On 10/27/96, the Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, based in New York City honored two persons for their contribution to the Vincentian community at home and abroad. They were "Shake" Keane and Dr. Eitel Providence. Keane was saluted for his involvement in the field of music, teaching, poetry and culture in general.Ellsworth "Shake" Keane was born in St. Vincent in 1927 and attended the Kingstown Anglican School, the Immediate High School (under B.R. James) and the Kingstown Methodist School. He moved on to the Grammar School on a Kingstown-Town Board scholarship, and was taught by the renowned Head-master W.M. Lopey. During this early period, he was taught vocal and instrumental music by his father.
As a school-boy, he was encouraged to write poetry by Mr. George C. H. Thomas, among others. So at a tender age, 9 to 14 years, he was playing the trumpet and also writing poems. This set the tone for his long association with music and the arts in general. As a student at the St. Vincent Grammar School, he excelled at his school work, but always applied himself to music. He was a member of several popular dance-hall bands that played on Friday or Saturday nights; in this way he was in contact with folks in many villages and towns in St. Vincent. Many of us have a picture of the Grammar School student as being "stuffy" and being isolated from the Vincentian public.
His experience with playing in the dance-hall bands brought him into contact with the average working man or woman in St. Vincent, and he loved it.
The Philharmonic Orchestra.......In the period 1946 - 1951, there was in St. Vincent a Philharmonic Orchestra, patterned after overseas bands that played concerts and other forms of classical music. "Shake" Keane was a member of this prestigious group that included the McIntosh brothers Harold and Tom, the William brothers, Frank and Henry, Willy Boyea, Darrow Daisley on the Trombone, Lio Smith and on the drums Vin Cato and Winston Samuels. This Orchestra practiced regularly and appeared for concerts, the Empire Day marches (May 24) and for the funeral of prominent persons e.g. Miss Wilson's funeral. They would play at open-air concerts on Sunday afternoons in places like Georgetown and Barrouallie, etc. as time permitted. After a fairly long run this band folded, and we have not seen the likes of it since. It was certainly nice to have such a great orchestra available to meet the people's needs at that time.
During this phase, he taught as a master at the Grammar School and organized the first musical band there; they performed at speech nights, and on other occasions. Though quite busy, he found time to be the Editor of the School Magazine (1948 - 1952). He published his first collection of poems in 1950, entitled "L'OUBLI" and has not looked back since. Over the years, more poems have pored from the pen to include the "Volcanic Suite" (1979) and "Palm and Octipus" (1994) among many others.
Radio Journalist in the B.B.C......As part of the great wave of immigrants, he arrived in London in 1952 and enrolled as a student at the University of London, reading English. He was employed at the B.B.C. as a Radio Journalist, and later as a Producer for the Caribbean Services. In St. Vincent, we were always eager to hear him on the B.B.C. either his voice or playing the trumpet.
There was no T.V. then in St. Vincent and radio was an important means of entertainment. He was the first Vincentian to produce a musical record for commercial sale. He played solo and was also a member of various bands in England. He changed to the flugel horn, and later left England to live in Cologne, Germany where he joined a big Band Jazz group. His music took him all over Europe to France, Switzerland, Denmark etc. and to North Africa and Lebanon. He was married with two children.
CARIFESTA......The Caribbean Festival of the Arts first saw the light of day in Georgetown, Guyana in 1972. They included vocal and instrumental music, drama, poetry readings, etc.. and invited participants from all over the Caribbean, to include French, Spanish and Dutch speaking nations. Mr. Keane was a member of the Organizing Committee and he traveled from Europe to Guyana to put CARIFESTA together. He was there when the event finally came off, and he stayed on afterwards to write a full report on the activity.
After CARIFESTA, he was invited to return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to organize the "Department of Culture" in 1973. This he did and so much more to include being Chairman of the Carnival Development Committee, Chairman of the music festival committee etc. the field of Education, he was the Principal of the Bishop's College Georgetown, and later taught at the Intermediate school in Kingstown.
He has been based in New York since 1981; though his steps are now slower, he teaches private music classes, writes poetry and does poetry readings.
He has appeared at poetry readings in England, New York, Oslo, Norway and other locations. All in all, "Shake" Keane has led a very active and multihued life and has made contributions in music, poetry; as a teacher, Head-teacher, CARIFESTA consultant and in the Arts in general.
