What the Bands are Playing, and Who’s Arranging

Hell’s Gates Steel Orchestra Wins Antigua & Barbuda 2009 National Panorama Title
Khan Cordice is winning arranger!
 

Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra - the oldest band in Antigua & Barbuda, made history again for 2009 by copping Panorama championship honors, beating out four other competitors. And they did this with the youngest arranger in the competition - Khan Cordice - at their helm. The 2009 Antigua & Barbuda National Panorama was held at Carnival City (aka the Antigua Recreation Grounds), St. John’s, on the penultimate night of July with a large crowd of music lovers in attendance. Five steel orchestras participated in this year’s show - Ebonites, Gemonites, Halcyon, Harmonites and Hell’s Gate. Ebonites performed well-known Antigua calypsonian the Mighty Swallow’s Rudeboy Bacchanal (from 1983), as arranged by Aubrey “Lacu” Samuel.
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Laventille Steelband Foundation is boss
Celebrating the positive

A light shines from the hill

NCF Pan series places focus on youth and communities

A Trinidad and Tobago Philharmonic Orchestra?
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - I recently read an advertisement in the local daily newspapers inviting applications for positions in the Trinidad & Tobago National Philharmonic Orchestra. The ad made a call for nationals who could play oboes, trumpets, saxophones, violins, violas, clarinets etc., to join this orchestra. I was totally confused by this development. My immediate question was....“What do we need a philharmonic orchestra to do?” My next questions were.... “Whose idea was this?” and “what were they thinking?”

For reasons of this article and to encourage further debate on the subject, I will offer my own answers to the questions above. I will also attempt to link the philharmonic orchestra to issues of nationalism, independence and identity of our country and region.
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Pan Fraternity Get Early Bonus Start for August Pan Month
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - ....The Steelband fraternity has always celebrated August as Steelband month in Trinidad and Tobago. But, this year’s celebrations started with a bonus in the middle of July, when on the evening of Thursday, July 16th, 2009, the President of our Republic His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards and Her Excellency Mrs. Jean Ramjohn-Richards, hosted the Executive of Pan Trinbago, and members of the Silver Stars Steelband, the Sforzata Steelband, the Arima Golden Symphony Steelband, the LH Pan Groove Steelband, all winners of the Large, Medium, Small and Traditional Categories for Panorama 2009, together with two representative of the finalist bands coming out of Panorama 2009, to a cocktail reception at the official residence. It was such a lovely way to spend an evening with Pan Men and Pan Women all dressed to impress.

This is the third consecutive year, and the Steelband fraternity is very appreciative, for we see this as His Excellency’s contribution towards raising the bar, giving the pannist a greater sense of value and pride in themselves and the National Instrument.
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Pan Trinbago fights
for Williams Bay land

Desperadoes Steel Orchestra puts spotlight on Laventille Community
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - In 2008, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra hosted a series of community concerts in Laventille, Trinidad, as phase one of its on-going programme in the role of change champions for the community utilizing the medium of music. This is part of the band’s ultimate goal to rehabilitate Laventille. The second stage of events is a series of concerts: “Laventille Will Rise Again” - in recognition of the musical icons of its community - both living, and those who have since passed on.
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Grenada 2009 Steelband Panorama Selections/Arrangers
 

Grenada, W.I. - This is the line up of Steel Orchestras, tunes, and arrangers for both the National Steelband Panorama, and the Junior National Panorama competitions in Grenada, W.I. for 2009. The Junior competition takes place on August 1, while the main Panorama is scheduled for Saturday August 8, 2009 at the National Stadium, St. George's.
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A humiliation of its own making

Condolences to the family and friends of Jay Mckenzie
 

New York, USA - When Steel Talks extends our condolences to the family, fellow pan musicians and friends of Jay Mckenzie of Sesame Flyers Steel Orchestra...

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CSI Steelband Trust appears at the 5th Afrique-Carib Festival
 

Netherlands - After months of planning and laborious work by their pannists, CSI Steelband Trust was ready for their Festival performance in Almere, Netherlands. On Saturday the 4th July 2009 all twenty-four members of CSI arrived at their panyard based in the Ravenscourt Theatre School in Hammersmith, London in the wee hours to load their coach and start their eight hour journey to Holland. Their journey from Hammersmith to Dover was uneventful with everyone catching ‘forty winks’ owing to the early start. Once on the ferry to Calais, France they came alive exploring the duty free shops and restaurants on board. A card game with the loser drinking a glass of water was soon introduced. The journey time elapsed so quickly that they were all surprised that they had reached the French coastline in such a short time. The English Channel was very calm on that morning.
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Chamberlain bridge fails to lift – but sweet sounds of pan play on
 

Barbados - The RBTT Pan in the City got off to a rocky start last night. First, it was shrouded by dark grey skies followed by persistent showers and as Murphy’s Law would dictate, the Chamberlain Bridge failed to open, denying the arrival of a barge – a major aspect of the event.

The Barbados Advocate understands that the bridge was raised last Sunday without incident.

Despite all of this, the show continued and the sweet sounds of pans reverberated off the City structures as Barbadians and visitors came out in their numbers to Independence Square to witness the annual event, featuring local steel orchestras from across the island.
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Pan Revolution
- Women Take Over
 

St. George’s, Grenada, W.I. - "It's a revolution in pan, understand, we woman take over steelband". That's the refrain in the last lines of the chorus of "Pan Revolution" a song that was written in tribute to the vast number of young women who are now playing the steelpan.

The song, composed by Carlyle Roberts and sung by Gia Telesford, will be played by Republic Bank Angel Harps & Rainbow City All Stars in the Junior Panorama Competition and by LIME Commancheros in the 2009 Grenada National Panorama Competition.

Pan Revolution recognises the change in composition of the members of many of today's steel orchestras, not only in Grenada but also in Trinidad, the wider Caribbean, North America and Europe. What was once the domain of mainly male players is now being more and more, dominated by young girls and women. It is common to see more female players in steelbands today than male players.
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BOMB Competition precedes
2009 Grenada Steelband Panorama
Angel Harps come out tops
 

St. George’s, Grenada, W.I. - The Steel Pan was in the spotlight last Saturday as a very exciting weekend of sweet pan music started the build up to Spicemas and Panorama 2009. The 2009 Bomb Tune competition that formed part of the Panorama Launch produced a show of extremely high standard, and an astounding turnout of patrons. The Tivoli Hard Court in St. Andrew’s was the venue that played host to the eight steelbands which will compete in the 2009 Panorama finals on Saturday August 8^th at the country’s National Stadium.

Performing an Andy Chichester arrangement of August Is The Time, Republic Bank Angel Harps came out on top. They were followed by New Dimensions and Rainbow City All Stars, respectively.
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Let’s give panmen more respect
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Leader of the champion steelband in the land, Edwin Pouchet, of the Silver Stars, is calling for “more respect for the panman.” With Edwin, there’s no compromise. The veteran panman also calls for more professionalism and punctuality from panmen themselves. The Buzz agrees. In a fighting mood, Pouchet lashed out at Government bodies who fail to assist pan. He is convinced, like the Buzz, some people really do not like pan, except for at Carnival time, “to wine and jam.”

“But, pan is serious business,” he told The Buzz, pointing to some 35 players practising in the Tragarete Road panyard for an upcoming tour to Caribana, Canada. Edwin, a pan veteran of 41 years, is passionate about respect for the panman. He mentioned one occasion, when, after a they were disrespected, Silver Stars packed up and left the engagement. “We demand respect!” he emphasised. Since the landmark victory of the Silver Stars in this year’s National Panorama competition, he said the band has been busy every weekend.
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Pan in the Communities starts at Skiffle Bunch this Saturday
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Community programme gets going with the first concert at the Skiffle Bunch Panyard on Coffee Street in San Fernando on Saturday. North bands, Witco Desperadoes and Caribbean Airlines Invaders will perform alongside NLCB Fonclair and the hosts, TCL Skiffle Bunch from 7.00 pm.

In his opening remarks at Wednesday’s official launch, Parliamentary Secretary, the Honourable Junia Regrello said the series of performances will run for about six weeks initially and continue based on the success of the concerts. 
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Pan tribute to Michael Jackson
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Michael Jackson connoisseurs have been lapping up his hits like Thriller, Beat It, Dirty Diana and Man In The Mirror on CDs and DVDs. For the July/August vacation, communities will get a taste of the late King of Pop’s repertoire at the Pan In The Community series which was launched yesterday.

Pan Trinbago President Patrick Arnold said, “Steelbands have been asked to play one of his songs in a medley...It is a tribute to Michael Jackson.” The world mourned Jackson after he succumbed to cardiac arrest on June 25.
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All Fired up
 

Vancouver, BC, Canada - As leader of CaneFire, Jeremy Ledbetter has two primary goals.

One is to set the steel drum free. You know, it's the upturned oil drum that has been tuned so it can be hit by mallets. It is the staple of a calypso band.

"Yeah, the kind of cruise ship band," he agrees. "That's a valid criticism to have. Ninety nine point nine per cent of people see it that way."

With Mark Mosca as his steel pan player, Ledbetter has been able to use the drum as a lead instrument, as accompaniment, to incorporate jazz and Latin styles into CaneFire's stylized music and to set calypso free.

"The other reason I formed the band was to break the stereotypes of the steel band, that 'Yellow Bird' and 'Hot Hot Hot' music. We don't play anything straight ahead. We don't play salsa, we don't play reggae. It's all original and a hybrid.".
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Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra taking Pan from Siparia, Trinidad to Ontario, Canada
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra will perform for audiences totaling approximately 40,000 in Canada next month. They will perform at the Barrie Caribbean Festival (Caribfest) and will also be the featured guests at the One World International Drumming Festival. The Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company Limited (T&T Ent) has helped to support the Orchestra’s two-month stay that will include performances and workshop facilitation. 

....The workshop series will include elements of steelpan history, awareness and maintenance, making of the steelpan, steelpan playing techniques, the science of music, performance and steelband arranging.
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STRANDED!
NYC Bands Marooned
2009 Harbor View Festival Steelbands Reign
 

New York, USA - The bake and salt fish (another great Caribbean dish) was simply awesome. Just writing about it - is making me yearn for some more right now. The weather and ambience were spectacular. Location - central Brooklyn, New York outside Utopia Pan Soul - The Next Generation’s panyard. And therein lies the problem. The geographical locator for this story was suppose to say ‘Baltimore, Maryland.’

This year When Steel Talks bummed a ride with part of the New York contingent of steel bands participating in Baltimore’s annual Harbor View Festival. As in the past the event featured groups from the Northeast region of the USA - D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. The groups were competing for the Carlos Lezama Challenge Trophy and the Pan Trinbago People’s Choice Award.
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TT marching steelband takes military world by storm
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The only marching Military Steel Orchestra in the world, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra, is hard at practice preparing for an upcoming visit to Canada for the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands.

Manager and Musical Director of the band, Warrant Officer 2, Robert Tobitt, said the event is like a military tattoo. Other countries expected to take part are Scotland and Switzerland. For the first time a steelband will be providing music for the changing of the guards in Canada.
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Pan in Harmony
produces happy evening
 

Kingston, Jamaica - After many months of training and rehearsing, the Stella Maris Steel Band on Sunday presented its first major concert, Pan in Harmony, at Stella Maris Church, Shortwood Road.

The three-hour-long function, cocktails and intermission included, was an unequivocal success. It was well attended, the 24 items received continual applause and there was a standing ovation at the end.

Apparently, the organisers of the programme foresaw the standing ovation. Twelve pieces were listed in the printed programme for the first half, but only 11 for the second half. When patrons called for more after the ostensibly final item, Pan in Harmony, composed by the famous Trinidadian calypsonian Aldwin 'Lord Kitchener' Roberts, the band quickly served up the 'brawta'. It was A Little More Oil in My Lamp, and it brought the total number of pieces to an even 24.

Members of the 16-strong band - with all but one member, Dwight McBean, being female - looked understandably pleased when the concert ended. As the emcee, Andrew Lawrence, pointed out, the band had been working "extremely hard" in preparation for the concert.
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Maine’s Atlantic Clarion Steel Band - Pan Coalition
 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - When one thinks of the state of Maine in the USA one thinks of shipbuilding, fishing and the sea. The steelpan instrument or a major steelband is not what one would normally associate with the USA’s northernmost state. And yet inexplicably this is exactly what we have in the Atlantic Clarion Steel Band. During the recent Montreal International Steelpan Music Festival, When Steel Talks got to see and hear Atlantic Clarion Steel Band in action as part of the Pan Coalition performing side, of which Atlantic Clarion is a significant portion. The additional members hail from a couple smaller bands also located in Maine.

The Atlantic Clarion Steel Band is indeed a serious music outfit. No ‘straw-hatted men in banana shirts playing “Yellowbird” and “Matilda” on the cruise ship dock’ - as their website give fair warning. No “accommodating” steelband here...
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Steelpan to lift Laventille spirit
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation (LSFF) is taking pan and the community to higher heights by staging two premier events. On Sunday, August 2nd, the foundation is staging the 10th annual edition of its Laventille Steelband Parade, reputed through the years to be the “safest steelband event in the land.” Scheduled to begin at 4 pm, organisers say that at least 32 of the nation’s most popular steel orchestras have pledged their participation.

The impressive roster of participating bands includes 2009 National Panorama winner Silver Stars, 2009 Pan Down Memory Lane champion Angostura Woodbrook Playboyz, Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove, Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars, Witco Desperadoes, bpTT Renegades, Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille, Tokyo, Sagicor Exodus, Solo Pan Knights, Harmonites, Highlanders and many more. The parade, which begins at the corner of the Eastern Main Road and Mc Allister Street, and ends at the corner of Leon Street in Success Village, will be preceded, as is traditional, by a dance segment in front of the House of Angostura on the EMR.
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In pursuit of learning
 

Ohio, USA - Mike Horan has been in Akron, Ohio, for six of the past 14 days hitting pans.

He uses hammers of different weights to hit each note, learning how hard to smack and where on the pan provides the best sound.

It took eight hours each of the first three days for Horan to scratch the surface of how to tune a steel-pan drum.

Horan, 55, is no novice. He’s the music teacher at Kekionga Middle School, which is known for its steel-drum band, and just returned from a nearly two-week trip to Trinidad to learn the history of steel-pan drums and meet the people who make the instrument.

This has all been courtesy of the Lilly Endowment, which awarded Horan an $8,000 Teacher Creativity Fellowship. 
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Salah Wilson:
a Man with a Vision, a Plan and
a Point of Execution
 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - The steelpan music movement - or the world for that matter - has never had a shortage of dreamers and procrastinators who can always find a reason why something ‘cannot happen.’ However, there are a distinct few individuals who consistently buck that notion, by their simple know-how to get things done.

Upon meeting Mr. Wilson you come into the immediate realization that this is one serious hombre. His years of experience in the steelpan music movement have bolstered him with as many years of knowledge, as to what he can reasonably expect from a given situation and more importantly - what it would take to get to the next level. He exhibits those qualities that most successful people have, which are - an expectation for success, a taste of success, and a non-failure option.
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Cuba lavishes praise on two Trinidad and Tobago panmen
 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Deputy Permanent Secretary Vel Lewis of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs today presented Certificates of Appreciation to Ian Clarke and Fitzroy Henry, both members of Pan Trinbago for their contribution to the development of the Cobre Steelband of Cuba. The brief presentation ceremony, chaired by Culture Director Ingrid Ryan-Ruben, took place at the Ministry's Culture Division on Frederick Street in Port of Spain.

Each certificate was accompanied by a Letter of Recognition, signed by Director of Casa del Caribe Orlando Verges Martinez and Director of Cuba's Cobre Steelband Hermes Ramirez Silva. The letters were sent to the Ministry via Cuban Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Sergio Oliva Guerra, on behalf of Casa del Caribe, Cuba.

Clarke and Henry, long standing members of Pan Trinbago, were honoured as they answered the call to a cultural exchange opportunity between Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. The exchange took place under the rubric of art and culture.  
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Steelpan Soloists
Light Up Montréal
 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - The 2009 Summer steelpan music events continue to roll on with a bang. Recently When Steel Talks found itself in Montréal, Quebec, Canada to cover the annual Montreal International Steelpan Festival. Now in its 9th year - the two–day festival is the brainchild of steelpan activist, organizer and educator Salah Wilson. Mr. Wilson, a seasoned steelpan musician and educator is well known for his musical accomplishments and for the championing of musical literacy in the Quebec area. However for this endeavor Mr. Wilson felt it was important to create meaningful performance opportunities that had international significance and impact. Furthermore these performances will enhance the multi-cultural artistic attraction of the city of Montréal.  
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