Carlos
Malcolm
A musical chameleon who scored the sound of a young nation.
“A musical chameleon — for the versatility and ease with which he arranges and executes music of many cultures and genres.”
Carlos Malcolm — Jamaican trombonist, composer, and arranger — may easily be classified as a musical chameleon for the versatility and ease with which he arranges and executes music of various cultures and genres. Born in Panama in 1934, he was taken to Jamaica at the age of two and was raised and educated there. Most popular in the late 1950s and 1960s, the composer and bandleader played his first music ‘gigs’ on piano with the Vivian Hall All Stars, which featured Don Drummond on trombone.
As a trained arranger, Carlos became head arranger in the Variety Department of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation in the 1960s. He was the first arranger to write formal arrangements of Jamaican ska music — transcribing “Top Ten” songs from 7-inch 45RPM records and re-arranging them for the JBC Studio Orchestra to accompany singers on the weekly live show The Jamaican Hit Parade, which he helped develop. The show spawned and influenced the careers of many Jamaican artists such as Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley.
His popularity as an arranger earned him a commission to compose music for tropical scenes in the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, filmed in Jamaica. He was later appointed Musical Director of the Jamaica National Dance Theatre Company, composing and directing music for its debut at the Inaugural Independence Celebrations of Jamaica.
Five decades of musical excellence
From composing for the world stage to receiving Jamaica’s highest honours, these milestones reflect a legacy built on talent, vision, and cultural impact.
Commissioned to compose tropical background music for the first James Bond film, shot in Jamaica.
Inducted alongside jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist James Moody.
Received the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award for musical excellence.
Honored by the Jamaican Recording Industry Association for a lifetime of musical excellence.
Teaching through rhythm;
composing across the Caribbean
A guest speaker at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, Carlos demonstrated his alternative education program ‘Bak2bay6’ — with a Musical Twist. It teaches an introduction to critical thinking, multiplication and other math tables, and the eight parts of speech in the English language and their functions, to young students.
He also uses folk music from the Caribbean to create etudes for the piano, expanding them into light symphonic Caribbean Concertos that allow the performing soloist room for improvisation. A graduate of the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio, he has been professionally involved for over fifty years on almost every level of Jamaican music.
Carlos Malcolm is a Jamaican treasure.