BY ANGELA PIDDUCK Sunday, November 29 2009

Eighty years ago, the Flores family established themselves as pioneers of parang music in Trinidad and Tobago with the introduction of Las Flores parang band led by the late Elias Flores, who came from Venezuela and settled in St Joseph. This cultural tradition was started by the early Spanish ancestors as they moved freely from house to house, carrying news of the birth of the Christ Child to their Christian neighbours.

A number of parang bands have since emanated from Las Flores, resulting in the Flores family receiving the Humming Bird Medal Silver at the National Awards ceremony at the President’s House in St Ann’s on August 31, 2009, for their contribution to parang culture.

Three of Elias Flores’ five sons, Bernard, Rex and Anthony took an active part in the parang tradition, and on his death, the St Joseph Hill Toppers led by Bernard comprised of his two brothers, other family members and a few close friends, was formed in 1941, and up to 1967 performed throughout Trinidad and Tobago, at times with the grand dame of dance Beryl Mc Burnie, and acclaimed pianist Winifred Atwell. One memorable highlight was the group’s performance at the Governor General’s House during the visit of Princess Margaret, sister of the Queen of England.

Lennox, son of Anthony, who spent about three to four years with Hill Toppers as a teenager, learning the ropes, says, “I was the only young person amongst my uncles. My grandfather’s music was more instrumental than lyrical, and Hill Toppers cut one LP record with songs by Andrew Delpino. They played ‘cover tunes’ of other people’s music, and mostly Venezuelan music.”

In 1967, the Flores family, as a parang entity, began to dissolve, and what to date is considered the most accomplished of the family’s parang ambassadors, San Jose Serenaders, was formed by Lennox and Wayne Flores, sons of Anthony, and their friend Ronnie Kallicharan. San Jose, which also received a Humming Bird medal some years ago, the most commercial of the three Flores bands, broke with traditional musical parang styles, as their voices were more harmonious and melodic, and their musical structure included difficult chords with sophisticated arrangements.

Says Lennox, “We were looking for a lead singer. My brother Wayne was travelling on the train and saw this girl, Gloria Alcaza, on the train with a cuatro. He approached her and she agreed to sing with us. I had a problem – how would Trinidad accept this change from male to lead female; no women were singing then, they were just following and clapping in the background, carrying the rum and coffee.

“We brought in Gloria, it was said that she grew up in Maracaibo, but was Trinidadian. She had more of a Venezuelan accent so the other bands said this girl is not a Trini and so cannot be allowed to compete. At first the judges thought the whole group were Venezuelans and we placed last. Gloria brought the Venezuelan influence, folk songs, and the group of young teenagers singing with proper Spanish, caused a frenzy. People started to sit up and take notice. I am sure that her proper pronunciation influenced future generations of parang singers.”

The splintering of the Flores family continued when Wayne fell in love with Sharlene Ali Khan, and they branched off to form Flores de San Jose in 1982. Meanwhile the younger nephews, nieces and cousins started San Jose Juniors led by Mario and Rene Flores and managed by Ruthven Flores. In the late 1990’s differences in vision saw further splintering and in 2000 Nuestra Cosa was formed by Lennox, who with musical arranger Kallicharan, has included dance music, such as salsa, meringue, and even added some English ballads.

San Jose Serenaders, says Lennox, the lone Flores from the original Hill Toppers still promoting his grandfather’s tradition, “is no longer in the hands of the Flores family. There is not one member of the family in that band again. But we will be remembered for having initiated the schools’ parang competition which started along the east/west corridor and spread countrywide as far as Tobago. San Jose was the first to bring in congas and timbales; and the box bass that everybody is playing today had been brought in by Elias Flores.”

While Nuestra Cosa and Flores de San Jose are two commercial Latin/parang groups, the grandchildren of Elias are involved in “house to house” groups – Los Jovenes de San Jose, Viva Jesus and Alborada. Lennox, who has never read music, with his band, produced one CD in 2003, and is currently laying 22 tracks for a double album in December. “It is very danceable, half contemporary and half parang, so that you can listen to it during the year,” he explained.

The Flores family’s National Award for their contribution to this rich and much-loved tradition, is well deserved as they were involved in the formation of the National Parang Association.

Says Lennox, “The first meeting to discuss the Association took place at my home, Elizabeth Gardens, St Joseph. It was the brainchild of Errol Mohammed. I was the first trustee.”