They will be in Montreal on Carifiesta Night
Egbert Gaye
With Carifiesta comes the laundry list of fetes that underline what is a big weekend for the Black and Caribbean community in Montreal.
This year, more so than in recent times, some of Trinidad and Tobago top stars of Soca are expected to be in town to bring that special touch to the party scene.
One of the most anticipated groups coming in for the big ‘carnival nite’ parties this year is Brass 2 The World.
What makes them special is that they harken back to a time when people actually danced in parties.
The comeback of what people refer to as a brass band means a lot to those who went to fetes in T&T in the 70s, 80, 90s and a bit in the early 2000s when big names like Charlies Roots, Roy Cape, Kalyan, Sound Revolution, Blue Ventures, Volt Express, Atlantique, Taxi and Second Imij ruled dance floors at home, around the Caribbean and across the world.
Russell Cadogan knows a lot about those days. Today, the 50-something-year-old Soca livewire is the lead singer of Brass 2 The World, but back in the day he was also front man for some of the best bands coming out of T&T, including 11 years with Kalyan, three with Robin Imanshah and Taxi, then 23 years with his band Second Imij.
The way he sees it is that T&T, the Caribbean and the entire world are longing for good Soca music, and with a good brass band on the scene, partygoers can expect to have a good time again.
“I’m out there and have been observing what’s happening with Soca music… people are hungry for the good stuff.”
That hunger, he says, will be satisfied when artistes start “delivering the type of music that moved people.”
“I understand that today is today and I’m not trying to stop the forward progress of the music but a lot of bad stuff are out there today.”
That’s why he says the return of a solid brass band like Brass 2 The World was such a welcome addition to the streets of T&T for the 2017 carnival.
The band, which was formed by Bert Marcellin, who himself is the son of Mano Marcellin one of Trinidad’s iconic bandleaders, include several top T&T musicians.
Cadogan says not only are they coming with original hits, they also specialize in delivering many of the popular songs of today.
“But what people are really going to enjoy is what we have to offer with the many hits of yesteryear. Look, with Brass 2 The World, you have to be ready to dance.”
And as they prepare to come to Montreal for the big Carnival party at Cegep Andre Laurendeau, they are excited to come and remind people what fete was like back in the day.
“I personally haven’t been there for a long time, so I have something to prove. It will be a flashback to Brass-O-Rama.”
