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Jit Samaroo was born in Surrey
Village, Lopinot in 1950, the seventh of 13 children. At age 10, he joined
the short-lived Village Boys pan round the neck side. His mother, who
loved playing the dholak, died in 1962, and so, young Jit, appointed the
task of taking care of younger siblings, formed the Samaroo kids combo.
They were initially parang players
- Jit on guitar, Girlie on cowbell, Vidya on the drums, Baboolal on maracas,
and brother sonilal on scratcher - but by 14, already a self-confessed
"slave to pan", Jit joined the Lever Brothers Canboulay Steelband.
There he learned and mastered all the orchestra's instruments. Recognising
young Jit's talent, the musical director Lendeg White allowed him to help
arrange the band's calypsoes. He also arranged for Jit to have music lessons.
In 1971, Jit won the Ping Pong
(solo) category at the Steelband Music Festival. In that year too, Renegades
tuner Bertrand "Butch" Kellman made the necessary connections
for Jit to land the job of arranger with the Charlotte Street band.
Then began a long and successful
relationship, with Jit helping the band to victory. In 1984 Renegades
won by 17.5 points, the widest margin ever recorded in Panorama finals.
In 1989 he silenced critics who said he could only arrange Kitchener's
calypsoes, with an arrangement of Baron's "Somebody",
that combined as many as six rhythms in one calypso arrangement.
He is hailed as the country's
most clinically accurate arranger, arranging one tune by the device of
composing additional tunes to accompany it.
A versatile composer and occasional
bass player in his family band the Samaroo Jets, Jit was awarded the Hummingbird
Medal of Merit (silver) in 1987.
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