Music in May to love Guyana..
During the last couple of months, I listened to Guyana tunes which moved people. Some of them were nice, some of them were troubling.
In the Stabroek News this week, Teacher Earletta Weekes said about the flag raising ceremony "I felt my skin grow when we sang the national song “Guyana The Free” and the National Anthem. "
The collective singing of any song does have a joyful unifying effect ( it is perhaps a nicer kind of mob mentality) and communal singing of songs is uplifting for many people.
It is not often that Guyanese get together to make nice music in large numbers. I
I had a nice feeling in 2011 when hearing, singing the last stanza of the National Anthem at a concert in the St George's Cathedral at a Christmas Concert from the Georgetown Chamber Chorus.
(Yall dont need to stand when yall play this)
More recent renditions of the National Anthem though have me shutting up because of my cynicism about the singers who litter and who have contempt for their fellow citizens and so and the general futility of believing that the Dear Land of Guyana belongs to me .
An article in Kaieteur News - 27 May, 2016 "New Music Emerges for Guyana's 50th Independence" diverted me from important work to think about the music I I heard and thinking of the musicians who made their contributions. I do not know if in 1966 there were similar efforts.
Amar Ramessar and Indus Voices composition of a poem written in Guyana a hundred years ago, makes me a little emotional when I hear it because of all the historical context - Lal Bihari Sharma talking about the work in the cane fields and wondering about the promise of Guyana in 1916..
Poonam Singh's Guyana has been shared around. My politics about people in crowns talking about Independent Guyana did not make me dislike the nice and upbeat song.
The lyrics, which details what Guyana means to the singer, includes the constant reminder of of 'not one, not two but six races'
Paloma Mohammed's Skin talks directly to the races.. with a more moody jazz type tone .. and concludes "call me Guyana. "
Jackie Jaxx's love of Guyana is powerful, very deep - though I wonder what the singer meant by 'I know I make you cry sometimes' .
People did over some of the National Songs.
Oh Beautiful Guyana is one of the annoying songs - with the high notes and so it does not make for a nice sing along - it separates singers from non-singers like me. I always like to hear how people deal with the high notes though.
Charmaine Blackman and friends did a beautiful rendition
and the rendition by Miriam Corlette -Williams and Jeremiah Williams is also soulful . .
The clips of some songs done on solo Piano by Dr Patricia Cambridge give a glimpse into beautiful music.
The best gift this last week has been the digitising of songs which were on vinyl - Nesha Benjamin, Joyce Harris, Kassri Narine.
The youtube channel of Mohan Sukhdeo has many of the old favourites (Thanks Professor Vibert Cambrdige for sharing first ).
The love of Guyana though is probably a luxury for those who can't really eat patriotism.
Blessings to all the musicians who gave their gifts.
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