Web Posted - Sunday August 26, 2018
When Steel Talks

New York, USA - When Steel Talks’ ‘quick chart’ - a guide to the participants in the 2018 New York Steel Orchestra Panorama competition.  Find here the order of appearance, bios, meet the arrangers, hear the tunes of choice, learn about the bands, tuners and more.
click for data

Web Posted - Saturday August 25, 2018
When Steel Talks

London, U.K. - All varieties of ‘Hulk’ in Mangrove Steelband, clad in white with green Hulk impressions on white T-Shirts, made their might felt when they took center stage on the evening of Saturday August 25 in London. As the eventual 2018 UK Steelband Panorama champions, Mangrove staved off its five challengers for the coveted trophy and top spot. Playing in position one is always regarded as a tough one to triumph from, but for Mangrove it turned out to be a ‘walk in the park.’

The veteran music organization boasting ninety players whipped up a musical frenzy, dishing out a fiery rendition of Blaxx’s “Hulk” as arranged by champion arranger Andre White. He has worked with Mangrove seven out of the last eight years, setting out in 2011 and delivering the title in his first outing, second and third placings thereafter, and now the championship once again. 
read more, get results

Web Posted - Friday August 24, 2018
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of Pan Trinbago on Thursday called by president Keith Diaz to apprise members the status of the organisation, report on court matters and the election 2018-2021 ended in chaos.

From the central executive, Diaz showed up before the scheduled 5 pm start time, treasurer Andrew Salvador a bit later, and just before 7 pm, secretary Richard Forteau, trustee Trevor Reid, events relations officer (ERO) Darren Sheppard and public relations officer (PRO) Michael Joseph.

The meeting took place at CWU Hall in Port of Spain.

As Diaz tried to get the meeting started at 6.58 p.m., there was haggling among the executive as to whether or not there was a quorum.

A highly upset Marie Toby, chairman of the Tobago Region, vented: “I find today was a waste of people’s time, because the executive came here unprepared. Imagine they come here debating what is quorum and what is not quorum and fighting among themselves.

"Let them do the honourable thing and take the door,” she said, pointing to the door.
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Web Posted - Wednesday August 22, 2018
MLT News

Washington, USA -  The Steel Magic Northwest “Pan Wizards” advanced youth steel ensemble is offering young musicians a chance to audition for two trips it will be making next year.

The group has been invited to perform and give a presentation at the National Association of Music Educators regional conference in Portland, Ore., in February 2019. And in June, the group will embark on its first four-day tour, into western Montana and northeastern Oregon.
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Web Posted - Wednesday August 22, 2018
When Steel Talks

London, United Kingdom - The 2018 UK Panorama Championship is being hosted by the British Association of Steelbands (BAS), and is scheduled for Saturday 25^th August at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, Kensal Road. Six steel orchestras are competing.
details, listing

Web Posted - Friday August 17, 2018
When Steel Talks

Brooklyn, New York -   A listing of addresses of the Pan Yard locations of Steel Orchestras, along with contact information, of those participating in the 2018 New York Panorama competition on Saturday September 1.
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Web Posted - Thursday August 16, 2018
When Steel Talks

Global - “Keet Styla” formerly known as “Designer” has been working with renowned panists and pan composers/arrangers such as the late Ken “Professor” Philmore, Ray Holman, Robert Greenidge and Earl Brooks - as well as musicians including the late Ralph MacDonald, Monty Alexander, Frankie McIntosh, Leston Paul and Etienne Charles.

For the 2019 Panorama season he vocalizes Pan Messiah, penned by Tellison Forde.  The latter was out early as usual—in the first week of August 2018—submitting his music for the much-accessed, annual PanOnTheNet/When Steel Talks ‘Pan Tunes’ listing.  Originally sung by Forde himself, the revised version of Pan Messiah with “Keet Styla” on vocals was later submitted.
listen to tune

Web Posted - Wednesday August 15, 2018
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Tobago’s pan fraternity are in support of a move by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to take control of Pan Trinbago’s operations for the next three years, with a memorandum of understanding signed on August 7 by representatives from the two entities.

Marie Toby, Chairman of Pan Trinbago, Tobago Region, described the move as the only way to save the pan fraternity.

“We have asked members of the executive to do the honourable thing and step down because we recognised they cannot manage. This is the position we have to be in and as a matter of fact, Tobago Region was the first region to send in a motion proposing this change,” she said.
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Web Posted - Monday August 13, 2018
When Steel Talks

St. George’s, Grenada, W.I. - Grenada’s 2018 National Panorama began promptly at 8:00 p.m., at the National Stadium in St. George’s, the country’s capital. The Master of Ceremonies actually opened the event and welcomed everyone a few minutes before that time. And lovers of the annual Panorama music festival were happy that there was indeed a show this year, unlike in 2017 when the orchestras turned up ready for showtime, a few early would-be attendees too, but there was no stage completed for the orchestras’ performances, triggering an on-site boycott of the event; meaning, incredibly, no Panorama 2017.

....The defending champs Commancheros Steel Orchestra took center stage next with a much-anticipated rendition of 2018’s Pum Pum performed and co-written by Finley “Scholar” Henry, and lauded by the event’s MC as “one of the most popular songs for the entire Carnival [2018] season in Grenada.” The song artfully documents the afore-mentioned fiasco of no Panorama in 2017.

....At the end of the night, in the eyes and ears of the judges, they were the best in the Panorama. 
read more, get results

Web Posted - Monday August 13, 2018
When Steel Talks

St. George’s, Grenada, W.I. - The nine steel orchestras which participated in the National Panorama the evening of August 11, saw their respective ‘youth arms’ of ‘Juniors’ compete earlier in the day at the 2018 Junior Panorama, where Angel Harps, New Dimension and Commancheros juniors clinched the top three spots respectively. 
click for junior results

Web Posted - Saturday August 11, 2018
The Representative

Komani, South Africa - Let’s Play: The Marimba and Steelpan band festival, hosted by Queen’s College Junior on Thursday evening, was a roaring success. Bands that performed were from Theodore Herzl and Lawson Brown High Schools, both from Port Elizabeth, Kingsridge Girls’ School from King William’s Town and both Queen’s College Senior and Queen’s College Junior. Read all about it in The Rep on Friday.
click for original post

Web Posted - Wednesday August 8, 2018
When Steel Talks

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The president of Pan Trinbago has been displaying a type of behavior for quite sometime, that is bordering on dementia, and that is taking the organization to the brink of extinction, where all true panists must stand up now to save and protect our hard earn gains. Sydney Gallop did not ride all over the land, for this president and his non-elected sidekick to now sellout the organization and its intellectual property, so they can continue to line their pockets or guarantee ‘eat ah food.’

The ‘gypsy’ was brought in as chairman of the NCC (National Carnival Commission) to do a special job, and that is to bring the Special Interest Groups to their knees, and make them impotent on the NCC board.
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Web Posted - Wednesday August 8, 2018
When Steel Talks

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan Trinbago Inc. is very concerned about the fake news and misinformation which have been circulating in social media, print and electronic media.

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) has not in any form taken over the running of Pan Trinbago.

The President and Treasurer, Messrs. Keith Diaz and Andrew Salvador, are signatories to Memorandum of Agreement which speaks to the funding of Pan Trinbago’s operations, events and development programs.
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Web Posted - Wednesday August 8, 2018
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan men were yesterday expressing anger at the decision by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to take control of Pan Trinbago’s operations for the next three years.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Tuesday evening between the NCC which is headed by chairman Winston Gypsy Peters and president of Pan Trinbago Keith Diaz and treasurer Andrew Salvador. Pan Trinbago’s secretary Richard Forteau allegedly refused to affix his signature in opposition to the documents.

Pan men told Newsday that terms of the deal will reportedly see the NCC cover outstanding debts for Panorama 2018 and call the shots for the staging of the National Panorama Competition in every category going forward. Further, the state agency will also be responsible for the monthly payment of staff. It is alleged that staff has not been paid for five months.
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Web Posted - Sunday August 5, 2018
NY Daily News

New York, USA - William (Bill) Howard [leftmost in picture], president of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association [W.I.A.D.C.A.] that presents Brooklyn's massive New York Caribbean Carnival Parade on Labor Day, died Sunday morning in his Brooklyn home. He was 75.

....William Howard Jr., the late leader's son, said he was told by the coroner’s office that his father died in his sleep of natural causes.
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Web Posted - Friday August 3, 2018
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Havana, Cuba - Santiago de Cuba is regarded as the cultural capital of Cuba, and just recently has deepened its mix of “frenetic, passionate and noisy beauty” with the pan.

“They love the pan,” declared pan aficionado, pioneer and arranger Merlin “Mutt” Gill, who was in Cuba for the annual Fiesta del Fuego (Fire Festival) last month.

He also donated two tenor pans to an ensemble comprising players between the ages of seven and 13, and some adults.

“My heart went out to them when I heard them play,” Gill told Newsday. “They love the pan, they love music. I will make the band a very big one. I also promised them a tuner and I am willing to pay for someone to go to Cuba and tune their pans.”
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Web Posted - Wednesday August 1, 2018
When Steel Talks

Global - He was the blueprint for successful steelband leadership. George Goddard, one of the early leaders of the Steelbands Association, was awarded the Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal Gold posthumously for his contribution to the development of the steelband. In an exclusive 1982 interview with producer, journalist, author and noted on-air broadcaster Von Martin -  Pan leader and former Steelbands Association president George Goddard spoke on his involvement, memories and expectations in the steelband movement of Trinidad and Tobago.
read more, listen to interview

Web Posted - Wednesday August 1, 2018
When Steel Talks

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - ....I am quite perturbed at the way our Steelpan movement is being manipulated and out-maneuvered into submission and into giving up our cultural heritage, without consultation, or even a proper requiem to soothe the hearts of those who will die of grief, and try to settle the spirit of our disturbed ancestors who will no longer find rest while their children lose their groundings.

Presently, we are faced with a very unsettling situation, where the people in society who have for years, outlawed and vilified the practitioners of our indigenous cultural Art form, the Steelpan, by trying to stifle our freedom of expression and kill our spirit of resistance - are now licking their chops with glee, in anticipation of full control of our cultural product in our national carnival festival.
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 2018 Trinidad and Tobago National Steelband Panorama Info - Complete

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - PanOnTheNet/ WhenSteelTalks is Panorama Central!  Complete information on the 2018 season of the Trinidad and Tobago National Panorama, and competitions:  Schedules, Orders of Appearance for preliminary, semi-final and final phases for large, medium and small conventional steel orchestras, and single pan bands; arrangers’ bios, bios of steel orchestras; full results, panyard addresses, history of previous Panoramas, and much more!
see complete information index

Web Posted -  September, 2017
When Steel Talks

New York, USA - Well if you haven’t heard already, New York’s 2017 Panorama Steel Orchestra competition was an epic failure for most. Unless you were the show’s promoters - who got away as bandits in the night - except it was a broad daylight-mugging with everyone watching. Calling the promoters “bandits” is really a description ‘upgrade’ as they have been known as the original Evil Empire to the Brooklyn Steelband community for decades.

So in this regard, let’s cut the crap! And the fake news from those who are spreading alternative facts, about how great New York 2017 Panorama was. In reality it was jacked up.
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Web Posted
When Steel Talks

Global - Within the historical context, a look at the impact of American movies on the naming of early steelbands of Trinidad and Tobago.
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