Duvone Stewart and a ‘Year For Love’
From Left to right: Associate Producer, Wendell Manwarren, Producer Mark Loquan, Duvone Stewart and Director/Producer Maria Nunes.
Photo:Sarita Rampersad
When Mark Loquan first sat with Duvone Stewart on the balcony at the home of the champion steelpan arranger, the emotional journey was not what Mark expected at all.
“The depth and intricate details of his life—the high points we all know, the record wins, and the new ground. But the really low moments and healing through music, which pushed Duvone to bigger mental spaces, brought me to tears. For most people who see this three-part series, it’s hard to hold back on this emotional journey.”
Mark admits that it was hard to resist the urge to document Duvone’s story. The Director and Producer of this A Better Tomorrow series, Maria Nunes, was drawn into a world she didn’t imagine would unfold over the period of a year in the making of Duvone Stewart: The Man Behind the Music.
“Because of social media and Duvone’s success, he has become a very public figure. A deeply satisfying aspect of this project is that it gives the opportunity to get to know him in ways that just aren’t possible on social media platforms, which have a life of their own that’s often very removed from a person’s real life. It was an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to spend quality time with him, get to know him much better, and share his story with the world.”
Maria has often told the story of how the narrative led the process, taking her on its own journey:
“This project started off as one thing and ended up as much more than I had anticipated. I’ve been working closely with Mark Loquan to develop the Better Tomorrow Series over the last three years. Following on the heels of Women in Pan, which was a 10-part series, Mark told me he wanted to tell the story behind Duvone’s arrangement of ‘Year for Love’ for Renegades in 2018, which resulted in their first Panorama victory in 20 years.”
It was also Duvone’s first large band title. Maria reflected on the first day of shooting: “So originally, that was the scope of the project – just the ‘Year for Love’ story - and I had this instinct that Wendell Manwarren was the right person to interview Duvone. We set up a meeting in December with Duvone to talk through how we would approach the project, and the next thing I knew, I was hurriedly putting a mic on Duvone and rolling the camera because there was something very special about the vibe that first day.”
“We captured some incredible moments of unfiltered emotion, and I thought to myself that we should expand the project to be about his life as a whole. We couldn’t afford to do an elaborate documentary, so I opted for an in-depth interview. The final outcome is three episodes. The first is the incredible story behind ‘Year for Love,’ and the second and third episodes are the story of Duvone’s life from early childhood up to the present.”
Documentaries like these often have the power to raise awareness and inspire change, and Maria feels that there is no shortage of inspiration in this documentary:
“Interestingly, I think viewers will find that the most inspirational aspect of Duvone’s life is not his incredible success as a steelpan arranger but the remarkable commitment he made to himself through his determination to succeed with his weight loss transformation. I think this aspect of his life story will broaden the scope of those who will be able to identify with what he’s gone through in his journey so far. It’s a very human story.”
Duvone immersed and opened himself to sharing the full-no-holds-barred story of his life. The musical healing after losing a loved one to gun violence and the physical transformation, shedding hundreds of pounds to save his own life. Channeling pain and grief through musical healing would bring Duvone one of his greatest moments in 2018 with his winning Panorama arrangement for bpRenegades with “Year For Love” by Aaron “Voice” St. Louis. This would net bpRenegades its first Panorama win in 20 years.
Wendell Manwarren, of 3Canal, and associate producer on the production, sees this unique opportunity to tell Duvone’s story as something for the ages. “The depth of this story is inspirational, and the production is a must-see, not just for steelpan. These are opportunities we don’t get back if we don’t document them now.”
This docu-series is part of Loquan’s A Better Tomorrow film/TV production series. The series intends to document and tell stories of steelpan life through the contributions of the pioneers, innovators, and creators.