Jit Samaroo
Jit Sukha Samaroo (born February 24, 1950 in Surrey Village, † January 7, 2016 in D'Abadie) was a Trinidadian composer, arranger and steel-pan musician.
life and work
Jit Samaroo was born in Surrey Village north of Arouca, the seventh of thirteen children of Indian descent. He attended St. Pius Boys' Roman Catholic School in Arouca. As a ten-year-old he joined a band called "Village Boys". Soon afterwards he founded the Samaroo Jets, a family band that still exists today. At the age of 14 he joined the Lever Brother Canboulay Band. Their musical director, Lendeg White, recognized Samaroo's musical talent and made it possible for him to take music lessons.
In 1972 Samaroo won first prize in the soloist category at the Steelband Music Festival in Trinidad.
From 1971 Jit Samaroo was the arranger of the legendary Amoco Renegades Steel Orchestra (now BP Renegades) from Port of Spain . He led the Renegades to a total of nine wins at the annual Panorama steel band competition . The Renegades also managed the first hat trick in the history of the panorama competition (1995–1997). With two exceptions, Samaroo preferred the calypsos of the singer Lord Kitchener .
In 1989 Samaroo arranged the song "Somebody" by the Calypsonians Baron. This piece is considered a classic because Samaroo integrated six different rhythms ( calypso , soca , merengue , zouk , samba and disco ) into its arrangement .
In 1990 Samaroo took part with the Renegades in the festivities on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution in Paris and played in a production by Jean-Michel Jarre in front of an audience of millions. In 1997 he composed the score for the feature film The Panman .
Due to his national and international successes and services to the culture of his home country, he was awarded the Hummingbird Medal of Merit (silver) in 1987 and the Chaconia Medal (silver) in 1995. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine in 2003 . He died in 2016 at the age of 65 from complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Samaroo was married with four children and lived in D'Abadie, Trinidad.
Steel band competition Panorama
All titles won by the Renegades Steel Orchestra with Jit Samaroo as arranger:
| year | song |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Pan explosion |
| 1984 | Sweet pan |
| 1985 | Pan Night and Day |
| 1989 | Somebody |
| 1990 | Iron man |
| 1993 | Mystery band |
| 1995 | Four Lara Four |
| 1996 | Pan in a rage |
| 1997 | Guitar pan |
literature
- Renegades !: The Story of the BP Renegades Steel Orchestra Macmillan Caribbean (4 Nov 2002) ISBN 978-0-333-73311-0
Web links
- Jit Samaroo at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ecaroh.com: Jit Sukha Samaroo. Retrieved August 1, 2020 .
- ↑ Soloist
- ↑ Hatrick
- ↑ Liner Notes on Progarchives.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015 .
- ^ Last rites today for Jit Samaroo . In: Trinidad Express . January 7, 2016.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Samaroo, Jit |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Samaroo, Jit Sukha |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Trinidadian composer, arranger and musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 24, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Surrey, Trinidad and Tobago |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 7, 2016 |
| Place of death | D'Abadie, Trinidad and Tobago |