Pantonic Steel
Orchestra
at
practice
New York,
USA -
Pantonic
Steel
Orchestra will enter
the “Battle
Zone” known
as
Panorama
as a lean,
mean,
fighting
machine.
Their tune
of choice is
“Battle
Zone”
sung by
Anslem
Douglas -
music by
Edwin
Pouchet;
lyrics by
Alvin
Daniell.
‘Underdog’ is
not a word
that is
commonly
associated
with Pantonic
Steel
Orchestra.
And yet
undeniably
Pantonic
finds itself
in just that
inalienable
position.
Pantonic Steel
Orchestra
at
practice
There is a
saying that
goes ‘you
never know
who your
real friends
and
supporters
are’ until
you’re down,
or - are in a
real dog-fight. Pantonic has
begun to
find that
out. Internal
strife has
caused many
to abandon
ship.
However,
those that
have
remained
have mounted
a high-level
musical
offensive
that will
challenge
the judges
and fans to
go beyond
the visual,
and
listen to
the
substance of
their
musical
content.
Pantonic Steel
Orchestra
at
practice
Out-gunned,
undermanned
and low on
ammunition
and with no
cavalry in
sight -
similar to
Hannibal, the
300 Spartans
in the
Battle of
Thermopylae,
the Na’vi people
of Avatar, Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance of Star Wars,
and of
course - the David and Goliath
story of the
Bible, Pantonic has
a unique
opportunity
to create
steelband
panorama
history.
Playing in
position one
Pantonic
seemingly can
set the
adjudication bar to a point
where the
rest of the
field is
chasing them
all night.
While
play position
number one
in the New
York
steelband
panorama
is commonly
known as the
‘sound
check’
position -
because of
the past
disasters
that have
devilishly
befuddled
those in
that slot by
incompetent
sound
engineers -
Pantonic can
still make
this work to
their
advantage.
Pantonic
Steel
Orchestra
practices
for New
York
Panorama
2010
The once
mighty music
giant that
was the envy
of the
steelpan
music world
and the
toast of New
York, was a joy to
behold by
most, envied
and hated by
others and
still even
more, feared
by some but
respected by
all for the
music it produced.
Pantonic
was the late
great master
arranger
Clive
Bradley’s
pride and
joy.
Drummer
Gregory
Pegus
practices
with
Pantonic
A key
component of
a
hard-working
steel
orchestra is
generally a
serous
drill-master,
and no less
than
internationally
renowned
drummer
Gregory
Pegus, who
has anchored
the band in
several of
the panorama
championship
performances
- has
stepped up
to the task.
Freeing up
arranger
Keith
Roberts to
attend to
the task of
creation and
imparting
music to
players,
Gregory has
been taking
Pantonic
through its
paces as the
band
rehearses,
reintroducing
section by
section
drilling,
something
which has
been missing
from
Pantonic’s
sessions in
recent
years.
Gregory told
When Steel
Talks (WST)
that he is
quite happy
working with
the younger
Pantonic
crew, while
a pleased
arranger
Keith
Roberts says
that Gregory
“is doing a
very good
job.”
Arranger
Keith
Roberts
(left)
with
Pantonic
at
practice
In a season
of
transition
and new
beginnings
Pantonic is
uniquely
positioned
to prove its
naysayers
and
ill-wishers wrong.
Arranger
Clive
Bradley
often
boasted that
all he
needed was
handful of
attentive
children to
win a
panorama.
And Keith
Roberts is
pleased with
the attitude
and
enthusiasm
of the
players in
Pantonic for
2010, and is
looking
forward
with
confidence
to taking
them to
Panorama. In a
situation
that Bradley
would relish,
the talented
arranger
Keith Roberts is
at the helm
with a
chance to
make Mr.
Bradley real
proud.
In
Pictures
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