Jit Samaroo

Jit Sukha Samaroo ( born February 24, 1950 in Surrey, Trinidad ) is a successful trinidadischer composer, arranger and musician on the steel pan. Jit Samaroo is married, has two children and lives in D' Abadie, Trinidad.

Life and work

Jit Samaroo was born in Surrey in Lopinottal the seventh of thirteen children of Indian descent. The age of ten, he joined a band that " Village Boys" was called. Soon after, he founded the Samaroo Jets, a family band that exists to this day.

At the age of 14 he joined the Lever Brother Canboulay with tape. Their musical director Lendeg White recognized the musical talent Samaroos and allowed him to take music lessons.

1972 Samaroo won the first prize in the category Soloist at the Steelband Music Festival in Trinidad.

From 1971 Jit Samaroo was the arranger of the legendary Amoco Renegades Steel Orchestra ( now BP Renegades ) from Port of Spain. He led the Renegades to a total of nine victories at the annual Steelband Panorama competition. Even the Renegades scored the first hat-trick in the history of the panorama competition ( 1995-1997). This Samaroo preferred, with two exceptions, the Calypso singer Lord Kitchener.

1989 Samaroo arranged the song " Somebody" of the Calypsonians Baron. This piece is considered a classic because Samaroo in his arrangement of six different rhythms integrated ( Calypso, Soca, Merengue, Zouk, Samba, and Disco ).

He traveled with his Samaroo Jets, as well as with the Renegades Steel Orchestra all continents and is in demand as a composer, arranger and soloist.

In 1990, Samaroo part with the Renegades in the festivities on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution in Paris and played in a production of Jean -Michel Jarre in front of an audience of millions.

Due to his national and international achievements and contributions to the culture of his homeland him the Hummingbird Medal of Merit (silver ) and 1995 Chaconia Medal ( silver) in 1987 handed over. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine in 2003.

Steelband Panorama competition

All titles profits of the Renegades Steel Orchestra with Jit Samaroo as an arranger: