
, Trinidad's first great painter. He grew up close to the Invaders pan yard
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
and the Little Carib Theatre. His first instrument was a steelpan
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
which he received from legendary pannist Ellie Mannette
Ellie Mannette
Elliot "Ellie" Mannette is a musical instrument maker and Steel Pan musician, also known as "father of the modern steel pan instrument".-Life:...
at the age of 7. When he was "12 or 13" he began to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and cuatro
Cuatro (instrument)
The cuatro is any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. The cuatro is smaller than a guitar. Cuatro means four in Spanish, although current instruments may have more than four strings....
. In his teens he formed a number of small ensenbles with Ray Holman which played local parties. This evolved into André Tanker and the Flamingos which played at the Trinidad Hilton
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
. He added jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and was influenced by the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n percussionist Mongo Santamaría
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
. In the 1960s and 1970s Tanker developed a link with Caribbean music and wrote songs of black consciousness and liberation. He developed an interest in Orisha
Orisha
An Orisha is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system....
music and African drumming working with Andrew Beddoe of the Little Carib Theatre who was an Orisha priest.
Exposure to Indian music drew him to Indian classical music. He was influenced by Ravi Shankar and later worked extensively with Indo-Trinidadian
Indo-Trinidadian
Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago of Indian or other South Asian ancestry.Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians has now become interchangeable with Indians or East Indians. These were people who were taken from India by the British either as workers or educated...
sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
ist Mungal Patasar. Patasar and Tanker scored the soundtrack of the movie Bim
Bim
Bim is a 1974 Trinidad and Tobago film written by Raoul Pantin and directed by Hugh A. Robertson. It was described by Bruce Paddington as "one of the most important films to be produced in Trinidad and Tobago".-Plot:...
in 1973, the second locally produced movie in Trinidad and Tobago. He also wrote the music for the musical version of Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott
Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...
's Ti Jean and His Brothers which was produced for the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Shakespeare Festival in 1972. He followed this with music for Earl Lovelace
Earl Lovelace
For the peerage, see Earl of Lovelace.Earl Lovelace is a Trinidadian novelist, journalist, playwright, and short story writer....
's The Dragon Can't Dance
The Dragon Can't Dance
The Dragon Can't Dance is a novel by Trinidadian author Earl Lovelace, set in a slum in Port of Spain. The novel is centered around the life of Aldrick Prospect, a man who spend the entire year recreating his dragon costume for Carnival...
and a production of Mustapha Matura
Mustapha Matura
Mustapha Matura is a Trinidadian playwright living in London.In 1971 his play As Time Goes By was first performed at the Traverse Theatre Club in Edinburgh and the Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, with a cast of noted Caribbean actors including Stefan Kalipha, Alfred Fagon, Mona...
's Playboy of the West Indies
Playboy of the West Indies
Playboy of the West Indies is a play by Trinidadian playwright Mustapha Matura, a Caribbean version of Synge's The Playboy of the Western World....
at the Lincoln Centre.
Tanker's classic works include Sayamanda, Basement Party, Morena Osha, Hosanna Higher, and Forward Home.
External links
- Music Beyond Measure - obituary by Georgia Popplewell in Caribbean BeatCaribbean Beat' is a bimonthly magazine, published in Port of Spain, Trinidad, covering the arts, culture and society of the Caribbean, with a focus on the region's English-speaking territories...
. - Forward Home - André Revisted - obituary by Judy Raymond in Caribbean Beat
- Like a Liberation - interview with André Tanker by Simon Lee in Caribbean Beat
- Obituary by Bruce Paddington in Guardian UnlimitedGuardian Unlimitedguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...