MARTIN ALBINO Pan Player, Arranger

[The following profile is a combined synthesis between the writings of Gideon Maxime and {Dr Felix Blake}]

---

   Martin Albino was born into a musical family in Success Village, Laventille. Being the last child, he tried to emulate his bigger brother Aldwyn and sisters Merle and Lucille.

   He attended Hillview Collage and accompanied the students on the piano during their traditional Presbyterian worship.

   While still at school; he had his apprenticeship by playing Double Bass in orchestras such as Johnny Gomez, Norman "Tex" Williams and Joe Chet Sampson.

   He was a regular performer {and calypso monarch^[?] on the weekly Sunday radio programme hosted by Kathleen Davis-Warner, affectionately called} ...Aunty Kay... playing the bongos as part of Dawlet Ahyee's ensemble.

   When his older brother Aldwyn began arranging for steelbands including City Syncopators, Martin accompanied him. He developed a love for the steelband and began frequenting the panyard in the neighbourhood Torrid Zone {under Sonny "Thirteens" Charles}, much to the displeasure of his parents, particularly his mother.

   When he graduated from high school, he began teaching at Diego Martin Boys RC and continued his music, now on a grander scale.

   Martin played in Trinidad All Stars under the leadership of Neville Jules and recalls leaving the band in the Garette. He started arranging for steelbands by this time and a worked with Glamour Girls All Stars and the other faction of San Juan All Stars, called East Side, which later became Potential. Here he had great influence with other panmen including Earl Brooks.

   Martin was liked very much by the Chase Manhattan Bank sponsors of Savoys steelband {formerly Torrid Zone} because of his great contribution to music.

   {The Savoys, which were formed on 12th May 1956 counted among its initial members, Osmond Charles, Henry Johnson, Elton Greenidge, Hollis Caballero, Clive Phillip, Russell Henry, Alvin Romain, Patrick Thomas and Martin Albino. The band was sponsored by Esso in 1958, with Chase Manhattan Bank taking over the sponsorship in August of 1964.}

   {While he was Chase Manhattan Savoy's arranger, he took the band into all competitions, reaching the finals of the 1966 Steelband Festival with a masterly performance of Donna Antonia and gaining second place in the J'Ouvert Bomb competition with the Hallelujah Chorus.} {This so pleased the band's sponsors that they sent Martin to Manhattan.}[See next]

   When it was suggested that a steelband should be used as a buffer in the fight against juvenile delinquency by the National Association of Trinidad and Tobago Steelbandsmen and the Tourist Board, Martin was sent to Manhattan, New York, to do this assignment.

   {There he taught steel pan music to the young children during the summer of 1968, as part of the city's effort to keep the young people off the streets of New York.}

   {The calypsonian Chalkdust made mention of this in his calypso

How Come Nobody Ent See?...
Master Albino, the steelband man
They send him New York to beat pan.
...}

   When his brother Aldwyn migrated; Martin took over the [role as the] accompanist [for the television programme] Scouting for Talent.

   Martin has since migrated to Montreal, Canada, where he continues his music; in particular in [the genre of the] steelband {...mixing the steel pan with conventional instruments.}.

© 1997 Gideon Maxime: Pg 189; PAN THROUGH THE YEARS (1952 - 1996)
© 1995 Dr Felix Blake: Pg 232; THE TRINIDAD & TOBAGO STEEL PAN: History and Evolution
[Blake: Presented without permission; permission being sought.]

---

[?] calypso monarch - A rather odd comment.
[This reference is a matter of research for these pages]

---

© 1998: tobagojo@gmail.com - 19980312 - 1m20071228 - 2m20140615 Historic Update: 04 December 1999; Last Update: 18 July 2014 16:00:00 TT Processed by: Jeremy G de Barry