United
Kingdom
- The first time I saw Despers (the legendary Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra hailing from Laventille in Trinidad), I was
with my brother Norman in 1981. They were performing at
the Birmingham
Odeon, as part of their UK tour. The
whole audience was transfixed; we were amazed with the
standard and sound of the music. The famed pan
musician Robert Greenidge
(pictured)
gave a
great performance with Taj Mahal. This was the first
time I had seen a steelpan soloist in action. This
performance changed my life. I knew there and then, that
I would become a professional steelpan solo performer.
My brother and I bought the two albums by Desperadoes
and Taj Mahal at the end of the show. Once home we began to
learn the full musical arrangements including the solos. I
recall spending hours upon hours at my parents’ house
playing these records over and over, trying to work out
Robert Greenidge’s pan solos. We also adapted some of the
Clive Bradley arrangements for our own Birmingham-based
Maestro Steel band led by my brother Norman Stewart.
l-r: Mighty Jamma and brother Norman, with Lord Sam -
London’s first Soca DJ |
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Norman Stewart as Desperadoes player on panorama night -
Saturday February 21, 2009 |
Our passion for the steel pan continued to grow and we
started following the Trinidad steelbands very closely.
Even
though it was difficult to get audio recordings of the bands
we managed to acquire a few. One of the albums that is
still very memorable for me is the great classic “Pan In
Honey.” Famous tracks many people
know and love from Desperadoes include: Lord Kitchener’s “Pan In Harmony”
arranged by the late master arranger Clive Bradley; their panorama piece
“Ah Goin’ an Party Tonight” - not only arranged, but also
composed by Bradley (1982), and sung by Calypsonian Lord
Nelson, and; the monster winning arrangement of Clive
Bradley’s “Rebecca” sung by “Super Blue,” that gave Despers another Panorama victory in 1983
- most
definitely a true masterpiece.
1986 was the first year that Norman and I visited
Trinidad & Tobago - the land of Pan. This was a great year
with the hit song by David Rudder “The Hammer” (this song
was dedicated to the late great Rudolph Charles, the General
of Desperadoes, who sadly had passed away 1985). Both
Desperadoes and Trinidad All Stars played “The Hammer” that
year, but it was Leon “Smooth” Edward’s arrangement for Neal
and Massy Trinidad All Stars that swept the whole Savannah
and the judges off their feet - gaining another panorama
victory for the band.
In 1986 Trinidad All Stars visited England as part of
the Caribbean Focus Tour. For their Birmingham show,
Maestros Steel band was privileged to be the guest artiste. That was how I made contact with world-renowned soloist and
arranger Yohan Popwell. On my return visits to Trinidad I
would stay with Yohan; and this was like paradise for me,
because Yohan’s house was central to both bands, All Stars
and Despers. We recall late one night when Norman, Yohan and
I were sitting outside talking, and could hear three of the
top bands in the world - Desperadoes, Trinidad All Stars,
and Renegades – practicing, depending on which way the wind
was blowing. This was really amazing: to hear the sound of
live pan being blown by the wind. That is why Trinidad is
definitely the home of the Steelband, because to have three
great bands with over 120 members per band rehearsing in the
open so close to each other and no complaints from any of
the residents - this really is amazing.
Veteran musician Dennis “Tash” Ash,
one of the ‘original’ Desperadoes |
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At practice with Despers |
The great thing is that steelband accommodates all the
generations of the community; from great grandparents to
grandchildren. How many opportunities are there in life for
intergenerational activities? Where else can young and old
learn, create, and enjoy the same activity, and have mutual
enjoyment, side by side? This provides a positive
environment for youngsters and, at the same time, gives a
common goal to work towards.
This year - almost 20 years after Norman and I first saw
Desperadoes in Birmingham - I was in Trinidad again,
this time travelling with Norman, and friends from the UK. Norman played double seconds with Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra - a long-awaited dream come true. Most of my time,
I spent with Desperadoes. It seemed that anywhere I went; I
ended up back with Desperadoes. Robert Greenidge’s
arrangement of “Pan Redemption” was great, and the band was
welcoming and full of love. It was a real pleasure to be
with the band for the whole season.
The amount of dedication that is put into perfecting the
music can only be described as pure love and commitment. Rehearsals would start around 7:00 p.m., finishing about
3:00 the following morning. This was the regime every night
for the two weeks we were there. What is even more amazing
is that the players are so accustomed to the Carnival
practice routine - they still got up to go to work and
school and made it in on time!
Members of Desperadoes practice for panorama 2009 |
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At practice with Despers |
The Pan Yard vibes were great with food and drink served
all night - and of course with sweet, sweet pan music. Every
player and section of the band was tested on how well they
knew the music and only the best were chosen for the final
night’s performance. This was quite a hard job for the
management and section leaders. In total there were about
180 members all working hard to make the final performance,
but the band could only have a maximum of 100 players on
final night.
Desperadoes on Panorama night, 2009 |
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Desperadoes on Panorama night, 2009 |
Eventual winners Silver Stars Steel Orchestra is one of
the oldest bands in Trinidad, and gladly claimed their
panorama victory for 2009 performing “First in Line.” Len
“Boogsie” Sharpe’s band Phase II Pan Groove placed second
with “Magic Drum,” and Trinidad All Stars were third playing
Leon “Smooth” Edward’s arrangement of “Pan Rivalry.” Robert
Greenidge’s arrangement of “Pan Redemption” put Desperadoes
in fourth position. These were the top four steel orchestras
in the ‘large conventional band’ category for 2009.
It was also a great pleasure to witness my friend Yohan
Popwell gain yet another panorama victory in the ‘medium’
steel orchestra category with his band, CLICO Sforzata ,
performing his arrangement of “Bandoleros.”
I and my brother Norman would like to thank the
management team and entire family of Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra for making Carnival 2009 such a great experiences
for both of us; and of course not forgetting our wonderful
hosts, Yohan Popwell and his family.
Sforzata winning arranger and good friend, Yohan Popwell
(l); Mighty Jamma (c), and veteran Desperadoes ace musician
“Pinky” (r) |
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Mighty Jamma (l), with world-renowned arranger for
Trinidad All Stars,
Leon “Smooth” Edwards (r) |
To see more pictures and hear live audio samples
please visit:
www.jammasteelpan.net/trinidad09.htm
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