New
York,
USA
-
Another
weekend
is upon
us, but
pan
folks
are
still
talking
about
their
experience
last
weekend,
conceptualized
and
brought
to life
by
Despers
USA.
On a
sultry
Sunday
evening,
‘R&R’
was not
for
‘rest
and
relaxation.’
Rather it
signified
that R&B
and Reggae
ruled
and
rocked
the Pan
Loft of
Despers
USA, as
the
panyard
of one
of New
York’s
veteran
steel
orchestras
is
affectionately
known.
A great
evening with a
bit of
humidity
was the
backdrop
for some
very
good
steelband music
provided
by four
of the
region’s
top
music organizations.
An event
with a
difference,
it was a
daring
move by
the
younger
members
of Despers
USA’s
management
team -
that of
having
only R&B
and
Reggae
- sans
soca - reign
supreme for
several
hours.
With the
New York
panorama
season
underway,
and band
launches
already
up and
running,
there
will be
without
a doubt
plenty
of soca
on steel to sweat
through.
But in
this
R&R (R&B
and
Reggae)
session,
it was
the
music
made
popular
by the
likes of
Chris
Brown,
Bruno
Mars, Cee-Lo,
Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke,
Bob
Marley, JC
Lodge,
Tarrus
Riley,
Dennis
Edwards et
al,
which
had the
crowd
moving.
CASYM
It was
9:00
p.m.
when
CASYM
gave
patrons
a
fabulous
opener,
dropping
Bruno
Mars’s
Grenade,
Commodores’
All
Night
Long and Cee-Lo’s
Forget
You, for
a snappy
and
cleverly-selected first
showing.
With the
musical
gauntlet
thrown
down,
reigning
New York
panorama
champs
Sonatas
Steel
Orchestra stepped
up to
the
plate
not long
after,
delivering
a cool,
rhythmic
session
for pan
lovers
to ‘get
their
groove
on.’
It
included
material
highlighting
the
arranging
talents
of two
members
of
Sonatas’
robust
stage
side, as
well as
the
band’s
panorama
arranger Yohan
Popwell
(Just
The Two
of Us). Orisha
John’s
work
came to
life in
Seal’s
Free,
while a
swanky
steel
version
of
She Ain’t
You
arranged
by Mark Garceran
rounded
out the
band’s
R&B
session.
Sonatas
Then
came
the Queens-based
Steel
Sensation
crew
with
their
deliberately
refined
approach,
taking
the
opportunity
to
deliver
both
their
R&B and
Reggae
sessions
in one
go.
By the
time it
was
over,
the
crowd
was loud
in their
applause
for the
music
set
which
showcased
Lost
Without
You,
Don’t
Matter,
Prison
Walls,
Call On
Me, Jammin,’
Someone
Loves
You
Honey,
Forget
You and
Could
You Be
Loved.
Not to
be
outdone,
hosts
Despers
USA took
up the
challenge
with
their
R&B
mini-marathon
featuring
Clement
Franklin’s
arrangements
of
One
In A
Million
and
Don’t
Look Any
Further,
and son Odie
Franklin’s
version
of
Can We
Talk.
Steel
Sensation
The
unique
musical
evening,
brainchild
of
Despers
USA’s
Kern
Simon,
took the
innovative
event
concept one step
further.
Simon
was
excited
throughout
the
evening,
talking
to When
Steel
Talks
(WST)
about
what was
to come
next.
The
by-now
fairly
customary
camaraderie
prevalent among
several
of New
York’s
younger
generation
of
steelpan
musicians,
came
full
circle
in
Simon’s
idyllic
vision
of the
coming
together
of a few
players
from the
other
bands
in a jam
session.
Mikhail
Rodney
Becoming
temporary
“Despers”
for a
few
minutes, they
got
behind
the
instruments
of their
hosts
for the
‘jam.’
CASYM,
Pantonic,
Sonatas/Steel
Sensation
- they
were all in
the
line-up
as the
music
flowed
for a
short
while,
just
before
the
high-spirited “Pan
Ramajay”
allowed
representative
members
of each
music
organization
- and a
few
other
well-known
faces on
the
Pan music
scene - to
individually
show off
their
steelpan
skills,
to the
immense
delight
of the
crowd on
hand -
all to
Ne-Yo’s
hit
One In A
Million.
The
“stars”
included,
but were
not
limited
to
Despers’
Wilfred
“Wiz” Kieal
and one
of their
phenomenal veteran
players,
Sterling
“Sugars”
Sample, Pantonic’s
Wayne
Bernard,
CASYM’s
Natalie Wint,
and
Khuent
Rose.
Impromptu
performances
from
Earl
Brooks,
Jr. and
Duvone
Stewart
who
happened
to be at
the
event
were
also
crowd-pleasers.
After a
short
break,
steelpan
player
Mikhail
Rodney
exchanged
his
sticks
for a
mic as
he
rapped
through
a couple
pieces.
The
versatile
Mustafa
Alexander
also had
his turn
on tenor in the
spotlight
as one
of the
event’s guest
artists.
Additionally,
with
fine
food and
drink to
be had,
steelband
lovers
found
ongoing
opportunity
to have both
cravings
fulfilled
- culinary,
as well
as music
to the
max.
Mustafa
Alexander
Before
the
evening
of R&R was
over,
the
audience
enjoyed
the
return
of CASYM
for
their
reggae
wrap up
with
Jammin’,
She’s
Royal
and
No
Woman No
Cry.
In the
same
order as
the
first
rounds,
Sonatas
then sounded
out Marc
Brooks’
arrangement
of
Rockaway
and
Waiting
in Vain,
the
oldie goldie
How
About A
Little
Love
from KC
and the
Sunshine
Band
with Yohan
Popwell’s
touch,
and
Gyptian’s
Hold Yuh
arranged
by
Joshua
McPherson.
Despers
USA’s
Man Down
arranged
by
Wilfred
“Wiz” Kieal,
and
Never
Dis the
Man
along
with
Too
Experienced
arranged
by Odie
Franklin,
brought
the
curtains
down on
this
“New
York
first”
of R&B
and
Reggae
on
Steel.
Kernel
Simon
told WST
that
feedback
on the
show was
simply
great.
“People
were
like ‘this was one
of the
best
shows...!
A lot of
people
have
been
asking
for a
recording!”
Kern
shared happily.
In
Pictures
