Carlos Malcolm
| Carlos Malcolm | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | c. 1934 Panama |
| Genres | Mento, ska, jazz, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, musician |
| Instruments | Trombone, percussion |
| Years active | Late 1950s–present |
| Labels | Up-Beat |
| Associated acts | Carlos Malcolm & his Afro-Jamaican Rhythms Carlos Malcolm & the Afro-Caribs The Fireburners |
Carlos Malcolm (born c. 1934) is a Jamaican trombonist, percussionist and bandleader who was most popular in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Carlos Malcolm was born in Panama c. 1935 to Jamaican parents and grew up in Kingston. His father, Wilfred Malcolm, went to Panama and worked as a bookkeeper in the Panama Canal Zone. He became a prominent business man in the city of Colon, established homes in both countries and sent his five children back to Jamaica to be educated. Having studied the liturgy and music of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church, Wilfred Malcolm was an Anglican church choir director for many years. He also played trombone in the "Jazz Aristocrats", a Panamanian Dixieland band for which he was manager, and he took the band to Jamaica in 1936.
Wilfred Malcolm had quite a collection of eclectic music that extended from Bach and Handel to Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Reflecting upon this period of his life, Carlos often mused that he probably "subliminally osmosed" the musical styles and arranging formats of various composers as he whistled back at the music wafting through the house every evening his father came home. This probably accounts for Carlos's notoriety among peers as a "musical chameleon" because he arranges music and functions comfortably in a variety of musical cultures and genres. His father and a few prominent West Indian businessmen in Panama formed a committee that brought to Panama world-class Black American artists in the performing arts. As a child, Carlos recalls listening from the bedroom to conversations and laughter from guests, including celebrated artists Paul Robeson (baritone), Marian Anderson (contralto), Hazel Scott–Powell (wife of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., of Abyssinia Baptist Church of Harlem) as they came to late dinners after recitals at a local theatre.
Carlos's father taught him to play the trombone. He also recognised Carlos's natural gift for creating and arranging music and supported his son's desire to pursue an education in the arts. Carlos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Union Institute and University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
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