(Tribute from Carlos Malcolm, President, Bak2bay6)

AS musical arranger and a producer/director in the Variety Department of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, I was invited to write the musical score for the Jamaica LTM Christmas musical, Banana Boy. After the production meeting, Rex, sensing my reluctance to accept the commission, assured me that given my talent I could meet any challenge if I had the will to deliver.

He further loaned me the piano score of Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess to peruse, and assured me that he as producer, Eddie Thomas as choreographer and Ortford St John, who edited the script to the musical, would help me meet the rehearsal schedules.

After rehearsals, Rex, Eddie and I often would sit and talk about the creative styles of George Balanchine, Martha Graham and Leonard Bernstein and other captains of American dance and musical theatre. Those discussions as well as the success of Banana Boy helped to develop confidence and expand the vistas of the musical courage I have tried to display over the years.

In addition to his phenomenal career as a scholar of international recognition, for over four decades, I have come to know Rex as a beacon of guidance and support to young, talented individuals seeking light. A great loss to the intellectual world and Jamaica, I lament the departure of a good friend.

Walk good, Dr Rex Nettleford.

In its reflections today, Yesterday’s Notes deemed it most appropriate to begin by sharing with readers the above tribute to Rex Nettleford from veteran bandleader Carlos Malcolm. For since the passing of Nettleford, the icon of creative imagination and intellect, much of the focus has been on his socio-political activism and academic achievements.

But the more significant aspect of Nettleford’s immortal legacy is his contribution to the cultural landscape of not only Jamaica, but the entire Caribbean. From colonial times until the present, dance has always been an important feature of the Jamaican cultural sphere.

Religious African dances, such as the ritualistic Nyahbinghi, Kumina, Bruckins, Myal, and Pocomania (or Pukkumina), are integral parts of worship ceremonies. There are also secular traditional dances such as our own Jonkonnu and Hosay, a feature of East Indian culture.

It is in the realm of dance that Nettleford’s influence is most lasting. At the dawn of Jamaica’s independence in 1962, he along with fellow dancer/choreographer Eddy Thomas, gave birth to the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC).

The advent of the NDTC (which in another two years celebrates its 50th anniversary) marked the beginning of his long, active role in artistic productions throughout the Caribbean region. Like C L R James’ masterpiece on the game of cricket, Beyond the Boundary, the NDTC goes beyond the stage.

This brainchild of Nettleford and Thomas often gives artistic expressions to the Caribbean historical experiences of struggle and survival from post-colonial times to the contemporary reality.

From here on, the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica will be seen as not only a distinguished dance troupe, but as a fitting artistic, creative monument to the author of the book, Dance Jamaica: Cultural Definition and Artistic Discovery, Professor Ralston Milton ‘Rex’ Nettleford, OM.