CASYM at the Gospelypso concert
New York -
The old
adage of
‘if you
can make it
in New York,
you can make
it anywhere’
was in full
effect this
weekend. The USSA
(United
States
Steelband
Association) -sponsored
New York concert
named “GOSPELYPSO”
was
simply great.
In ‘the city
that never
sleeps’ and
which is known as
the
entertainment
capital of
the world -
the New York
steelpan
community
put on a
show that
was worthy
of taking
attention
away from
its regular
competition
- the
Yankees, Knicks, Broadway, Lincoln
Center and
much, much
more.
The event
featured
eight New
York-area steel
orchestras - Sesame Flyers, Despers USA, CrossFire, Pan Ambassadors, Pantonic, CASYM, Utopia
Pan Soul: the Next Generation and Pan Sonatas - and was
held at
the George Wingate Campus Auditorium in
Brooklyn.
Pan and the Gospel Experience
Gospelypso is a very powerful piece of art and culture. It is music, theater, drama and storytelling, all done collectively through the performances of the New York steelpan players. Their facial expressions, dance, musical phrasing, style, timing, mannerisms, attire and interaction with fellow performers on stage, and their musicianship - they utilized all to communicate their own interpretation of each compelling musical tale as it unfolded. It is a story and a method that have been handed down generation upon generation, with each new one adding yet another chapter, line by line to this fantastic artistic tapestry.
Pantonic at the Gospelypso concert
Gospelypso should be on Broadway six times a week. It belongs on tour in Europe, it should be in the Caribbean, it should be in Africa. It should travel the world over. It is a global theme with massive historical significance. But Gospelypso, ultimately belongs right where it was performed - in Brooklyn, New York. It is their story. It is about the ability to find sanctuary, sanity, happiness and peace in the midst of total madness.
The musical interpretations and visual performances in this production encapsulate the hopes and dreams, salvation and redemption of a people. Gospelypso is like true traditional African art - never meant to be merely hung in a museum, but instead must serve useful purposes for those who come in contact with it, or make use of it.
The Real Deal
From CrossFire’s execution of “Total Praise” - which When Steel Talks defined as a ‘pore-raising experience,’ to Sesame Flyers’ uplifting rendition of well-known Caribbean songster David Rudder’s “High Mas,” to Pantonic’s soulful interpretation of pop icon Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” through Utopia Pan Soul’s earthy Shango Baptist-laced “I Have a Sword,” then onto CASYM’s scared deliverance of Handel’s “Hallelujah
Chorus” from “Messiah,” to Pan Ambassadors’ declaration of determination in the Bee Gees disco classic “Stayin’ Alive,” and of course Despers USA’s mesmerizing version of “Hear, Oh Lord,” with no less importance in Sonatas’ jubilant exaltation in a panorama format of André White’s “Wild and Free” - ‘Gospelypso’ - is the fantastic ongoing journey and story of a people, their dreams, failures, struggles and triumphs.
Regardless of what the promoters and creators originally envisioned - and they must be complimented for embarking on this venture - the show is a celebration of the panman’s life experience through the gospel/calypso music theme or scenario. This production is unique and special in that it must be viewed from the totality of all the participants to get the full story. Furthermore, each performer must bring his/her unique chapter for this book on life to be complete, and by concert’s end - this was indeed so.
Sesame Flyers at the Gospelypso concert
Self-evaluation, affirmation, validation
and confirmation
Indeed, the
audience is compelled to share the inner joy
and/or pain of the steelpan player through
his/her sometimes ecclesiastical but always
spiritual experiences and journey in this
production. Humorous, haunting,
sophisticated, despairing, simple, sad, but
in the end always hopeful and forgiving,
were the ‘colors’ of thread used by the
eight performing groups over a total of two
hours of performing time. It is the
same voice of expression that was taught to
him/her, the pan performer, by their
predecessors and through which their
Ancestors, continue to speak.
The “Gospelypso” experience allows the pan player - and by extension, the audience - to reaffirm his/her humanity and highlight his/her struggles as an individual and in a group, through the musical nuances and musical DNA of their Ancestors.
Pan Ambassadors at the Gospelypso concert
One of the fascinating aspects of this concert was that it tracked and illuminated the pan man’s religious music revival experience and influences - almost from the time the first Africans landed in the Western Hemisphere. Religion and spirituality have always been and continue to be, a major aspect in the life of a society, particularly that of people of African descent. So it was no surprise that the music performed at the concert was like a map of the steelpan players’ religious and social experiences and travels in the Americas. Jazz, blues, classical, Funk, Waltz, Hymnal, Salsa, Soul, Country and Western, chutney, R&B, Shango Baptist and Big Drum - are all part of that unique experience.
The groups showcased the unlimited musical diversity of the steel orchestra. Not only did the orchestras bring a special look and feel to the Gospel-themed music arena, they also presented varied styles, interpretations and their unique voices to the genre.
Sonatas at the Gospelypso concert
New York’s great diversity of people still fosters a singularity of identifiable shared experiences, and allows Gospelypso to connect people of mixed backgrounds. This concert works because the performers allow us - the audience - to sit in, share and participate in their self-evaluation, affirmation, validation and confirmation of their greatness.
Our only concern with this production was that it was a one-time engagement. Many people return again and again to experience Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway. “Gospelypso” is like any great book, which invites multiple readings. Let’s do it again. Soon!
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