New York
-
Ten
years
ago,
Basement
Recordings
took on
an
assignment
to
produce
a
multimedia
package
for the
United
States
Steelband
Association
(USSA),
on their
first
ever
Panorama,
produced
entirely
on their
own. The
New York
Pan
community
it
seemed,
was
taking
the
initiative
and
attempted
to
finally
assert
themselves
as
self-reliant.
In 2001
they
made the
bold
step to
produce
their
own
showcase,
and
while
all the
steelbands
weren’t
on
board,
the
USSA
had 12
bands
vying
for the
title
with at
least 4
powerhouses
in the
New York
pan
scene
included.
I
remember
in our
first
production
meeting
when we
were
given
our
assignments
for that
night, I
felt
like I
pulled
the
short
stick in
what
could be
a
suicide
mission.
New York
Pan
people
are hard
to
impress.
It
seemed
like
nothing
ever
phased
them,
and I
had to
do a
live
recording
of 12
steelbands
consecutively.
There
would be
no
‘live’
feed
from the
sound
reinforcement
crew;
one take
and
done.
This is
it, you
and your
recording
gear and
a small
crew.
Usually
we would
use the
week
before
NY
panorama
and
record
as many
bands as
possible.
On my
watch I
counted
8 as the
most for
a week,
but on
September
1st
2001, we
were
going to
do 12
bands in
the
space of
something
like 6
hours;
no
pressure
- after
all at
Basement
Recordings
our
mantra
is “Where
the
impossible
is only
mediocre.”
I
arrived
at the
Thomas
Jefferson
High
School
Athletic
Complex
in East
New York
at 10:00
a.m. on
the day
of the
show,
while I
instructed
the rest
of my
crew to
be there
by 3:00
p.m. I
knew if
they
came
earlier,
by
midnight
they
would be
no good
to me.
Trevor’s
gear for
the
sound
reinforcements
was to
arrive
around
11:00
a.m. and
I wanted
to help
him with
that and
go over
some
finer
details
for the
night.
For this
event,
the
total
production
of the
2001
USSA
Panorama
- which
was
facilitated
by
Basement
Recordings
- there
were
three
individual
teams:
one for
sound
reinforcement,
one for
video
(DVD),
and one
for
audio
(CD).
In all,
there
were
about
thirty
personnel
involved
throughout.
As one
might
expect,
the show
started
a little
late,
but
given
the
occasion
and it
being
their
first
production,
they
deserved
to be
cut a
little
slack.
The
generator
for the
lights
on the
stage
wouldn’t
start
and for
the
video
crew,
this was
the
worst-case
scenario,
but they
made it
work and
still
came out
with a
better
product
than had
ever
been
engineered
before.
When
band
number
one was
on stage
and
ready to
go, with
a sense
of great
pride
for the
New York
Pan
community,
I
thought,
“After
this
show,
they
will
know
their
worth.
There
was the
hope of
this
being
the
realization
of their
self-empowerment,
their
emancipation,
their
coming
of age
and we
would
have
recorded
proof of
it.
There it
was
before
you -
take it
and run
with
it.
Tonight
you are
being
treated
as
professional
musicians.
You were
afforded
a sound
check."
Some of
the kids
(and
adults
too)
didn’t
know
what was
going
on. “Why
we
rolling?”
There
were
also
mutterings
coming
from the
audience.
I could
make out
a few “Dats
dey
intro!!!!”;
“Dey
bus’ ah
wat!!!!!”
No, no
that
is the
sound of
professionalism.
By the
end of
the
night
that
routine
would
become
familiar
and
there
would be
no going
back to
the ‘old
ways’
again
(well, a
man
could
dream,
couldn’t
he?).
The rest
of the
night
was a
series
of
repetitions
for me
(read
Trevor
John’s
article
on the
‘box and
one’ -
our
steelband
recording
theory).
I can’t
say I
heard
any
particular
band. I
was in
my zone,
making
sure I
got
optimum
data for
the mix.
Before
you knew
it, band
number
12 was
on and I
was
almost
done.
Little
hiccups
here and
there
during
the
night
but
nothing
major.
About a
week
later I
sat down
at
Basement
Recordings
headquarters
and
listened
for the
first
time to
the
final
mix. I
was
satisfied.
I took
mental
notes of
some
things
for the
future,
not
really
knowing
if there
would be
a
‘future.’
Sometimes
when you
do
things
and make
it look
simple,
everyone
thinks
they can
do it,
that
they do
not need
you
anymore.
Ten
years
later,
2001
will be
remembered
for a
lot of
different
reasons.
For me
the
first
release
of a
CD/DVD
of a New
York
Panorama
– or any
Panorama
anywhere,
for that
matter;
and the
last
panorama
appearance
by
Pan
Rebels,
are the
easiest
to
recall.
But I
have one
question.
Exactly
ten
years
ago the
New York
Pan
community
stood up
for
itself.
What
happened?