7 News Belize

Compton’s Contribution to Culture
posted (November 5, 2019)
Last night we told you about the passing of one of Belize's most noted record producers, Compton Fairweather.

The 88 year old died of bronchial pneumonia yesterday morning. And while he has passed on, he leaves a huge cultural legacy in music. Fairweather was the owner, engineer and producer for CES records, which was the dominant music label in the 60's and 70's. CES is responsible for many seminal Belizean records, and captured on vinyl countless legendary performances by some of the best musicians Belize has produced.

In 2006, when a foreign record label put out a compilation of CES tracks, we looked back at that legacy with Ivan Duran, Kenny Morgan, and the man himself:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
These 45's and LP's are the gems of the golden era of Belizean music recorded in the 50's, 60's and 70's: the professionals, and Lord Rhaburn, Frankie Reneau' Mass in Blues on this. All of them emblazoned with the distinctive CES label.

The owners of CES is Compton Fairweather, who in his unassuming style, reigned over the golden era as an unlikely kind of music industry kingmaker. More engineer than businessman, Fairweather recorded 156 songs, all Belizeans musicians over two decades at CES. But after 1980, they fell into obscurity until a Chicago based label called the Numero Group, dealing in soul music rarities, stumbled upon one of his recordings.

Ivan Duran, Stonetree Records
"It all started in 2004 when three courageous record producers from the States discovered a fun 45 that was originally recorded in Belize by a band called Soul Creation. Rob met Mr. Fairweather and the next step was to unearth the boxes of master tapes in Mr. Fairweather's basement in Brooklyn, New York. All the tapes were still there."

Compton Fairweather,
"The end result that they came out with really surprised me and then I began to get nostalgic about all the things we used to do."

And they did so much, now 12 of those studio gems fully restored are collected on this disc called a Belize City Boil Up. Duran, himself an engineer and record producer has high praise.

Ivan Duran,
"I am totally convinced that this is one of the very best CDs ever released in Belize's history."

First of all what Mr. Fairweather with those recordings is nothing short of amazing. The quality of the recordings, technically speaking, is almost perfect and to listen back to those records today, and I am admitting that some of the best recordings ever in the history of Belize happened in the 50s and 60s.

DJ Morgan who's been playing it on the radio feels the same way.

Kenny Morgan,
"Basically it's a revelation for me because it brings forth a whole new side of the Belizean musicians that many people aren't or weren't existed, the fact that Belizean musicians were playing at that height, that quality, and that standard of music and not just Belizean music but diverse forms from the funk into the lain standards into jazz rhythms. It was a revelation, that is the best way I can find to describe it."

For Lord Rhaburn it is not a revelation, just the product of an era when the music mattered.

Lord Rhaburn,
"The thing is that for a long time we have good music because people used to dance so we had to play good dance music. Long ago, people used to dance and dance, your mommy and daddy used to be one of my main…., and we had to play sensible and sweet music and that is the way we went off recording too. We didn't believe in just playing ordinary. We always wanted to go some way."

Kenny Morgan,
"I think this could serve as a bridge to inspire our younger, our current musicians to try to emulate and follow in the footsteps of the old musicians."

And while it forms a bridge one wonders how could it have all been lost:

Jules Vasquez,
"When I heard it I say how could this have died. Evan Hyde wrote in the Amandala this week that he alluded to the it and it is subject no one wants to talk about but monopoly radio wasn't interested in this kind of music."

Compton Fairweather,
"Especially the celebration music because they were banned really and that's where we sold the music, you know the 10th of September songs."

Jules Vasquez,
"So those were banned?"

Compton Fairweather,
"Yes Henry Young can tell you about that, that I think Sefe was instructed not to put it on."

Jules Vasquez,
"So this music died or it was killed as a political."

Compton Fairweather,
"Well now we know it went to sleep and it woke up."

That story aired in May of 2006.

Compton Fairweather will have an official funeral at a date to be announced.

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