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America’s Got Talent on the Brooklyn Steel Side

Brooklyn Steel Orchestra comes together for AGT auditions

A When Steel Talks Exclusive

In Pictures  &  In Video 

New York, USA  -  In an ‘on the spur of the moment’ collaborative effort, some of Brooklyn’s finest steelpan musicians came together for a special project. That project being vying for a spot on America’s Got Talent.  Early in the week When Steel Talks (WST) almost simultaneously got a heads-up from both Travis Roberts and Kern Simon (who took the idea to reality literally overnight) about the venture.  WST was invited on a couple of nights to check out their practice sessions. Travis and Kern moved the project deliberately and immediately into reality while avoiding the pitfalls that have scuttled many other steelpan music efforts in New York.

The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra at practice
The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra at practice

Indeed, there is no shortage of superb, talented steelpan musicians in New York. There are literally thousands of panists in the Big Apple. With the shortness of the runway to the audition - Travis and Kern came up with a short list of New York panists who would be fully committed to the effort, in addition to being able to work together.

Kern Simon at rehearsal
Kern Simon at rehearsal

All this, in the less than twenty-four hour period since Kern had seen the promotional AGT flyer posted on Facebook by, incidentally, Travis - and moved on his inspiration.  But Kern Simon is no stranger to fostering and promoting the theme of ‘togetherness’ in the New York steelband community.  The initiative which led to stalwart productions of Rhythm & Blues and Reggae, supported by Despers USA and held at the band’s Pan Loft earlier this year and also back in 2011, was also the brainchild of Kern.

Crazy idea or not, he persuaded Travis (after several determined calls to convince him). And then it came together. Six days of practice, then off to perform before the America’s Got Talent (AGT) producers on Sunday. And their efforts would pay off on the day of the audition. “When we started to play, the crowd ran out to hear us; people were jumping...it was so nice!” says an immensely pleased Kern.

Brooklyn Steel Orchestra arrangers Marc Brooks, Kendall Williams and Odie Franklin
Brooklyn Steel Orchestra arrangers Marc Brooks, Kendall Williams and Odie Franklin   --   photo: Kern Simon

Douglas Martin provided the practice space and instruments. The arrangers are Odie Franklin, Marc Brooks and Kendall Williams.

At one of the practice sessions, even though it was the coldest day of the year to date and folks had already put in a full day of work and/or school - spirits were high, the energy was high and folks were focused. The group sounded great.  Cooperation was the order of the day - “no problem” was the code word for everything.

With everyone honoring their commitment, lending their talents and expertise, The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra was born and the mission was accomplished. By all accounts the group’s performance was flawless and the response of those who witnessed it, was massive.

Matthew Best with fellow musician at practice
Matthew Best with fellow musician at practice

Matthew Best was one of the ace musicians involved. “Being the “pan jumbie” I am, I loved having the opportunity to play with good friends from many bands without any competition going on - at least between us anyway, LOL. Also, getting to play and pick up tips and pointers from three arrangers I respect (Odie Franklin, Kendall William & Marc Brooks) was also a big plus. The AGT audition was nerve-wracking, but amazing, and seeing the judges (not the official ones) and the other contestants enjoy what we played for them, made this experience all the sweeter.” Matthew, who played guitar pans, also says “[It was] not the usual ‘strum strum’ [on guitar] for the whole song, but [instead] plenty lines and movement.”


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No stranger to long nights for Panorama practice, Brandon Waldrop said of the short runway to pulling this off, “It was a lot of hard work getting prepared for the audition. We practiced every evening for a whole week to get the song and choreography down ‘pat.’ We would practice for about 4-6 hours ending at up to 2:00 a.m., sometimes later. The audition was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Orisha John, fourth from left, with members of Brooklyn Orchestra at the audition
Orisha John, fourth from left, with members of Brooklyn Orchestra at the audition   --   photo: Kern Simon

Orisha John, who began playing pan before she could reach the instrument, was one of the group’s twenty-three musicians, and was also on board as the thinker and the orchestra’s designer. “Things are a bit different for all of us who’ve all been playing since we were toddlers and now many of us have school and full-time jobs. But this is the ultimate sacrifice for something that we all genuinely love. And for the sake of Pan, if we all didn’t believe that it’s a true, God-given talent, I know for a fact we wouldn’t be pushing forth with this idea to go extremely public. it’s an honor to be amongst POSITIVE players,  some of whom I’ve grown up with, and others who I’ve met throughout the years! I’ve been given the task as the designer for the group and I gladly take that position because along with music, fashion and designing is something that I love collectively!”

Edward Clarke at practice
Edward Clarke at practice

Both Ryan Joseph and Edward Clarke, in addition to taking on school and day-jobs, are routinely involved in multiple music projects, and to hear Edward’s take on it, it was very much worth the sacrifice. “After a lot of hard work, dedication, long hours, choreography and beautiful music that was taught to each individual, this is the best experience I have ever had. Everybody was cooperative and had one thing in mind. This is going to be a big change for pan.” Getting back home from one practice session just after 3:00 a.m. Edward was asked by fellow panist Wilfred Kieal, Jr. “What time you’re getting up?”  “I’ve got work at 6:00 in the morning.”  “Oye!” was the response. And such was Edward’s week, and that of several other musicians, in the Brooklyn Steel Orchestra.

Ryan Joseph at rehearsal
Ryan Joseph at rehearsal

To hear Ryan tell it:  “We only had a week to work with so we had to spend our time wisely at practice. A lot of us had work, so practice would start late and end some hours into the morning. The group consists of different players from different bands but I honestly think this group is a good combination of skill, talent, and discipline. Everyone is pretty much level-headed and willing to do what it takes to accomplish our goal. The three arrangers chosen (Marc , Kendall, and Odie), work so well with each other. The AGT audition was a great experience; the anxiety was killing us as we waited to perform. But when it was time, we just did what we do best. Those who we performed in front of seemed very pleased with our performance, but we still have to wait a couple months to see if we made it to the call-back. Nonetheless, it was a great experience that I was thankful to be a part of.”

Members of the Brooklyn Orchestra at the audition
Members of the Brooklyn Orchestra at the audition   --   photo: Kern Simon

And from one of the quieter guys around, but one with lots of talent, arranger Kendall Williams dropped a few words of his own: “It was a great experience with some of the best pan vibes that I’ve felt amongst players participating. We all dedicated one week of hard work to prepare for an opportunity that can capitalize on itself for generations to come. I was excited to be a part of such a willing group, and the fact that I was one of three arrangers was an honor for me. I feel like we can all be a positive part of history for pan and that is an even greater honor.”

The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra now awaits the decision of the show’s producers in what could be a very special and fantastic journey. You just never know.

Brooklyn’s got talent and America could be in for a big surprise.

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Brooklyn Steel Orchestra members
Tenor - Travis Roberts, Jahlani Roberts, Garvin Thorne, Darryl Gamory, Jalissa Lynch, Orisha John, Ryan Joseph, Wayne Bernard
Double Tenor - Kernel Simon, Khyah Juadah
Guitar - Matthew Best, Keifer Dover
Double Second - Odie Franklin (arranger), Brandon Waldrop, Kiera Scanterbury
Four Pan - Wilfred Kieal, Jr., Elroy Primus
Six Bass - Lakeisha Danglade, Edward Clarke, Kurel Mattis
Drums and Rhythm - Marc Brooks (arranger), Kendall Williams (arranger), Martin Douglas

The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra after a practice session
The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra after a practice session
 

The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra at the America's Got Talent auditions
The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra at the America’s Got Talent auditions  --   photo: Kern Simon

The Brooklyn Steel Orchestra at practice for America’s Got Talent


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