Notoriously famous for classics like Paul Yuh Mother Come and Nani Wine, veteran calypsonian Edwin Ayoung has carved a niche as the pioneer of parang/soca. As the countdown to Christmas intensifies, Ayoung, fondly known as Crazy is appealing to fellow calypso bards and parang/soca singers to Keep It Holy. Interviewed recently, Ayoung said he was issuing a plea for his peers; especially the young artistes, to refrain from singing smut in the name of parang/soca. Ayoung said: "I does get crazy. Christmas is about Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is about giving praise to God for sending his son Jesus. It is a holy season. Let us not forget the reason for the season." He added: "I am begging the young singers to keep it holy...keep it clean. Don't let the art form degenerate. Christmas is a sacred season. Jesus is the point about the season."
Ayoung is keenly aware his cynics may raise their brows or dismiss his pleas, but he maintains like the prophet Jeremiah he will continue crying out in the wilderness. He listed a number of topics people could sing upon like the Nativity, angels, Santa Claus, Bethlehem, Christmas customs in T&T and the Magi-who went in search of the Christ Child. Ayoung said: "It is an opportunity for singers to capitalise on the Bible. Sing about Jesus. Think about pure things. Sing about holy things." Ayoung feels the sanctity of Christmas should not be tainted with smutty songs about wining, jamming and carousing.
He said: "Let us leave the partying and wine and jam for Carnival. Leave out the drunkness and the bacchanal. We have plenty time for that. But let us keep Christmas clean." Among his repertoire are parang hits like Maria, Yvonne and Tito Lara. "I never sang a dirty parang/soca song. Check out the lyrics and you will see. They are all clean. No smut. I give due respect to the season."
Traditional parang versus soca parang
Ayoung, who was born to a Venezuelan mother Rosalia Alcazar-Ayoung, relied upon his Spanish ancestry to create the genre. Asked whether he felt soca/parang would replace traditional parang songs about the Aguinaldo and Serenal, he bluntly stated: "No." In Christmas of days gone by, cocoa peons (people of Venezuelan and mixed ancestry) would go paranging from house to house with their cuatros and mandolins. They sang traditional parang songs in Spanish. Ayoung said: "Traditional parang is the mother of soca/parang. It will not be wiped out. Soca/parang is the child."
Need for Spanish composers
Upon closer introspection, he felt the problem lay in the transmission of the language and the need for more Spanish composers. He said: "We had people like the late Daisy Voisin and Tito Lara who sang a lot of traditional parang. They have passed on. There is still traditional parang. But people have to learn Spanish." Ayoung felt the reason they were gravitating toward soca/parang was because the majority of the lyrics were in English. "People are able to sing along much easier than if it were in Spanish. They must know more Spanish. But the soca/parang is easy. Soca/parang is just the breaking down of the language." The dearth of Spanish composers presented a problem, too.
"People have to know Spanish to compose in Spanish. It is easy to compose a song about Christmas in English. We need more composers." For example, he said: "It is easy to sing, 'I love pastelles. But the person had to know 'A mi me gusta pastelles' to properly express it in Spanish. Ayoung felt Spanish should be taught in the primary schools to ensure there were future composers and prepare students to be global leaders. He said: "We will have more Spanish speakers and composers. If a child is bilingual it is even better. They will be able to manage even better when they travel to another country."
34 years of parang/soca
Despite the trials and ostracism, Ayoung is proud parang/soca will be 34 years old. "I got a lot of pressure from calypsonians. They said I was singing stupidness. They pelt the tapes. In those days, we didn't have CDs. They tried to run me out of town. They were convinced I was crazy." In contemporary T&T, Ayoung is pleased the art form has been adopted by stalwarts like Baron (Spanish Woman) Scrunter (Ah Want Ah Piece of Pork) and Kenny J (Ah Want Meh Brush). Ayoung said: "I created an avenue for calypsonians to make money during Christmas. They don't have to wait until Carnival to rush to the tents. They could make money for the season." Again, he lifted a warning finger. In his zany style, Ayoung said: "Don't let Crazy get crazy. Keep it holy. Everything will be nice."
Keep It Holy
An excerpt from Keep It Holy which was arranged by fellow artiste Myron B.
"Let us keep it holy
Let us be happy
Songs must be part of the season
Let's not lose the moral sense of reason
Refrain from the spirit of the heathen
Sometimes we end up drunk; we end up in a fight
Let's be holy
Watch the contents of those compositions."
Carnival 2012
Seizing the opportunity, Ayoung said he was moving tent, from the Revue to Klassic Ruso. He thanked its manager Michael Osuna (Sugar Aloes) and the staff for their support and love and wished them all the best in their future endeavours. "I learned a lot from the late Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts). But it is time to move on. I will be meeting up with Allrounder, Versatile and Contender. Letting the cat out of the bag, Ayoung said his Carnival contender was Madder Dan Mad. He said he was motivated by his personal experiences. He said: "I had to write Madder Dan Mad. I helped a friend with money to get her passport. She went to the Expo and spent it on a vase. I said: 'Woman, yuh more crazy than Crazy'." For C2k12, he was producing for Lady Gypsy. "She has a sweet piece about vintage wine." Ayoung extended best wishes and God's choicest blessings to the national community.
