The Shake Keane Story (Part 2) Social Share
The Shake Keane Story provides not only narrative but analyses his poetry, and jazz, paying particular attention to the link between his poetry and jazz. The author describes the political context which Shake seemed to have underestimated or misunderstood. He left St. Vincent one year after Adult Suffrage and was unfamiliar with the development of party politics. His fate as director of culture was sealed because of his relationship with Son Mitchell. Shake knew Mitchell at the Grammar School but they seemed not to have been close friends until they met in England, Mitchell having attended some of his jazz performances and hosted gatherings that linked him with students like John Compton, Oliver Jackman of Barbados who later became a diplomat and which was attended on occasions by CLR James whom the author says was a friend of Mitchell.