Alexander's Ragtime Band was one of the first all-steel percussion bands in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

and is considered a forerunner of the

steelband The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national in ...

. The band was organised at the Big Yard in Newtown in western

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

, and first emerged on Carnival Monday morning in 1939. Named for the film ''

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911; it is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little sync ...

'', the band was louder and more mobile than

tamboo bamboo Tamboo bamboo is a Trinidadian percussion instrument (idiophone) created in Trinidad BWI , and is a notable precursor to the creation of steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad ...

bands that were popular at the time, and represented a change in musicality. They inspired the rapid adoption of steel percussion by bands in Port of Spain, leading to the development of the

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared ...

History

Alexander's Ragtime Band formed from the Newtown tamboo bamboo band which was based at the Big Yard at the corner of Woodford Street and Tragarete Road in Newtown, in western Port of Spain. The Newtown tamboo bamboo band had been formed by former members of the Calvary tamboo bamboo band, which had played at the Calvary Calypso Tent located on Woodford Street. In the late 1920s or early 1930s their

calypso tent Calypso tents are venues in which calypsonians perform during the Carnival season. They usually are cinema halls, community centers, or other indoor buildings which have seating and stage arrangements to host the entertainers, guests and patrons ...

was evicted by its landlord and relocated to Picton Street, but several members shifted to lower Woodford Street, where they established a

stick fighting Stick-fighting, stickfighting, or stick fighting, is a variety of martial arts which use blunt, hand-held "sticks" for fighting, most typically a simple, non-lethal, wooden staff or baton. Schools of stick-fighting exist for a variety of weapon ...

"gayelle", or arena, and formed a new tamboo bamboo band. According to historian Kim Johnson, Alexander's Ragtime Band first emerged as part of the festivities on J'ouvert morning, 20 February 1939, from the Big Yard. Different accounts exist of when their first J'ouvert appearance took place, and Johnson notes the lack of any contemporary documentary evidence beyond a mention of "Eric Stowe's ''Bad Behaviour Rag Time Band'', which was reported by to be the winner of the "Best Bamboo Band" in a 1939 Carnival Monday competition on Besson Street in Port of Spain by the '' Port of Spain Gazette''.Johnson believes that this is a conflation between this band and another carnival band, the ''S.S. Bad Behaviour'', which came out of Hell Yard in eastern Port of Spain and was led by Eric Stowe at the time. The band was named after the film ''

'', which was released in Trinidad in 24 November 1938, and was mentioned by the

Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", wh ...

in a 1940 calypso. Since Lion's calypso would have been written before Carnival, Johnson felt confident that the band's first appearance was for J'ouvert in 1939.

Impact

Although steel percussion had been used in tamboo bamboo bands before 1939, and an all-steel band (later known as the Gonzalez Rhythm Makers) had come out of Gonzalez in eastern Port of Spain in 1937, Alexander's Ragtime Band was the first to have more than one

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in their instruments. They were also different in their organisation and

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

, and were much more mobile than any tamboo bamboo band. Alexander's Ragtime Band inspired other tamboo bamboo bands to discard bamboo in favour of steel instruments, which drove the rapid development of the steelpan and the steelbands.

Notes

References

{{reflist Trinidad and Tobago musical groups Musical groups established in 1939 1939 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago Steelbands