As a young writer, I have grown accustomed to conducting all of my interviews with the same sort of pattern, not only for a sense of structure, but because it works. However, my interview with Connis Vanterpool was a bit different. We first met at Ital Shack on Bush Road where I was stationed to conduct interviews with Ras Bushman. Connis happened to have strolled in while Bushman happened to be mentioning Connis. He is scheduled to perform with Ras Bushman and The Freedom Fighters at Karakter Beach Bar for the 16th Annual Tribute to Bob Marley.
At first I wasn’t aware that the Tribute concert would also be the official launching of Connis’ new album, “I Remember Bob.” As a matter of fact, I wasn’t even aware that he had an album coming out. It’s always easy to be ignorant when you’re not part of the music scene, but to those who are, this album has been a long time in the making. A total labour of love, Connis spent an entire year mixing, producing and perfecting the right sound for what he called his dream project.
CONNIS VANTERPOOL, a graduate of Berkeley School of Music, has been practicing his art since before most people knew what they were going to be when they grew up. Like all mothers, his wanted him to stay out of trouble and be constructive with his time, so she put him in music classes. Connis learned to read and play music and his knack for it brought him to performing with older band members. Eventually, he would take it seriously and get a formal education in the musical arts.
He is currently a performer, producer, composer, arranger and all-around music-man. He has mastered the saxophone, which is his principal instrument and has learned the keyboard to assist in his producing. He sees music production much like building a house. He starts with a vision of what he wants the sound to be and sets the steps in motion to build it up. On a daily basis, Connis treats music like an exercise Guru. After chauffeuring his daughter to school, he spends about an hour in the studio exercising his talent while the traffic clears. After that, his day is filled with random musical intrigue and business to be done with other musicians.
THE CD WAS originally supposed to be just Connis covering some of his favourite Bob Marley songs, but after one of his musical friends decided to accompany him on one of the songs, the word of Connis’ tribute album spread far and wide. The album features a who’s who of the St. Maarten’s music scene and even some from international waters. “It was just supposed to be me on my saxophone covering Bob’s songs. I’m not as great as Bob, but I wanted to pay tribute, to the best of my abilities. Then one day, I was in the studio and someone said, ‘Hey, let me get on that!’ And from that one friend came more friends who joined in and the whole thing steamrolled,” Connis recalled.
The entire project started when he wrote a thesis paper on Robert Nesta Marley. Connis had the opportunity to study Bob Marley, delving deeper into the world of music. Reggae to Soca and Calypso and back, Connis has the four-one-one and knows what’s what. I literally came to Ital Shack for an interview and some food and left with an education on musical history in the Caribbean. I wasn’t able to complete the interview, but I did promise to continue another day.
THE SECOND time I met Connis was at a studio in the Hills of St. Peters. He was doing some final touches on his album with another artist, Dread I, who is featured on the CD. This was a completely new experience for me being able to see Connis so solidly planted in his zone and being able to pick his brain while he was in such good spirits. This was a very rare time in artistic existence when one artist is so in the zone that he inspires work for another. Feeding off this crazy energy, I began my interview in my traditional style, by asking Connis to give me a description of who he is. His first answer is, jokingly, “I am a child of Jesus.” Not one to be derailed in such a good space, my follow up to that was, “Besides being a child of Jesus, who are you in terms of music?” From then on, the entire interview was creative gold.
If you happened to have missed the tribute concert, there is a second chance to experience the great atmosphere of pure reggae music at Ital Shack tonight, Saturday, February 6. It starts after 7:00, so come early and enjoy Redemption Night with great people, food and Reggae Music for the Caribbean Soul.
By Charlesea Joseph
