In case you hadn’t heard, Cayman’s own beloved Swanky Kitchen Band is making history over the next couple of weeks.
After years of playing events locally and abroad, they are taking to the stage at very prestigious venues around the northeast coast of the US. No less than Washington, D.C.’s Library of Congress and New York’s Lincoln Center are featured on the schedule, where thousands of people will hear authentic Caymanian cultural music performed by some of the Cayman Islands’ foremost musicians and vocalists.
I remember when I first heard a proper kitchen band. It was at the annual Boxing Day seniors party hosted by the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, held in the then food/assembly hall at John Gray High School (before it was called the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre, and the moniker passed to what was the George Hicks High School on Academy Way – nice and confusing). I would volunteer each year with my mother, as my dad was a Rotarian. We would hand out plates of food and refill drinks for tables and tables of lovely people, most of whom were bussed to the event from their home districts. Hard to believe, considering the small size of the island, but for many of them, this was the only day of the year when they could see old friends and catch up. It was always a wonderful atmosphere, and they all enjoyed the camaraderie.
After the food was done, and awards handed out for various milestones, such as the couple celebrating the most years married, it was time for the dancing. There might have been the odd musician or two playing through the meal, and they would receive polite applause, but from the moment Radley and the Happy Boys played their first note, the room was transformed. Like a scene from ‘Cocoon’, the seniors rose, sprightly from their seats and invigorated, moving quickly to the floor in front of the band. There was Radley Gourzong on his fiddle, accompanied by guitar, drum, and the ever-present grater – a simple collection of instruments that when combined in just the right way, created absolutely irresistible, unique, rhythmic music. The response from the audience would have made any Billboard artist proud – song after song, they danced without stopping.
As a teenager whose main musical focus at the time was Madonna, I was fascinated by the band, and danced a couple of numbers myself, although I don’t know that anyone would have said I got the hang of it.
After a while, Radley and his group could no longer play for the event, and Cayman’s legendary fiddler passed away in 1995; but not before he was invited to play at none other than the Grand Ole Opry in 1991 – an extraordinary achievement for any artist. You can find pictures of Radley and the Happy Boys in the timeback.ky collection online; well worth a look.
That might have been the end of traditional kitchen band music at the seniors party and, indeed, any local celebration, had it not been for the enthusiasm and passion of a group of young Caymanian musicians who saw the importance of keeping it alive. In 2003, while others in their 20s were more swept up with chart-topping hits, these musicians formed Swanky Kitchen Band and began playing at the odd public venue. Suddenly, that unmistakably unique sound was lilting through the air once again.
You might imagine that such a specific genre would only appeal to a small collection of fans, but that proved not to be the case at all. Locals and tourists alike flocked to hear them and, of course, the seniors at that annual Rotary function were thrilled to hear their favourite tunes being performed.
Swanky celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2023 – 20 years of playing at numerous events (and recording an album or two along the way). They have entertained audiences in London and New York, and at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax, Virginia. This tour, however, is on a whole ‘nother level. This could be a real breakout moment for them, which is huge for the band and the Cayman Islands.
Why am I going on about them so much in this week’s column? Because ever since I heard Radley Gourzong and his masterful group of musicians raise the roof off that Rotary party, I’ve been in love with kitchen band music. Because to see a younger generation revere the skills of the likes of the late Wellesley Howell on the saxophone, and be honoured to play with him when he was alive, shows a warranted respect of their elders and a drive to make sure Caymanian sounds are not forgotten.
Because, at times like these, we could use a heaped helping of the joy that those seniors felt when they danced to the music that they loved.
–We should all be rooting for Swanky and I will be, in New York, on 3 August.
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