When Steel Talks

Quick Listen - Tunes for Panorama and Carnival 2014
You Tube Short Takes

Web Posted - Wednesday April 30, 2014
When Steel Talks

“It was like magic”


 

Beijing, China - It was like magic,” said one of the professors at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology after the performance by the Trinidad & Tobago Chinese Steel Ensemble on the evening of Tuesday April 29.

It was the first time that most of the audience, comprised of teaching staff, students and family members were hearing the sound of sweet steel. The professor couldn’t believe the melodious sound coming from an oil drum and wondered if he were listening to a piano.
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Web Posted - Wednesday April 30, 2014
The Southwest Times

Virginia, USA - Unity Christian Church in Radford is planning to capture the spirit of paradise with a Caribbean-style Vesper Celebration, titled “Spiritual Steel.”

“Spiritual Steel” will take place Sunday, May 18 at 4 p.m. at Unity Christian Church. Church member Becky Moore organized the event, along with her fellow ministry team members David Phillips, Brie O’Hara, Janice Cheverton, and Kathy Young.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 29, 2014
The Joplin Globe

Missouri, USA - Island songs and Broadway favorites will be the focus of two weekend concerts.

The Southern Percussion Ensemble will offer their spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, in the Bud Walton Theatre.

....The MSSU Choral Society will present “100 Years of Broadway” during their spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at First Baptist Church, 102 N. Roane Ave., in Webb City.

The choral arrangement will feature 55 Broadway hits from as many different shows.
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Web Posted - Monday April 28, 2014
When Steel Talks

Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology” heard at Playoffs


 

Brooklyn, New York, USA - Pan and soca featured prominently at this past weekend’s NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs action in Brooklyn between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. These were match-ups three and four in a ‘best of seven’ series, with the first two games played on the Raptors’ home court.

Inside the 17,700-plus capacity sold-out Barclays Center Arena, Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology” pulsated throughout the arena toward the end of the first of the two game days - April 25 - as the Brooklyn Nets secured a victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors.
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Web Posted - Monday April 28, 2014
When Steel Talks

Rhode Island, USA - The University of Rhode Island (URI) will present steel pan artist and composer Aaron Abrahamson Cote with his Caribbean Jazz quartet Panoramic View in a free concert on International Jazz Day 2014. The band will feature works composed by Cote, many of which were published by Hillbridge Music in his new book, Sea Breeze.

The Wednesday April 30, 7:30 p.m. concert will be followed one hour later by a hands-on workshop.
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Web Posted - Sunday April 27, 2014
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian

T&T’s pan ‘Liberace’


 

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The names Hugh Borde, Tripoli Steelband and Wladziu “Liberace” Valentino may not be familiar to many young pan musicians, musicians in general or random adults, but to the history of pan, hopefully, they are.

Back in the 1960-80s, then steelband manager Hugh Borde—considered a “mad man to leave his ‘government’ job to go away with a steelband”—and his pan ensemble, Tripoli, were special in the eyes of the First World when we in Trinidad (The Mecca of Pan) couldn’t recognise the beam of light.

....In a video expose named Pan Story produced by Borde and his son, Emile (LA, USA), on the Tripoli-Borde-Liberace experience, a particular post-performance footage shows Liberace introducing a similarly-attired Hugh Borde to the audience when he jokingly tells him, “I have a concern … where do you get your idea from for your ‘costume’?”

Borde, with a huge grin, replies, “as everybody can see … from Liberace!” This special pan icon—Trinidad’s Liberace, Hugh Borde—recently turned 81-years-old.
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Web Posted - Thursday April 24, 2014
When Steel Talks

Global -  Gerry Kangalee is the author of the seminal manuscript titled ‘Out of Pain This Culture was Born’ - which should not only be required reading for anyone involved with the steelpan instrument, but mandatory studying for all Trinidad and Tobago citizens - as it documents not only critical moments in Trinidad and Tobago history - but as important - the Trinidad and Tobago experience. In addition, it should be vital reading for Humanities classes that are part of the core curriculum of leading world universities.

In this exclusive interview with When Steel Talks - writer, editor, researcher, historian, and intellectual and critical thinker Gerry Kangalee shares his thoughts on the creation of "Out of Pain This Culture was Born," the steelpan instrument, culture and more.
click for exclusive interview

Web Posted - Wednesday April 23, 2014
Chicago Sister Cities International

Chicago, USA - From May 5–13, 2014, the Hamburg Committee of CSCI is sponsoring Sullivan High School’s Steel Drum Corps visit to Altona Gymnasium school in Hamburg as part of the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Chicago and Hamburg. Sullivan’s Steel Drum Corps is scheduled to perform at the international Comenius Festival, the Hamburg Harbor Birthday Festival and other venues.

The project is an extension of the German exchange program that has been such a success for both Sullivan High School and Altona Gymnasium in Hamburg. This exchange was suggested and supported by the Hamburg Committee of CSCI. The project focuses on the diversity shared by both schools. Six students and two staff members will be going to Hamburg as part of the Steel Drum Project.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 22, 2014
Saginaw Valley State University

Michigan, USA - Saginaw Valley State University and St. Louis High School will team for a steel drum concert Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in SVSU's Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.

The event will feature members of SVSU's student musical group, SVSU Valley Steel, as well as the St. Louis High School steel band and steel combo. In all, 33 musicians will perform songs such as Richard Berry's "Louie, Louie," Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown," and a medley of Michael Jackson music.
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Web Posted - Monday April 21, 2014
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Point Fortin Mayor Clyde Paul says there will be no Borough Day celebrations without T&T’s national instrument, the steelpan. Speaking on Saturday night, Paul adamantly declared that steelpan will remain a permanent fixture of Borough Day celebrations, which officially kick off tomorrow night. Addressing the formal launch of Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations on Saturday evening at Victor Chin Kit Park in Point Fortin, Paul said there are some calling for steelpan to be removed from the annual celebrations.

However he said he will not allow that to happen.
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Web Posted - Monday April 21, 2014
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan Trinbago still owes $2.1 million in prize money and trophies to steel orchestras and participants of the Pan is Beautiful XII national steelband festival, held in November 2013. Now five months since the competition, the participating steel bands intend to meet on Thursday 24 April 2014 to decide on what action they should take against festival organisers. The meeting will be hosted at the pan yard of third-place winners in the Single Pan Bands category, ‘D’ Original Woodbrook Modernaires, who are owed TT$70,000.

Pan Trinbago’s other creditors from the competition include first place winners in the Orchestras’ category, Codrington Pan Family; Golden Hands, winners of the Ensembles category and solo pannist Joshua Jabari Bedeau, who won the Soloists finals. Emond Berkeley, an executive member of the ‘D’ Original Woodbrook Modernaires, explained that it was only after the festival had ended, that “Pan Trinbago people told us that they did not get the money from the ministry.” 
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Web Posted - Sunday April 20, 2014
Trinidad Express Newspapers

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - In his classic Beyond a Boundary, CLR James used cricket as the vehicle for analysing the social environment in T&T including its social stratification.

....Apart from valid concerns about the increasing vulgarity in the mas there was the usual bacchanal and controversy with protests over the results of several competitions. The disputes included the prestigious Band of the Year title which went to a steelband, the popular Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars....While there may be some justification in questioning the criteria used to select a winner, it is still an important victory as it points to some new possibilities for the steelband movement.
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Web Posted - Friday April 18, 2014
When Steel Talks

California, USA - The annual CSULB (California State University, Long Beach) Steel Drum concert Caribbean Extravaganza gives way to a massive steel orchestra on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m. The concert features the CSULB Steel Drum Orchestra during the first half, and after intermission international steel drum virtuoso Andy Narell joins the orchestra, along with local steelband ensembles including the Rusty Steel Drum Band, Lakewood Steel, and groups from Westminster High School, Campbell Hall, Granada Middle School, and Cabrillo High School. More than one hundred steelpan performers will be on stage.

Under the direction of CSULB faculty percussionist Dave Gerhart, the Massive Band will perform music by Lord Kitchener, Dave Gerhart, Frank Zappa, Bob Marley, CJ Menge and Ray Holman.
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Web Posted - Thursday April 17, 2014
The Sunflower

Kansas, USA - Wearing fewer layers, a pair of new, expensive sunglasses, or even just not minding the long walk to your car so much are signs of warmer weather. The sound of steel drums is another indicator that spring is well underway.

Wichita State Steel Band is having its fourth annual steel drum concert, “Pandemonium” next Wednesday to bring the taste of tropics to campus.

....Formed in the ‘70s, Wichita State’s steel band is the second oldest collegiate steel drum program in the nation.

With nationally renowned steel drum players, or “pan” players, WSU graduates Gary Gibson and Joseph Peck have given the steel program legacy and recognition.
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Web Posted - Thursday April 17, 2014
KAPPTV.com

Washington, USA - 26 Richland kids hit the road today for a Western Washington tour with their Steel Drum band, "Kid Calypso".

The band of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be playing music on five stops over the next two days, including McCord Air Force Base, the Snoqualmie Railway Museum, among others.
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Web Posted - Wednesday April 16, 2014
When Steel Talks

Album launch set for May 2014


 

Global - A steel orchestra and trumpet collaboration between Trinidad's Siparia Deltones and world-renowned Hugh Masekela has produced the album “Siparia to Soweto,” now set to launch in May 2014. This trans-Atlantic collaboration between the iconic South African trumpeter and the Petrotrin Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra would first be showcased in a gala ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on May 8^th, to be followed on May 10^th with a concert at the Siparia Deltones Pan Theater, Railway Road, Siparia, in south Trinidad. Collaborating on this project is Trinidad & Tobago's Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism in the role of Executive Producer on the album.
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Web Posted - Wednesday April 16, 2014
When Steel Talks

New York, USA - One of the most fabled of the Trinidadian steelpan exponents transitioning to the New York scene decades ago, Caldera Caraballo, whose exploits included a stint in Harry Belafonte’s touring troupe, will be the focus of attention at the next collaboration of the Trinidad & Tobago Folk Arts Institute and Medgar Evers College’s School of Professional & Community Development on Friday, May 2. The forum reviewing the often trail-blazing career of Caldera Caraballo will take place in the Mary Pinkett Lecture Hall on the Medgar Evers College campus, from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 15, 2014
When Steel Talks

New York, USA - It was a special evening for the youth. It was a great evening for the parents. It was an exceptional evening for the Brooklyn community on this early Spring Day. It was a wonderful evening for Pan. And it was a special evening for Despers USA and Epiphany Lutheran Church. That’s pretty much all you needed to know - end of story. Right?

But in actuality and reality this is the beginning of the story. In an event appropriately called “Spring Into Music” held at Epiphany Lutheran Jesus Joy Center on the Epiphany Lutheran Church campus in Brooklyn, New York - it was, and no pun intended a complete “joy” for the packed house of performers, parents, teachers, community residents and supporters.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 15, 2014
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Funding continues to be a major challenge to Pan Trinbago. This was reiterated last Friday when the Northern Region of the organisation hosted its Carnival 2014 prize-giving ceremony, hosted by Earl Morris, at the VIP Lounge in the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain.

Trophies and cheques were presented to the winners of the J’Ouvert morning Bomb and Groovy Soca competitions. A special award was also made to Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars for winning this year’s Band (Large) of the Year.
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Web Posted - Monday April 14, 2014
When Steel Talks

Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - Ashley George, nicknamed “Asho”, “Postman” and “Dosh” (commonly referred to as “Dosh” by the members of Antigua’s LIME Hells Gate Steel Orchestra), was originally from the island of Dominica; he migrated to Antigua at the tender age of 6 years. “Dosh” lived in “The Point” from the time of his arrival in Antigua, until 1990, when he moved to Skerritt’s Pasture. He passed away on 9 April 2014.
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Web Posted - Monday April 14, 2014
InsideToronto.com

Toronto, Canada - For the past 25 years, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has enriched its music programming by giving students a taste of the Caribbean.

The TDSB has hosted its annual Panfest celebration, in which students from schools across the board have played steel pan drums, every year since 1989.

While the initiative started out small, it has grown to the point where some 700 students from 33 schools now take part in steel pan instruction and performance.
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Web Posted - Monday April 14, 2014
When Steel Talks

Australia - In April 2013 at the 1^st Australia Steelband Festival, the world got a glimpse into the tremendous progress pan has made on the distant shores of Australia, New Zealand and even Oman.

There one witnessed wonderful pan performances of several steelbands including Pantastic, Rivercity Steel Band, Cairns Pan Stars Steel Orchestra, and also Carnival parades, goat racing, and high quality entertainment. Since that time, other steelbands have been formed such as Perth Pandemix and CaribVic Steelband, and still others are in the making. As a result of the impetus provided by the festival, the steelbands in Australia and New Zealand have recently been organising themselves for the future.
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Web Posted - Saturday April 12, 2014
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation (LSFF) will in May present a concert titled 8 of Hearts at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port-of-Spain. The concert features reigning National Panorama champion Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove along with the other seven top placing Large Conventional steel orchestras in the finals of the 2014 National Panorama championships. This which event takes place on May 16 and 17 will see performances by Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars, bpTT Renegades, Witco Desperadoes, Republic Bank Exodus, CAL Invaders, PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars and Skiffle Steel.
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Web Posted - Thursday April 10, 2014
PlantItNorthWest

Illinois, USA - Matt Potts wants you to think steelpan when you think Crystal Lake.

Based on the response to this year’s upcoming Great Lakes Steelpan Festival, he’s succeeding.

“The fact that we have five of the six bands participating in the event driving over six hours to come, we feel, is a strong indicator that we are achieving that,” said Potts, event organizer and band member of Potts & Pans, an internationally acclaimed steel band.

“We’ve got people flying out from all around the country, making the drive out, so we definitely feel we are well on our way to achieving our goal of having Crystal Lake become something people think about when they think about steelpan, not only in the Midwest, but in the U.S., in the whole country,” he said.
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Web Posted - Wednesday April 9, 2014
When Steel Talks

Global -  “...I just so happen to love the instrument, and the culture and everything that goes behind it - like Trinidad, calypso... once I got into pan, I really got into it. And as a composer I was coming from like a film score background - like film score, and just progressive classical music - when I wrote the music, I wanted to write on pan, it was perceived - “Oh man, this is something different....”” Jonathan Scales

No longer a foursome, now an ace trio - the members of Fourchestra have stepped up their game. Led by panist, composer and performing artist Jonathan Scales - he speaks on the beginning, to the here and now... An exclusive When Steel Talks interview with Jonathan Scales, in his own words.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 8, 2014
When Steel Talks

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. -  The long-awaited official Trinidad & Tobago Panorama 2014 CD compilation is completed and available. The three-disc set is the collection of the steelband finalists recaptured as they perform their Panorama selections. It features twenty-seven tracks including six bonus tracks.

On CD1 are Invaders, Fonclaire, La Brea Nightingales, Desperadoes, Tropical Angel Harps, Exodus, Silver Stars, Skiffle and Trinidad All Stars steel orchestras. Featured on CD2 are national champions Phase II Pan Groove, along with Renegades, Melodians, Dixieland, Steel Xplosion, Pan Elders, Valley Harps, Katzenjammers and Couva Joylanders steel orchestras.
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Web Posted - Monday April 7, 2014
Appalachian State University News

North Carolina, USA - Clean and press your Hawaiian shirt and great ready for an incredible night of steel pan music when the Steely Pan Steel Band and alumni perform in a free concert Saturday, April 26.

The program begins at 8 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian State University. Doors open at 7 p.m.

This will be the largest gathering ever of steel drum players at the university and the last concert the band will perform with director and founder Dr. Scott Meister, who is retiring after 40 years of teaching in the Hayes School of Music.
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Web Posted - Sunday April 6, 2014
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Housing Minister, Dr Roodal Moonilal, said it will take $47 million to fix the incomplete Pan Trinbago headquarters on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway.

Speaking on the Finance Bill 2014 last Friday night in the Lower House, Moonilal scoffed that the building had originally been designed to hold two storeys but that someone had decided to insert an extra floor without raising the roof.

Describing the structure as a “two-and-a-half storey” building, he said the project had never got approval from WASA, so to date a sewer system cannot be installed and the building remains without any water connection or drains.
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Web Posted - Saturday April 5, 2014
Trinidad Express Newspapers

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Christine Mueller, head of administration at the Embassy of the Republic of Germany, in Port of Spain and her husband John Tsavdaridis were overjoyed about their trip to Grande Riviere, Toco, for the first edition of Pan in the Countryside last Saturday.

The husband and wife team thanked Pan Trinbago’s president Keith Diaz for arranging transport to and from the venue. Tsavdaridis who is Australian was surprised that a police escort led the maxi taxis from Arima to Grande Riviere.

....But the surprise of the day came when they saw and heard the music of our national instrument the pan. They were simply ‘blown away’ by what transpired.
Mueller said they travel around the world and try to take in the cultures of the people in the lands they visit.
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Web Posted - Saturday April 5, 2014
Stabroek News

Guyana, S.A. - For a long time, the name Tennicia DeFreitas has been synonymous with Calypso and steel pan. Winning the Junior Calypso Crown three years in a row—2006, 2007 and 2008—sealed her place in the history of local calypso. She continued to enter the junior calypso category until 2012; placing 3^rd and 2^nd in 2009 and 2011 respectively and winning in 2010 and 2012. During that time she had also won the Health song competition twice, 2010 and 2011 and placed 2^nd in 2012.

Tennicia has also been playing steel pan for years and she is currently a member of the Parkside Steel Orchestra.

But Tennicia’s talents extend far beyond calypso and steel band.
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Web Posted - Tuesday April 1, 2014
When Steel Talks

Meet Wendy Jones of Toronto, Canada

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Toronto, Canada - She fell in love with the steelpan instrument and the power of pan at an early age. She is a founding member of Pan Fantasy Steelband. In an exclusive interview with When Steel Talks - administrator, player and pan-mom Wendy Jones of Toronto, Canada, shares the joy of pan and how the steelpan instrument has impacted her life from a young girl, to the point of now being the mother of pan players herself.
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When Steel Talks

RESULTS for the Trinidad & Tobago 2014 Panorama
 

Global - Final results and those from the qualifying rounds, of respective categories in competition in the 2014 Trinidad and Tobago Panorama are all in! Get the stats from the preliminaries, semifinals and finals for all the conventional steel orchestras of Trinidad & Tobago which competed in the 2014 Panorama season. 
click for full results

When Steel Talks

Get your headphones - and Just Listen!!

Panorama 2013 Panyard Recordings
by Basement Recordings

New York, USA - For this year 2013, Basement Recordings captured six of Brooklyn’s finest steel orchestras franchises as part of their annual panyard panorama music recording series. All the orchestras operated at very high level this year and were indeed deserving of having their musical performance captured and preserved for the historical, cultural and community archives.

....The steel orchestras recorded this year are Despers USA; Pantonic; CrossFire; D’Radoes; Sonatas and CASYM, the eventual 2013 Panorama champion.
click for more

When Steel Talks

Results - 2013 New York Panorama


 

New York, USA - Full results for the 2013 New York Panorama which took place at the back of the Brooklyn Museum are here.  CASYM Steel Orchestra, celebrating their 30^th anniversary this year, have also added the title of Panorama champions to their list of accomplishments. Pan Sonatas which placed fourth last year moved up two to second place, while D’Radoes  Steel Orchestra placed third for the third year running.  Pan Fantasy from Canada went away with fourth place.
click for full results & breakdown

Web Posted
When Steel Talks

Upcoming

Global  - Upcoming Steelpan music events from all over the world
click to calendar

Web Posted
When Steel Talks - Special

Champion Panorama Tunes of Trinidad and Tobago

Global - A critical component to winning any panorama competition is the song the orchestras choose to use as the basis of their panorama arrangements. Over the years these songs have inspired classic panorama arrangements. When Steel Talks invites you to take a look at and listen to, these famed tunes which have played more than just a cursory part in the history of Pan, and the lives of the players and fans.
click to hear and/or view