BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 7th October 2026)-Cultural preservationist 73-year-old Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett is remembering the late Larry Armony as a creative individual who possessed a natural passion for cultural development.
“He had that instinct and that charismatic approach to cultural development. To me, it has left a void because he was creative.”
Nisbett- who is known as ‘De Doctor of Culture’- shared such sentiments during an exclusive interview with this reporter, reflecting on the longstanding friendship with Armony, who passed away on Tuesday 22nd September 2026 at the age of 80 following a reported boating incident at the Frigate Bay marina.
“Larry Armony was a dear friend to me. In fact, when the Okolo Tegremantine was formulated, I was one of those persons. That was just before we got to Guyana in 1972. I led the delegation to Guyana in terms of the dances and so,” he recalled.
Speaking about the formation of the cultural group, Nisbett credited Armony with its establishment while highlighting the role of his wife, Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Cramer-Armony, in the dancing component.
“Larry Armony was the one who actually founded Okolo Tegremantine. His wife Jackie was involved with the dancers but the drummers, I was one who worked with Larry, beating different drumbeats, talking to different beats. We put programmes together, and we performed at a lot of functions in St. Kitts and outside St. Kitts.”
Recalling the group’s involvement in major cultural events, Nisbett said: “Even here in St. Kitts, when you had heads of government coming in and they were looking for something of consequence, we were the ones who used to perform at most of these big things, with the drumming and the dancing.”
Asked about the objective behind establishing the group, he explained: “To create a cultural awareness in this country through dance.”
Nisbett also highlighted Armony’s interest in history, recalling how the late cultural advocate frequently sought his input when preparing calypso compositions. Of note, he went by the calypso stage name ‘Alamoulou’.
“When Larry was putting a song together, he always comes. You know, he’s a historical man. Anything you want historically, especially when you write any song, he would even come here by me and sit around and discuss it.”
He recalled one such discussion concerning the separation of Carnival from the Christmas season.
“When they were saying about isolating and moving the Carnival from Christmas, he came to hear my version of it. We sat down and we put our heads together but every single time he’s doing a calypso of historical significance, he don’t go nowhere else but here.”
Pointing to Armony’s compositions about the masquerade and other cultural subjects, Nisbett remarked: “All these songs have gone down in history. Always some history thing.”
When asked what he believed drove Armony’s cultural passion, Nisbett spoke about his commitment to researching and communicating the messages behind his work.
“He went to the depths to get all that right. So he had everything when you’re looking for the whole message.”
In a light-hearted recollection, he also spoke about Armony’s- dancing ability in making reference to the 2013 hit tune ‘Together’ performed during the Senior Calypso Monarch Competition that year.
“The music was good, you know, and the communication with the voice towards that but when it comes to the dancing, you know, they’re looking for him to dance. That was not delivered.”
“If he could have danced like any masquerader, he’d have mashed it up that night,” he remarked.
“Yeah, but he was a nice gentleman.”
Turning to the importance of cultural preservation, when asked about what message he has to send to young people, Nisbett urged younger generations to recognise the contributions of those who have helped to shape the Federation’s cultural identity.
“We need to preserve what we have and recognise the recipients of such, because today or tomorrow, someone passes away. Larry was exceptional because he was always thinking ahead.”
Reflecting further on their cultural involvement, he recalled: “Working with Larry was something. I remember I learned the Petro, the Nago, the Ibo, all these different beats.”
Nisbett summed up Armony’s contribution by pointing to the awareness he helped to generate through cultural expression.
“Larry Armony created an environment where he brought an awareness to the whole system.”
