Web Posted - Friday May 26, 2023
Toronto.com

Mas bands, steelpan and calypso performers want more government support

‘We have become a team’: Toronto Caribbean carnival producers join management board to help festival thrive

Toronto, Canada - ....For years, there’s been tension between masquerade bands, steelpan and calypso performers who produce the festival and the Festival Management Committee [FMC] which runs it.

Adding stakeholders to FMC as directors earlier this year has taken the tension away, presidents of the stakeholder groups said recently.

“We have become a team,” Terrence Wilson, president of the Ontario Steelpan Association said in an interview.

....Wilson, who became the steelpan community group’s president in 2018, said its foremost need is a home.

“Right now, it’s my house; we don’t have a set address,” and after summer, most pan bands must pay for storage, he said.
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 24, 2023
Trinidad Express Newspapers

Arnold did a fantastic job

Tributes at funeral for former Pan Trinbago president

Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The man, the music, the legend–that is how family, friends and members of the pan fraternity described former Pan Trinbago president Louis Patrick Arnold at his funeral service held in Tobago yesterday.

Arnold, who died on May 9, had been suffering with dementia for some years.

He died at age 84.

In a beautiful home-going ceremony held at the St Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Bacolet, Tobago, yesterday, maxi loads of people from both Trinidad and Tobago gathered to celebrate the man who they said gave his life to local culture, especially to the development of the pan.
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 24, 2023
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

2 major steelpan events dedicated to Patrick Arnold

A portrait of former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold rests on his coffin during a procession along Robinson Street before his funeral at Scarborough RC Church on Tuesday
A portrait of former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold rests on his coffin during a procession along Robinson Street before his funeral at Scarborough RC Church on Tuesday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Two major steelpan events – Pan in the 21st Century and Pan Down Memory Lane – are being dedicated to late Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold.

And bands participating in both events will compete for the Patrick Arnold challenge trophy, Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore announced on Tuesday while delivering a tribute during Arnold’s funeral at the St Joseph RC Church, Bacolet, Tobago.

....He was the founder and manager of the small, Scarborough-based conventional band, Our Boys.
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Web Posted - Tuesday May 23, 2023
Luton Today

Luton International Carnival: route revealed as town gets ready to party this weekend

The Carnival will take place on Sunday

Luton Carnival 2022
Luton Carnival 2022

Luton, England, U.K. - The Luton International Carnival procession route has been released as excitement builds for the annual festivities.

The carnival, which will take place on Sunday (May 28), will begin with pre-parade family entertainment at the Town Hall, Steel Pan Area. The Cardinal Newman School Steel Band and Urban Fox Orchestra Steel Band will be performing at intervals from 12noon to 2pm when the parade arrives.
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Web Posted - Tuesday May 23, 2023
Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser

A decade of Saltire Steel: Clackmannanshire band celebrates ten years

Saltire Steel
Saltire Steel

Clackmannanshire, Scotland, U.K. - Established in 2013, the Saltire Steelband is one of only two bands in Scotland playing Trinidadian steel pans.

To celebrate a decade of performing, Saltire Steel has signed on to perform at the Alva Fun Day this Saturday and also Music in the Park in Menstrie the following Saturday.

Linda Fraser, chair of Saltire Steel, is excited to mark the anniversary with two gigs in her home of Clackmannanshire.
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Web Posted - Monday May 22, 2023
Daily Independent

Church hosts steelband, dinner

The Rhythm is Life steelband
The Rhythm is Life steelband

Arizona, USA - Lakeview United Methodist Church, 10298 W. Thunderbird Blvd., is hosting a concert featuring the steel drum band Rhythm is Life 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in the Worship Center.

There will be a free-will offering and no reservations are needed.

The Rhythm is Life steel band began in Phoenix in 2005 as a learning lab for music teachers, using steel drums or pans.
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Web Posted - Monday May 22, 2023
Vancouver Is Awesome

The Polygon celebrates new book as it bids farewell to As We Rise exhibition

The Trinidad Moonlighters performed

The Trinidad Moonlighters performed at the exhibition’s closing event May 21.
The Trinidad Moonlighters performed at the exhibition’s closing event May 21.

North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - On Sunday afternoon crowds gathered at The Polygon to bid farewell to a photographic exhibition that celebrated Black life, with free-flowing wine, plenty of food and a performance from steelpan band The Trinidad Moonlighters.

The steelband is at the centre of a new publication to be launched by the gallery: Parallels 03: The Moonlighters, a vibrant booklet featuring texts by writer, urban and human geographer Joy Russell that delves into the origin and history of the group of musicians that thrived on the North Shore in the 70s and 80s.

....Written like a poetic essay, the booklet traverses the band’s history with colourful detail. It describes how the Trinidad Moonlighters Steel Band had started in Vancouver in 1958, comprising students from Trinidad who were in town to study at the University of British Columbia.

....On Sunday, the band, made up of all of its original members, played for a crowd together for the first time in over ten years.
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Web Posted - Sunday May 21, 2023
Morning Star

‘Steelpan had a stigma and was considered an instrument from the ghetto’

Chris Searle interviews master of the jazz steelpan LEON FOSTER THOMAS on the release of his album Calasanitus

‘Steel pan had a stigma and was considered an instrument from the ghetto’

England, U.K. -  Musical snobbery has often consigned the beauty and melodism of steel pan as a lower form of musical instrument, and pan jazz virtuoso Leon Foster Thomas, born in San Fernando, Trinidad, the centre of the oil workers’ trade union, has faced such racist and class bigotry all his musical life.

“Steel pan had a stigma and was considered an instrument from the ghetto. People associated with pan weren’t considered model citizens and women weren’t allowed to play pan.

“I’ve never really thought about it, but if I had to put it into words, I consider steel pan a symbol of my roots, my deep, deep African roots.”
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Web Posted - Saturday May 20, 2023
Trinidad Express Newspapers

Tributes in pan and song for Arnold

Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Late former Patrick Arnold president Patrick Arnold, 84, was on Thursday night remembered for revolutionising the steelpan industry. He died at the Scarborough General Hospital on May 10.

The 2023 edition of Pan in the 21st Century has also been dedicated to Arnold.

....Ace panist Len “Boogsie” Sharpe played the double seconds pan, and hailed Arnold as “a great man”. Entertainment was provided by Proman Starlift, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra and veteran icon SuperBlue (Austin Lyons’). Point Fortin resident Joseph Lett played a gospel medley..
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Web Posted - Saturday May 20, 2023
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Pan Trinbago President: We will complete headquarters on our own

PLAYING ONE FOR PATRICK: Members of Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra play a song in tribute to former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold at the Grand Stand, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Thursday evening.
Playing on for Patrick: Members of Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra play a song in tribute to former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Thursday evening.

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan Trinbago head Beverley Ramsey-Moore said the organisation, along with the pan fraternity, will be building its headquarters on its own. She made the statement at a tribute service for former president Patrick Arnold at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday.

Ramsey-Moore said land was given to Pan Trinbago for construction of a headquarters over 20 years ago, but there was no formal agreement between Udecott and the then Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts.
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Web Posted - Thursday May 18, 2023
Soca News

Metronomes Steel Orchestra celebrates 50 years of musical brilliance

Metronomes Steel Orchestra
Metronomes Steel Orchestra

London, United Kingdom - Metronomes Steel Orchestra, one of the most renowned steelbands in the United Kingdom, was formed in 1973 by Irvin Corridan and Phil Dubique. ‘Metro’ has developed into an integral part of the Caribbean community in West London; its 50th anniversary is the ideal time to examine the indelible influence the group has had on local society, since its conception.

....From its inception, Metronomes has been dedicated to supporting disadvantaged members of society. Today, they run multiple projects designed to improve the lives of local people and promote Caribbean heritage.

....On 2 June, Metronomes will be celebrating its golden anniversary of musical brilliance and community development, with a concert at The Tabernacle, Powis Square, London W11 2AY.
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Web Posted - Monday May 15, 2023
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Kangaloo: Relationships with mothers are lifelong

President hosts first public event - organized by Renegades Steel Orchestra

President Christine Kangaloo, her husband, Kerwyn Garcia, and his god daughter Ife Mayers, grand daughter of the late Richard “Nappy” Mayers, enjoy the music at the Mother’s Day concert at the band stand of President’s House on Sunday. The event was hosted by the President and produced by BP Renegades.
President Christine Kangaloo ( left)

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - President Christine Kangaloo said relationships formed with our mothers remain among the strongest and most durable relationships in our lives. She asked those present at the Mother’s Day concert in the Garden to build meaningful and enduring relationships between the wider society and the Presidency.

....The event was the first public one Kangaloo hosted since her inauguration. She said it was not accidental that it was held at the Bandstand on the grounds of President’s House, nor that it was prepared, arranged, and organized by the BP Renegades Steel Orchestra.
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Web Posted - Monday May 15, 2023
UNF Newsroom

UNF graduate keeping steelpan alive in Florida

Shaun Bennett playing the steelpan
Shaun Bennett playing the steelpa

Florida, USA - University of North Florida graduate Shaun Bennett’s passion for music started when he was a child. It has served him well throughout his studies and professional career as a musician and elementary school music teacher.

Bennett, who received a UNF master’s degree in music education earlier this month, was also honored in January with the 2023 Florida Music Education Association’s (FMEA) Exemplary Music Program Award for his work with the steel band at Otis A. Mason Elementary School in St. Augustine. The achievement marked a prestigious milestone for Bennett and the steel band community, as it’s the first time a steel band program was honored by the FMEA in a major category.

....Bennett expressed that his instrument of choice, the steel pan (commonly referred to as a steel drum), is often viewed as a novelty in some academic and professional circles.
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Web Posted -- Monday May 15, 2023
Fox 56

Steel drum pop-up concert in Scranton

The Electric City Steel Drum Project
The Electric City Steel Drum Project

Pennsylvania, USA - The Electric City Steel Drum Project taking place at the marketplace at Steamtown on Friday.

This is a non-profit project established back in 2019 to bring free music lessons to youth.

The University of Scranton’s Steel Drum band teamed up with the project to bring a pop-up concert this year.
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Web Posted - Monday May 15, 2023
Spectrum News 1

Creekside School’s steel drum band to play at Lilac Festival

Creekside School’s steel drum band
Creekside School’s steel drum band

New York, USA - The live music scene at the Lilac Festival is an eclectic mix of national artists, Rochester area bands and a chance for local students to take center stage. A special ensemble of students from Creekside School will be performing the soothing sounds of steel drums.

....Yamir Strong is one of only seven students in the Creekside steel drum band. They all auditioned for the super popular program. He says he’s a better student because of it.

“Music is kind of like my therapy,” Strong said. “I go through a lot and music really calms me down and motivates me. It makes my emotions or makes me speak my emotions better too. Music is everything to me.”
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Web Posted - Sunday May 14, 2023
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Patrick Arnold remembered for contribution to steelband movement

Former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold
Former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold is being remembered as a man who changed the face and fate of pan and its players.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts as well as the United National Congress (UNC) extended deepest sympathies to Arnold’s family.

Pan Trinbago’s vice president Keith Simpson told Sunday Newsday players who are being paid for their talent today, owe it all to Arnold.

...Under Arnold’s leadership, Simpson said, he introduced Pan in the 21st Century and Pan Down Memory Lane.

He also sought to separate the bands into small, medium and large categories, as the smaller and medium bands did not stand a chance competing against big bands like Renegades, All Stars and Desperadoes.
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Web Posted - Sunday May 14, 2023
When Steel Talks

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Steelpan & Steelband Music Moms

Global - Happy Mother’s Day to all the Steelpan & Steelband Music Moms, all over the world!
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Web Posted - Saturday May 13, 2023
The Voice

Junior Jazz Launches with Unveiling of New Amphitheatre for Serenity Park

Saint Lucia, W.I. - Saint Lucia’s Youth and their Creative Arts took front-and-center stage at Saint Lucia’s three-decades-old Jazz and Arts Festival on Thursday and Friday, with explosive performances live-streamed from Castries to the rest of the island and broadcast from Serenity Park to Saint Lucians at home and abroad, throughout the Caribbean and the world, through 88 radio stations.

....Jazzy and spicy local, Caribbean and international renditions were also tendered through drum solos by Jaleel Vigilant and Anwar, a Steel Band (pan) performance by a group representing the Patricia James Secondary School, plus other school-based student performances by Abigail Lesfloris, St. Mary’s College (SMC) Steel-Pan band, a Spoken Word by Kina, the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School (LHCSS) Song by Venus and Unplugged by the St. Joseph Convent (SJC).
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Web Posted - Saturday May 13, 2023
The Daily Observer

Antigua Grammar School drum their way to success in pan contest

Antigua Grammar School (AGS) panists
Antigua Grammar School (AGS) panists

Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - The Antigua Grammar School (AGS) walked away with the top prize for the 2023 British High Commission’s Commonwealth Day Pan Playoff.

Government House came alive yesterday with the vibrant sound of steel pan music as the entries for the competition serenaded the audience to celebrate Commonwealth Day 2023, as part of a parade and ceremony organised by the office of the Governor General.

....The students were presented with medals and certificates during Monday’s commemorative ceremony. AGS, AGHS and PMS will be presented with school equipment valued at $1,500, $1,000 and $700 respectively, at a later date.
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Web Posted - Friday May 12, 2023
Live Music Project

UW Percussion Ensemble & UW Steelband: 2023 Percussion Bash

The UW steelband performs at an Earth Day celebration in Red Square
The UW steelband performs at an Earth Day celebration in Red Square

Washington, USA - The UW Percussion Ensemble performs brand new music for percussion written by UW student composers and ensemble members. The group presents the world premiere performances of They Named Her Hurricane by DXARTS PhD student Chari Glogovac-Smith; Your Turn: A Family Game by UW MM percussion student/composition student Melissa Wang; and 41 Marimba by UW BM composition/percussion student Ryan Baker.

....The UW steelband was founded by Ray Holman, who served as Visiting Artist at the UW School of Music from 1998 to 2000.
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Web Posted - Friday May 12, 2023
The Seattle Times

Music education is key contributor to academic achievement

by Gary Gibson

Hundreds of parents and students recently protested cuts in arts and special education programs at the Edmonds School District board meeting. The district has to cut its budget by almost $12 million.
Hundreds of parents and students recently protested cuts in arts and special education programs at the Edmonds School District board meeting. The district has to cut its budget by almost $12 million.

Washington, USA - As the Seattle Times recently reported, school districts across our region are proposing deep cuts to music and other arts programming. These cuts would be foolhardy, and mountains of research exists to show why.

Study after study shows that students who participate in school music outperform their nonmusical counterparts in math, sciences and English. In one Canadian study conducted by the University of British Columbia involving 100,000 students, this was true even after researchers controlled for such things as gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status.

....(Gary Gibson is founder and Executive and Artistic Director of Steel Magic Northwest, a non-profit providing after-school steelband to youth in Edmonds and Kent, and adult community steelband in Edmonds.)
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Web Posted - Thursday May 11, 2023
VirginiaBeach.gov

Fall in Love to the Rhythm of a Steel Drum Band at the Oceanfront this Weekend

World-class performers are putting on a spectacular show of Caribbean music at the 24th Street Stage

Virginia International PANFestival

Virginia, USA - This weekend’s Virginia International PANFestival will bring a celebration of steel drum beats that to the resort area this weekend. Head to the 24th Street Stage Friday and Saturday for a mass band/ensemble song workshop and ensemble performances.

The Jesse Chong Band will open Friday at 6 p.m. followed by headliners, the Hells Gate Steel Orchestra at 8 p.m. Jonathan Scales Fourchestra will open at 7 p.m. on Saturday, again followed by headliners the Hells Gate Steel Orchestra at 8:30 p.m.
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Web Posted - Thursday May 11, 2023
When Steel Talks

Former Pan Trinbago president and panist Patrick Arnold has passed

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Former Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold passed on Wednesday May 10, 2023. He was eighty-four years old.

At the time of his death he was at a nursing home located in Tobago.
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wavy.com

The Rhythm Project enriches students lives through steelpan

Junior-Stars - The Rhythm Project
Junior-Stars - The Rhythm Project

Virginia, USA - ....The Rhythm Project is a community engagement program with the Virginia Arts Festival. It began in Portsmouth in 1996. Since then, it expanded in Hampton Roads, and now runs in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth schools where students are taught Caribbean steel drums.

The program is possible in schools through the Virginia Arts Festival, grants, and school partnerships. Director Dave Longfellow has been in his role since 2014. He says the program enriches students’ lives. It helps with their self-esteem, offers structure, and more.

....(Watch the full Community Chat available via the video player in the rest of the article.)
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 10, 2023
The Daily Herald

Junior Calypso, Road March and Steelpan winners receive prizes

Participants in the competition pose for a photo during the ceremony on Friday.
Participants in the competition pose for a photo during the ceremony on Friday

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, W.I. - The 2023 Calypso Barbara Junior Calypso and Road March Competition and the Dow Musical Foundation Interscholastic Steelpan Competition closed off with a prize-giving ceremony on Friday, May 5.

....The first-ever St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation Calypso Barbara Junior Calypso and Road March Competition was held on April 9 at the St. Maarten Harbour along with the Dow Musical Foundation Interscholastic Steelpan Competition. Both events were organised by steelpan legend and renowned king of calypso, Isidore “the Mighty Dow” York.

....Winners of the Dow Musical Foundation Interscholastic Steelpan Competition, the Leonald Conner School B’s, along with runners-up St. Dominic School Melodies and the Sister Borgia School Group eight Pan Vibes received their respective gold, silver and bronze medals. Their stellar performances also guaranteed a monetary gift for their school. This gift will be provided to their school manager during this week.
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 10, 2023
 NBC Right Now

Building Blocks of the Future: Tri-Cities Steel Band Association

“Music is a universal language”

Tri-Cities Steel Band Association
Tri-Cities Steel Band Association

Tri-Cities, Washington, USA - The Tri-Cities Steel Band Association is a non-profit organization promoting world music through education and music performance. Kyle Caldwell is a director from TCSBA and says music can be spoken across all cultures, no matter what language you speak.

....TCSBA has two steel drum bands and two marimba bands that perform music from Trinidadian culture and African cultures as well as rock and classical.
See video


Web Posted - Tuesday May 9, 2023
Waynesville R-VI School District

Waynesville Steel Bands

Waynesville Steel Bands
Steel Magic Northwest

Missouri, USA - During the Festival of Nations, Waynesville Steel Bands had their premiere performance. After only about two weeks of having the new instruments, purchased through the AYPYN (Army Youth Programs In Your Neighborhood) grant, the Wind Ensemble Steel Band and the After School Steel Band each performed one tune: Clearing by CJ Menge and Kiwi by CJ Menge.

The Wind Ensemble Steel Band is comprised of the percussion section from the top auditioned concert band at WHS, while the after school steel band is open to any high school instrumentalists, as well as any middle schooler in the Advanced Percussion Ensemble.
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Web Posted - Monday May 8, 2023
Music Connection

Layering Magic! Andy Narell & Steel Pans

Layering Magic! Andy Narell & Steel Pans

Global - Every once in a while, a new virtual instrument comes along that captures its subject so well, it becomes the new benchmark. Such is the case with Andy Narell Steel Pans — The Ellie Mannette Collection. Watch steel pan master Andy Narell as he layers the Andy Narell Steel Pans - The Ellie Mannette Collection with Spectrasonics Omnisphere and Keyscape to create a unique and captivating musical experience.
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Web Posted - Sunday May 7, 2023
Edmonds Center for the Arts

“Here Comes the Sun” Steelband Concert - June 11

Steel Magic Northwest
Steel Magic Northwest

Washington, USA - The Steel Magic Northwest presents their annual “Here Comes the Sun” steelband concert, featuring the nationally renown “Pan Wizards Steel Orchestra” among their youth groups. The program is diverse, including classical, calypso, pop, samba, ska, and other music styles that appeal to every generation!
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Web Posted - Saturday May 6, 2023
NY Daily News

‘Caldera’ made a path for steelpan music in America

With live pan playing in his Brooklyn backyard, “Caldera” Caraballo (center) hosted friends and family members on Labor Day Monday in 2015
With live pan playing in his Brooklyn backyard, “Caldera” Caraballo (center) hosted friends and family members on Labor Day Monday in 2015

New York, USA - During last month’s funeral service for Trinidad and Tobago-born steelpan musician Reynold Juan “Caldera” Caraballo at Brooklyn’s St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise Parish, longtime West Indian American Day Carnival Association member Angela Sealy expressed her gratitude to Caldera’s widow, Louise, for her support through Caldera’s decades-long crusade for steel pan.

....A devoted family man, Caldera was also recalled as a staunch devotee of the steelpan (or steel drum) — which was once associated with hooligans but rose to the revered status of Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument.
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Web Posted - Saturday May 6, 2023
Soca News

The day the King revealed his love of Carnival and Caribbean culture

London, England - Notting Hill Carnival organisers, masqueraders and steelpan players were able to get a preview of the new king’s style when Charles, then Prince of Wales, visited The Tabernacle in Powis Square on 13 July 2022, eight days before the official launch of Notting Hill Carnival and less than two months before he became king.

His Majesty the King has long been a staunch supporter of Carnival since the mid-70s, even writing the foreword to the official NHC magazine in the 1980s. He has had extensive contact with Caribbean culture and music on numerous royal visits and at other events in the UK and abroad, so his visit to Carnival Village was entirely in character.
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Web Posted - Wednesday May 3, 2023
Wavy.com

Virginia International PANFest coming to Virginia Beach

Virginia, USA - The Virginia Beach International PANFest is coming to Virginia Beach.

All ensembles have the opportunity to perform in our Virginia International PANFest competition which is free and open to the public.

There will be live performances that will feature 10-20 minutes of steel bands across the U.S.
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Web Posted - Sunday April 30, 2023
When Steel Talks

“Echophone” steelpan made by Herman “Rock” Johnston

Herman Johnston, who developed the Echophone steelpan
Herman Johnston, who developed the Echophone steelpan

Florida, USA - On Monday (April 30, 2001) Mr. Johnston, who moved his family to Spring Hill from New York 12 years ago, died at home after a four-year battle with prostate cancer.

....The former body builder-turned-steel-drum-band-leader gained international acclaim in the early 1960s after coming up with an innovation that stretched the instrument’s musical range from 24 to 36 notes - the Echophone steelpan.
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Web Posted - Friday April 28, 2023
When Steel Talks

Legendary panist Robert Greenidge speaks on the Rudolph Charles version and origin of the Triple-Second steelpan

Robert Greenidge with his Triple-second
Robert Greenidge with his Triple-second

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The triple-second was never featured in Desperadoes Steel Orchestra. Nevertheless, it is one of the signature voices and achievements of the late, great Rudolph Charles. The instrument was a personal favorite of the late, great Grammy award-winner Ralph MacDonald. It was featured often with Robert Greenidge playing it on MacDonald’s albums..
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Web Posted
When Steel Talks

Complete Summary of Results of all Conventional Steel Orchestras - 2023 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama

Summary of Results of all Conventional Steel Orchestras - 2023 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - At a glance and on a single page, access the comprehensive summary of results for the Small, Medium and Large conventional steel orchestras that participated in their respective categories in the 2023 Panorama.

Follow the musical journey of respective bands through all three phases - compare side-by-side preliminaries, semi-finals and finals through data on band info, scores, tunes of choice and arrangers - on one page.
access full summary


When Steel Talks

Facebook got it wrong - Meta World and WST & SteelPan Are Friends Again

Facebook “Likes” sends PanOnTheNet Apology - “We got it wrong”

Metaverse - Facebook got it wrong. About three years ago without warning or reason all WST (When Steel Talks) steelpan-related accounts fell out of favor with the social media giant Facebook now known as Meta and its aligned consortiums (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). Because WST has all of our material hosted on our own shared servers, this ‘tag’ was not incurable or as problematic as it could have been. However, it was annoying to have people seeking critical steelpan music info diverted by Facebook AI (artificial intelligence).
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Web Posted
When Steel Talks

Technology Giant “Google” Celebrates the steelpan instrument via Google Doodle

Celebrating Steelpan - Illustration by artist Nicholas Huggins

Doodle of steelpan instrument ‘live’ on Google’s web site
Doodle of steelpan instrument ‘live’ on Google’s web site

Global - On Tuesday July 26, 2022 the steelpan instrument of Trinidad and Tobago is featured and celebrated on the site of technology giant “Google” via the famed Google ‘Doodle.’ The ‘Doodle’ is essentially an illustrative change made to the Google corporate logo “to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists” - and more. The doodle is then seen by users all around the world who access Google’s homepage on that day, and is available thereafter in the doodle archives.

....Trinidad and Tobago-based artist Nicholas Huggins is the creator of the illustrative artwork featured in the doodle, while Etienne Charles is the composer of the accompanying music performed by the legendary steelpan icon Len “Boogsie” Sharpe.
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