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New York,
USA -
The man who
anchors a
New York
steelband
panorama
performance
is of a special
breed.
He is not
just a
drummer. The
fortunes of
up to
ninety-nine other
performing
musicians
(or in the
case of
Trinidad &
Tobago, one
hundred and
nineteen) in
his steel
orchestra
over which
he presides, rests on his
competence,
skill set,
nerves and vision. And well
beyond his
expected
time-keeper
duties, he
is Mr.
Excitement,
Mr.
Punctuator
and Mr.
Tempo for a
ten-minute
musical
piece that
the panorama
world would
be
critiquing
for a very
long time.
He
must control
and mesh
seamlessly
with the
rhythm
section,
which often
is
made up of very
talented
(the best in
the world at
what they
do) but
often hard-to-get-along-with, lovable,
strong-willed
characters
who may see,
hear and
feel
differently
about what
the
percussive
unit is
executing,
and their
own role!
The panorama
drummer
position is
not for the
faint of
heart, as
this
prestigious
position has
no shortage
of able and
ready
suitors
should he
falter.
It is a one
and done
career, that
is:
you get no
chances to
mess up. Mess-up once
and it is
“over” for
you as a
panorama
drummer forever in New
York.
This year
New York
again had a
bumper crop
of some of
the world’s
most
respected
steelband
panorama
drummers,
some of whom
are pictured
below.
Damian Hinds - drummer for NY Panorama champs 2010,
Sonatas Steel Orchestra
ADLIB 2010 panorama drummer - Sheldon Thwaites
Sesame Flyers 2010 panorama Keith ‘KJ’ Marcelle
Crossfire 2010 panorama drummer (also the arranger!) -
Leon “Foster” Thomas
D’Radoes
2010 panorama drummer - Knolly “Nikki” Nicholas
Pantonic 2010 panorama drummer -
Gregory Pegus
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