“Coldness of the Water” (1992) – Kurtis Gross * Written by Errol Duke (The Growler) * CD: Sing De Chorus: Calypso from Trinidad and Tobago * (Executive) Produced by Amelia S. Haygood
Sing De Chorus is a Trinidadian stage show written by Rawle Gibbons and Simeon L. Sandiford, and it’s built around the songs of classic calypso composers and performers from the 1930s and 1940s, such as Lord Executor, The Roaring Lion, and The Growler. Musical director Desmond Waithe leads an ensemble whose acoustic sound is far too absent from modern day calypso. The liner notes don’t identify specific songs with singers, although a 2013 CD on the Faluma label that combines these Sing De Chorus tracks with another production called De Roaring 70s sorts it all out. (One of the featured singers is the late Brian Honore, who was a well-loved “Midnight Robber” in carnival performances.) Kurtis Gross does the vocal on “Coldness of the Water,” a version of a song written and recorded by The Growler (Errol Duke) in 1939, in which he seems to be lamenting his decision to get baptized because of the water’s low temperature. Alternate layers of meaning certainly apply.