Earl King Interview
Earl King performing by the Flatbush Caton Market
Earl King is a long-time Caribbean musician and steel-pan player residing in Brooklyn, New York. Born on the island of Trinidad, he was exposed at an early age to the music of the steel pan, at a time when it was still heavily stigmatized and frowned upon. It was from this background that he discovered a love and passion for music, becoming well versed in the art of the steel pan and its rich history. It personally fosters a deep meaning for him, as it represents an important aspect of his heritage, childhood, and livelihood.
The first part of this interview is discussed on the steel pan page, and entails some history behind the instrument and its significance in Trinidadian culture. In the second, King elaborates on his experiences in NYC, specifically in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, a large enclave of Caribbean immigrants. He speaks of the commercialization of the steel pan, and Caribbean music in general. Although this commercialization in part made it possible for poor, underprivileged Trinidadians to show off their talents and make names for themselves, he claims that it depreciated the actual value of the music. The music changed under consumerism, which demanded louder and more energetic music from Dj’s and Western influences, and the steel pan became more of a sideshow attraction than a centerpiece of the Caribbean. It was because of this that he established the tradition of J’ouvert in New York. He felt that the existing festivals no longer captured the true spirit of the steel pan, and meant J’ouvert to have the instrument as its centerpiece.
Caribbean music has a prominent place in the lives of Caribbean New Yorkers. It lives in the hearts of the “old school” generation of Earl King, who appreciate, celebrate, and understand its history and socio-cultural importance. But it also remains an evolving facet of Caribbean culture under the younger generation. Now taught in schools and community programs, the steel pan is now more accessible than ever before. Just as the instrument was pioneered by young people responding to a social and political environment, it will continue to change and grow with the NYC community.
Interview with Danielle Brown, Ph. D. at the “East of Flatbush, North of Love” Event
Danielle Brown discussing her book East of Flatbush, North of Love in front of the Caribbeing House
On May 14th, 2016 at the Caribbeing House near the Flatbush Caton Market in Brooklyn, we saw author, musician, and former assistant professor at Syracuse University Danielle Brown, Ph.D. perform music and do a reading of her memoir, East of Flatbush, North of Love. The book discusses the impact of music in Brown’s life while growing up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, an area heavily populated by the Caribbean diaspora. Brown incorporates music into her book in order to show others the life in the community as well as to teach the history of imperialism that has left a mark on people of color. During the event, Brown discussed how there are not enough people of color telling their stories and how music is one the ways in which she is able to voice her experiences. Brown mostly plays parang, a genre of folk music originating from Trinidad and Tobago that is typically sung in Spanish. After she read an excerpt from her book and performed a parang song called “El Gavilan” (translated to “The Sparrowhawk” in English), we were able to interview her. Below is an audio recording of the interview:
Audio Player
To read the transcript of this interview, click here.
In the interview, Brown explained how music plays such an important role in the lives of the Caribbean diaspora in New York. Since the people in the Caribbean diasporic community may have different ethnic backgrounds, music allows the people to come together and discuss their experiences. Traditionally, Caribbean music would spread from one island to the next through inter-island migration. However, recent advancements in technology have been able to facilitate the melding of different genres of Caribbean music. In New York City, a place where there are Caribbean people coming from different islands, immigrants of one country are easily able to share their music to immigrants of another country. When discussing how her music has been able to teach non-Caribbean people about her culture, she made an interesting point:
“I don’t believe that you can just listen to a song from another culture and go out and understand. You might enjoy it, but there’s certain cultural nuances that might be missed in the music if you’re not familiar. “
Although she may be able to teach non-Caribbean people about her culture, they often need a further explanation to fully understand the music. Often the problem that arises when people who are unfamiliar with a culture are exposed to a single aspect of it is that they may be misled to think that it represents the entire culture. One example of this is the reaction to the globalization of reggae music. People frequently choose to focus on single aspects of reggae and Rastafarianism, such as the use of marijuana because of how it is portrayed in media. However, focusing on a single aspect ignores the powerful messages found in reggae lyrics of unifying people and standing against oppression. On our reggae music page, this topic is discussed further.
Nevertheless, in New York City, where people come from all parts of the world, music can be one of the greatest teachers because of how universal it is. Music helps people feel connected to where they came from and reminds them of their roots. The accessibility of Caribbean music to New Yorkers – from the subway performances to large festivals – shows how ingrained it has become in city’s culture and atmosphere. The examples of events and organizations that promote Caribbean music in the city do not just show the spread of Caribbean sounds, but they also show how the experiences of the Caribbean diaspora are being made known to the public.
Sources:
King, Earl. Personal interview. 15 May 2016.
Brown, Daniel, Ph.D. Personal interview. 14 May 2016.
