US$17.00 plus S&H

1. Pasen Pasen – Lara Brothers
2. Sabaneando – Los Parranderos de U.W.I.
3. Daisy Medley – Los Alumnoes de San Juan
4. Nacimiento – Los Pastores
5. Rio Manzanare – Viva Nueva
6. Sintiendo La Navidad – Voces Jovenes
7. Cantemos Pastores – Sharlene Flores with Flores de San José
8. Paseo (Breakaway) – Sotero & Domingo Gomez with Lopinot Serenaders
9. El Guarapo – Los Colores de Navidad
10. Nosotros Nos Vamos – Los Parranderos de U.W.I.
11. Nacido – Viva Nueva
12. Da Me El Vino – Voces Jovenes
13. Frio Frio – Sharlene Flores with Flores de San José
14. Vamos Vamos – Lara Brothers
15. La Gallina – Papa Guhn & Sotero Gomez with Lopinot Serenaders
    (Bonus Track)

Los Parranderos de U.W.I. was formed in 1980 by then members of the Spanish Society at the St Augustine Campus as a means of exposing the University fraternity to the art form of parang. Since that time the group has grown from a mere Campus aggregation of past and present students to one of the premiere parang groups in the country. Vibrant and spirited performances complemented by the melodious voices of its frontline singers have earned the group its own share of fans on the parang circuit. Serious and committed to the preservation of the art form, the future of parang seems bright in the hands of this talented group of young Parranderos.

Los Alumnos de San Juan: Our music reflects the many influences that our group has been exposed to throughout the years. All our group’s members save one, are graduates of San Juan Secondary Comprehensive School where we began in 1986. The unique voice of Alicia Jaggasar, whose desire and commitment carries a torch passed on by the great parranderos of the past, provides us with a key ingredient in our success. We represent a variety of ethnic groups and religions but we share the vision of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, particularly as it is celebrated at Christmas.

Los Pastores Parang Group as established in 1980 and became a registered member of the National Parang Association of Trinidad & Tobago. The captain is Laurence Salazar and the lead singers are Phillip Salazar and Vanessa Mitchell/ Their style is traditional Latin. They have won a major achievement, the National Parang Festival in 1996 and 2002.

¡Viva Nueva! was formed in 1998 with a passion to bring “new life” to parang and to keep the spirit of this cultural art form alive. They are dedicated to the legacy of the parandero, as well as spreading the Good News of the Nativity, therefore keeping Christ in Christmas. With sixteen core multi-talented members, ¡Viva Nueva! is well noted for its vibrant music. They produce their unique sound with the combination of three cuatros, two guitars, the maracas, claves, percussion drum, the traditional box bass as well as new-age bass guitar, lead instruments flute and mandolin, and voices that captivate a crowd, and they have left their mark on the people who have heard it. ¡Viva al Rey Jesus Christo!

Flores de San José originates in the town of St Joseph, Trinidad. Sharlene Flores, the lead singer, has a style and sound all her own, and this coupled with the special musical abilities of Wayne Flores, makes the cutting edge sound of the band. The name Flores has been linked with parang and St Joseph for decades and the tradition is carried on through the group. They have made several recordings and are largely responsible for helping parang to cross over into the mainstream of the music world.

Los Colores de Navidad has been very active for the past eight years. A ten member group of seven men and three ladies take turns singing lead. The group’s manager is Mr Knolly Metoo of San Fernando. They have played throughout Trinidad and have entered several competitions in Lopinot. Joan Ramirez has been awarded three trophies from the Trinidad and Tobago Parang Association for best pronunciation, for Best Female Vocalist and for Parang Queen.

Voces Jovenes (Young Voices) was established in 1997. The group hails from Diego Martin and comprises about 12 members of teenagers and young adults. The group’s focus is to preserve the uniqueness of Parang and promote the beautiful message of the Nativity in song and music. The Manager and Founder if Aelsar Moulchan-Sealy. Band Leader – Russell Corbie, Lead Vocalist – Candice Narine and P.R.O. – Renato Lezama.

Lopinot Serenaders: Papa Ghun, Sotero Gomez and Dimongo Gomez, the hardcore of the Lopinot Serenaders serenadd the villages of Lopinot for well over half a century. A Christmas ritual that lasted for a whole week non-stop, was sustained by the generous amounts if food and drink by their hosts throughout the various villages. It was not unusual for the hosts and the entire household to show their appreciation by following the musicians to the next stop. The tunes of the Lopinot Serenaders were recorded in Papa Ghun’s tapia house (bamboo and mud house) in Lopinot. As the sound of the first few notes people began to gather and the fete started with only a small kerosene lamp to light up the house. In Paseo (Breakaway): This sparkling tune gives you a good idea of the sound at the culmination of a parang fete. The two brothers Sotero and Domingo Gomez sing here about a chicken in Aguinaldo style. They compete in making clever stanzas about the chicken with a lot of hints in everyday life in Lopinot.

Thanks to Holly Betaudier and Holly Betaudier Jr.

In Trinidad Parang is to Christmas what Calypso is to Carnival. “Leh we go and make parang, boy” is an all too familiar proposal among villagers at Christmas time. The word “Parang” has many meanings. It comes from the Venezuelan-Spanish word “paranda” (presumably derived from “parar”. “to stop” or “to put up” at someone’s house) which explains the moving from house to house by a group of musicians for a “dam” good time. In Trinidad the word “parang” usually carried this general connotation. But the word is alslo used to refer to the many types of Afro-Spanish music to be found in Trinidad. Sometimes, in its more restricted meaning it denotes the Spanish Christmas songs, only. Whichever meaning is applied, “parang” always means having a good time with food, drink and music.

The style of parang clearly reveals its dual origin – Spain and West Africa. The Spaniards ruled Trinidad from 1498 to 1797, when the British took over, but Trinidad never lost its contacts with Spanish culture. The Parang is very closely related to the Venezuelan folk music which was introduced into Trinidad by the Venezuelans who were brought during the 19th century to cultivate cocoa. The cocoa estates were located in the valleys of the northern and central mountain ranges where Spanish-speaking communities developed. The Venezuelan dialect was gradually transformed into a Trinidad variant in which patois (creole) and English were important ingredients. The Venezuelan music and dance equally underwent transformation. The Spanish string instuments (violin, cuatro, mandolin, guitar) and the Afro-American maracas (shak shak) of the Cenezuelan parang band were married to the African derived box-drum, the box-bass – a variant of the African thumb-piano (zanza, mbira) made up of band-iron pieces of different lengths mounted on a wooden box giving different notes when plucked. The rhythmic intensity of the music increased and the tense, nasal Spanish singing style was modified by the relaxed West African voice timbre with its varied intonation.

Text courtesy: Krister Malm, Parang Campions.