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For those who need reminding, editor/publisher Donna Benny tells us in her introduction to Sparrow Take Over: Essays on the Bard’s Art that “the calypso tradition is more than entertainment – it is our history preserved in music.”
Sparrow, the “calypso rebel,” has always been far more than Slinger Francisco’s pretty voice. Cutting satire, daring socio-political calypsoes that attacked colonialism, education and politics, risque humour and provocative performances have made Sparrow an icon, the man who ushered in the modern age of calypso.
The collection of essays presented here juxtaposes two major viewpoints: those of journalists – including David Cuffy, Keith Smith, Sunday Newsday columnist Anu Lakhan, Donna Yawching, Pat Ganase, Ira Mathur, Lennox Grant, BC Pires and Marina Salandy-Brown (another Sunday Newsday columnist) – with those of academics, including the late calypso expert Prof Gordon Rohlehr, calypsonian/professor Dr Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, Dr Ronald Noel, Prof Vivien Goldman (who straddles journalism and academia), Prof Patricia Mohammed and Dr Rudolph Ottley. The range of scholarly opinions in this book, along with the disciplines they represent, speaks volumes about Sparrow’s importance.
A short paragraph introduces each of the book’s five sections.
Rohlehr’s The Emergence of Sparrow sets the stage for Sparrow’s early career, placing him in context with the traditional bards of the day, describing the atmosphere of old-time calypso tents and the personalities of the generation of calypsonians Sparrow would clash with, such as Pretender, Spoiler and Kitchener.
Entertainment writer David Cuffy’s recollections of Sparrow add a different perspective. When he veers away from his personal narrative, however, some facts covered by the preceding essay are repeated.
[caption id="attachment_1166227" align="alignnone" width="887"] Slinger Franciso, the Mighty Sparrow in a performance in 2015. -[/caption]
Each essay builds another dimension to Sparrow and his work. Returning to Rohlehr, readers are presented with an essay on Sparrow as poet, along with his talent as a performer. Rohlehr says, “Unlike previous calypsonians who emphasised facial expressions Sparrow used movement, the synchronization of words, rhythm, and dance” to convey his message.
The mood and tone change again with two essays from Chalkdust, the first looking at calypso and phrasing by comparing calypsonians like Cro Cro and Cypher to Sparrow. The second, Sparrow and Musicianship, gives a lesson in bars and measurements that determine calypso rhythm. Chalkdust presents this important technical information in a light-hearted, visual way and uses excerpts from songs to make his point. His essays later in the book are more firsthand experiences with Sparrow, offering a contrast with his earlier writing.
Together, these essays so far chronicle Sparrow’s uncanny sense of relevance. Rohlehr writes that Sparrow “straddles two generations as well as two strata of society and strives to preserve some sense of continuity…”
But Sparrow also represents individuality and bold changes from the norm.
[caption id="attachment_1166226" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Pannist Dane Gulston and calypsonian Edwin "Crazy" Ayoung at the launch of Sparrow Take Over at Nalis on June 6. - Photo by Mark Lyndersay[/caption]
After Rohlehr dissects Sparrow’s social significance, readers swing back to journalist Keith Smith’s essay, which expands Sparrow’s range even more as he discusses the significance of Jean and Dinah to the steelband movement. Smith says, “The song’s irresistible melody and rhythm came at the right moment…when the steelband had emerged sufficiently to make the most of such a tune.” Keith Smith’s writing is always a treat, and readers benefit from his inside stories about Sparrow and his unapologetic bravado.
Miraculously, Sparrow’s stories of Melda, Jean and Dinah and the two white women in an African tribesman’s cooking pot have kept their humour in this modern age. They speak to Sparrow’s gift of satire. As Smith writes, “I would hesitate to judge a calypso other than in the context of the mores of its day.”
Lakhan offers a perfect contrast to Smith’s essay with a witty, thought-provoking series of letters written by the women of Sparrow’s songs.
In Section 2 – About Love and Money – Yawching carries on the discussion of Sparrow’s calypsoes about women.
[caption id="attachment_1166225" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Donna Benny, editor Sparrow Take Over during the book launch at Nalis on June 6. - Photo by Mark Lyndersay[/caption]
“Even in today’s ‘me-too’ era it’s hard to be too censorious about Sparrow’s male chauvinism. His melodies are joyous, his rhythms irresistible and even his naughtiest lyrics, delivered in his inimitable style, make you shake your head,” she writes.
Salandy-Brown takes the analysis a step further by examining how his No Money, No Love explores the relationship between love and money.
A contrasting academic view from Mohammed, known for her work in gender and cultural studies, offers an extensive discussion of the man/woman dynamics in Sparrow’s work. She also reminds readers that Sparrow is known for the “undressing of the political situation in the country and the region.”
Section 3, Decolonisation and Politics, showcases the wide scope of Sparrow’s commentary and his interest in world history, slavery and decolonisation. From the chilling, heart-wrenching commentary in I’m a Slave to the humorous Congo Man, he tackles the subjects of slavery and prejudice.
I would have preferred to see the information in the Q & A on Federation and Sparrow’s calypso Slave written in narrative form. While it is important reference material, the Q & A style breaks up the narrative in the middle of the book. Also, we know Howard University historian Ronald Noel is answering the questions, but there’s no mention of who asked them. We can assume it’s the editor, but this information should be given to the reader.
Ganase takes an interesting and different view of Sparrow’s social commentaries PAYE and Lend a Hand. She envisions them as offerings in support of unity, an interesting angle to examine in a calypsonian known mostly as a rebel; while Mathur, a journalist with a background in literature and law, puts Sparrow in the company of literary stalwarts VS Naipaul, Derek Walcott and Earl Lovelace as pillars of “cultural reassembly.”
Grant singles out Good Citizen as A Sparrow Standout for its calling it “the ultimate sarcasm addressed to people of an accursed upper class undeservingly ‘protected and respected.’”
There are other noteworthy essays that serve as in-depth critiques of specific calypsoes. They are fascinating. A collection like this gets its power not only from the information in individual essays, but from the juxtaposition of those offering contrasting and complementary views. For this, the editor deserves praise. They are too numerous to mention individually, but these give a sense of the scope of discussion and the narrative structure that emerges in this book.
[caption id="attachment_1166224" align="alignnone" width="1024"] An inside spread featuring Donna Yawching's Of Money and Love in Sparrow Take Cover, a collection of essays edited by Donna Benny. - Photo by Mark Lyndersay[/caption]
I did find the essays from the short Section 4, entitled Commercialism, Calypso and Respect, could have been absorbed into other sections. I would have liked to see other journalists’ essays featured, rather than multiple essays by the same writers. All journalists have a Sparrow story, and some undoubtedly got left out.
It’s a challenge to establish where this book should be placed. It contains too much writing to be considered a coffee-table book, but its size makes comfortable reading a challenge.
Photos could have been sized differently, too. Most could easily have been made smaller by cropping dead space, curtains and furniture. I liked the cutouts placed in the margins, however – they gave pages more life – but felt out-of-focus album covers or cartoonish figures a distraction. Out-of-focus pictures never enhance a text, and there are a couple of those in this book.
The smaller pictures have more definition. They are crisp and clear. Stacking small pictures on top of each other felt effective, too. I liked the three pictures on page 23 that appear like snapshots.
A basic layout rule is to have pictures facing into a text, and a couple of photos face off the page, carrying the reader’s eye away from the text.
Red print, which is often used for Sparrow’s lyrics interspersed with the text, reminded me of marked-up copybooks. Another colour would have been better. Also, I questioned the mixture of colour photos with black-and-white ones. Colour photos didn’t add anything special to the pages. Black-and-white pictures conjure up nostalgia, an appropriate tone for this book.
The caption on page 11 credits American novelist John Steinbeck, then 52, with handing Sparrow his first Calypso King trophy in 1956. Records show Steinbeck, using a pseudonym, visited Trinidad around New Year in 1956. I’ve never read any story connecting Dimanche Gras and Steinbeck, so I am curious to find out more about that.
Constructive criticism aside, make no mistake: this book has pictures that leave an indelible impression.
Ultimately, I want to emphasise its importance as an invaluable resource that is both informative and entertaining. We need more books that tackle calypsonians’ careers from an academic and journalistic perspective. I hope there are more books like this coming.
Editor's note: Sparrow celebrated his 90th birthday on July 9.
 
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