Panorama 2005
New York's Steelband Music Panorama
competition traditionally marks the end of the summer season for the
large steel orchestras in the community, as the mighty 100-player strong steelbands
immediately after are reduced to their normal stageside sizes. This year's event was
again held at the Brooklyn Museum grounds located in Prospect Heights,
Brooklyn and is a testament to the Pan Man's and Woman's will to survive.
The 2005 season was a particularly difficult one for all the
steelband organizations. It presented both new and old challenges that
were formidable and debilitating to the creative process, and performance
music theatre of events. Practice space, meager or non-existent
financial resources, belligerent and uncompromising authorities continue
to be the cause of an extremely hostile environment for the steel
orchestra in New York. Yet in spite of all this the New York steelpan music
movement continues to grow and thrive, though it is always one step away from total
extinction. The New York steelpan community continues to
demonstrate its flexibility, resourcefulness, resiliency and intelligence.
The New York steelband panorama is easily one of the greatest if not
the biggest music performance spectacles in North America, and is challenged
and/or equaled in pageantry and drama only by the Marching Bands Drum
and Bugle Corp competitions. However, unlike the latter, the New
York steelbands have yet to receive comparable financial, media and corporate
association, sponsorship and partnership. Indeed, the New York
steelbands are for the most part community-based organizations, while
major marching bands are normally associated with large universities or
parochial organizations - which automatically solve many of the ills that
plague the New York steelband community.
Sound:
D-
{we really wanted to give them an
F
and the customary 'directly to jail' ticket but they actually improved
in 2005
year - they were only very awful this year}
We had hoped that the sound engineer and his crew would collect their pay and
stay home this year. No such luck. They were there - all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Normally capital punishment is in
order for the sound engineer and those who employed his services.
Was the sound engineer bad this year? Hell yea! Did he take
the enjoyment the audience should have had out of a serious and
professional music event? Indeed! Did he impact adversely on fortunes of the participants? Of course, how could he not? He
was horrible. And yes, he toyed with the hard work of the players, tuners
and arrangers... And for the most part he was consistently horrible.
This year instead of making basses sound like tenors and tenors like
cellos he used a trick. VOLUME. The system was so loud most
people were not able to tell how bad it was because their ears were overloaded. Which eventually leads to ear fatigue, blank
stares and
delayed reactions by the audience. Yes, once again the sweetness
was filtered out of the "sweet pan" performances. Some bands
fared better or worse than others, depending on their musical
arrangement, stage setup, orchestra
instruments' configuration and performance ability. Some of the
orchestras suffered from low register dropouts caused by what appeared to
be phase cancellations. This was very disconcerting to the
audience; hopefully the judges were immune to these audio maladies.
Some of the basic questions have still been left unanswered. For
instance: if the
bands have different instrument configurations and sizes, how does
the engineer know beforehand what levels and balance are suited for a
specific band without a sound check? If the sound engineer is
unfamiliar with the class and range of specific steelband instruments
within a band, in addition to where specific instruments will be set up
on stage beforehand, how does he know what class of mics and floor
position placement are best suited for the bands? Moreover, if the
engineer is unaware of the style and overall tonal quality of a band - how
does he know if he is projecting that band's true nature and sound? How
does the sound engineer not confer with the musical directors and
arrangers of each orchestra? Given the horrendous track record
of the sound engineer - why is he not practicing days before the event?
We can only conclude that there has been and continues to be a blatant
and
total disregard for the steelpan artist, his art form, music and most of
all - the paying attendees of the performance. This is a musical event
whose every aspect is totally dependant on the quality of the sound.
Perhaps the time has come when each steel orchestra can use the
morning of the event to get a proper sound check with their musical
director present. By the way - this is not a unique or new
phenomenon - all artists have a sound check before their shows.
Adjudication -Pass-
{It would have been helpful if the
judges had left more comments on their score sheets as a means of
explaining their thought process to bands and arrangers... A few
bands have complained about the lack of comments on their sheets}
Judges
The judges appeared very alert and attentive at all times. No
sleeping judges this year. As we said last year - the judges'
decisions are final and thus are not subjected to question.
USSA-appointed monitors viewed the process.
Arranging
C+
{overall all the arrangers had great
moments - some much longer moments than others, no one created their
best work at this panorama - at least we hope not}
Anytime you mix greats like Clive Bradley, Pelham
Goddard and Jit Samaroo with a field of talented arrangers led by the
likes of Arddin Herbert and Yohan Popwell among others, you're going to
get something special. Let's face it: arranging a ten-minute panorama piece
in the calypso/soca music genre for a New York steelband is one of the
most difficult musical challenges a musician can face. The ability
to arrange a cohesive musical piece that covers all the requirements of
the judging criteria - without frightening, or boring to tears, one of
the toughest reality audiences one will ever come across, is no joke.
Many have tried, few have survived and/or made the grade. Many can successfully arrange for five
minutes, but it's that extra five
minutes that separates the "wanna bees" from the masters. And again
this year was no different. One can get their reputation and
feelings hurt real quick as there is little room at the top. The Big Apple's
panorama has very high expectations and is different than it's overseas
counterparts. A great performance without great musical content will not get
you over in New York. New York's panorama is not as musically
conservative as other areas. For example, four out of twelve bands chose the
popular Dead or Alive as their panorama selection - which is far from a
traditional panorama tune.
New York Steelband
Governing Bodies - No
Grade {You're Fired!!!
-Donald Trump -}
In all fairness a grade cannot be given to such
organizations as it remains unclear what the benefits are to
steelbands/pan musicians. Whether real or figments of pan
folks' imagination - they appear to be part of the
nightmarish/dream-like experiences. It is therefore up to
the pan players/community to expunge or fix them.
The Bands
-
B
(overall) {as awesome as
NY steelband music is, bands must find a productive and cohesive
means of representing themselves in a quick changing environment
on a global scale or they will be left behind}
Each band had to overcome debilitating internal and external
obstacles to make it literally to the panorama stage.
The love and commitment to pan by the players and management are unquestionable. 2005 was just as difficult as the previous year,
if not harder for all the bands. Yet in spite of all the
turbulence, the bands' musical output continues to rise. From a
musical perspective, the bands continue to improve. The groups
looked fabulous. Steelbands definitely incorporate high fashion
into their presentations.
ADLIB Long Island's
Finest.
When Steel Talks
has watched ADLIB grow up in front of our eyes.
The youth-oriented orchestra from Freeport, Long Island has improved in
every facet. It is no longer "if" or "can" ADLIB move into the
upper area codes of New York pan. The youths of ADLIB are no
longer satisfied with making a good appearance at the panorama.
There is great musical talent in the group and their sights are trained
on loftier goals. ADLIB has great management that brings
competency, consistency and stability to its operations. The
organization has had to overcome a series of obstacles and
disappointments that made this year difficult and challenging.
Nevertheless, ADLIB survived and put on a great show at the 2005
panorama. This year the group returned with Rubin Nelson as their
arranger. Their placing is not indicative of the band's
ability. ADLIB's stageside is solid as the group
continues to perform throughout the year. Management
remains committed to the development of young musicians.
Group recordings to date --
ADLIB Live!
aka We've Only Just Begun (2002)
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Caribbean Youth
Panoramics
A group of young people who have maintained
their presence at the panorama for the past five years. This was not a breakthrough year for CYP at the panorama but
the band gave a strong
presentation during their J'ouvert performance..
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CASYM

CASYM runs a disciplined and professional
organization.
The
group gave a very credible performance. An extra week of
practice, and who knows what might have happened. This
year marks the first time in their past six panorama entries
that the group has placed lower than second. The
organization's success and consistency are a tribute to their
management, leadership and core players.
CASYM's game plan
to invest in the development of young players has and will
continue to serve them well. Their stageside is one of
the best and most entertaining on the New York circuit. They added
a host of
new songs to their already-substantial repertoire that cover a varied
genre of music. Their panorama arranger Arddin Herbert has
indeed found his voice, and is one of the top young panorama
arrangers who can deliver the goods.
CASYM was also the sole US representative in
this year's World Steelband Music Festival. CASYM has shown
a commitment to documenting their performances and becoming a
complete music organization. This year they released their
CD 'D Blueprint, in addition to being featured on the Pan In New
York 2004 CD/DVD. CASYM again recorded their 2005
performance for the
2005 New York Panyard CD/DVD... Group recordings
to date -- 'D Blueprint (2005)
-
marketing - great year exposing &
promoting the group's achievements and availability - CASYM
is known globally
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting
-
performances - CASYM performs throughout
the year at many high-profile events
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CrossFire

CrossFire has steadied it's ship and positioned itself into a
place to make a move into the upper New York steelband domain.
The organization returned with Brian
'Bean' Griffith at the musical
helm. Brian, who is a tested and competent arranger was charged
with the job of taking the organization to the top.
The organization clearly has a serious game plan as there was
a significant upgrade in the caliber of its instruments. In
fact CrossFire can lay claim to now owning some of the best
instruments in New York. Competent and committed
management has brought the band within striking distance of high
placing in the panorama. They have
secured great practice facilities and have equipped the members
with the tools to win. CrossFire recorded its panorama
selection this year, and is featured on the
2005 New York Panyard CD.
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Dem Stars
Dem Stars went through a major makeover as it sported a new
look, new players, and new arranger. Dem Stars stageside
added a host of new tunes to their repertoire that went over
well with its audience and fans. Ace arranger Jit Samaroo of the famed Renegades Steel
Orchestra was on board for 2005. Clearly, management has mapped out a new game
plan and strategy as a means of moving to the top. Dem Stars
has sported four different arrangers in their last four panorama
entries. Hopefully, Mr. Samaroo will be retained and
allowed to build on what he has started. |
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Despers USA
2005 saw renewed life and excitement in the Despers USA camp and was a year of major changes. Despers USA
replaced their arrangers of the past twelve years with Eddie
Quarless. It has been a few years since Despers ruled New
York. For a good part of the 90's Despers USA owned New
York, winning six championships in a row. Despers still has
some of the best players in New York and moreover a system for
consistently producing excellent players. This was a very good
recruitment year for Despers USA as the group was larger for
panorama than it has been in years. Their blend of
veterans and youth has produced continuity and stability within
the Despers USA organization. Their stageside is steady and
committed to 'back-in-times' and 'ole-school' pan classics.
Look for Despers USA to move back to the high-rent district.
-
marketing - Despers USA has a large fan
base, and uses the direct marketing approach
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting, with
100 players taking the stage for panorama
-
performances - launches and year-round
commitments
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D'Radoes

Last year D'Radoes aka Radoes seemed destined for greatness, when they
shot themselves in the foot by messing up their ending and
subsequently came in
fourth.
All eyes were on Radoes at the panorama this year. The
crowd surged forward during their panorama performance to make
sure they got a first-hand look. They did not disappoint
their fans this year. As is customary with Radoes they pulled
all the pieces together right before taking the stage. And
saved their best performance for - the stage. Their
rendition of Johnny King's "Darling" as arranged by Clive
Bradley was truly one of the 'sweet' tunes of the year. Radoes
brought the crowd to life, and to their feet. As their
performance registered a special chord with the audience, the
latter sang and danced with the band. It's been a long time
since a band has connected on that level with the audience.
At
the moment D'Radoes is primarily a homerun hitter that is very
dangerous at crunch time. When they connect it's "good
night, lights out." And when they miss - well - we saw what happened
last year. D'Radoes, with its veteran crew brings an
unpredictability to panorama that is very refreshing to the pan
lovers and fans. Their mere presence has to keep the other
bands wondering and guessing. In their four-year existence
D'Radoes has placed no lower than forth in their last three
panorama entries.
Radoes has recorded their panorama selection
every year since their existence. They are also featured
on the
2005 New York Panyard CD/DVD...
-
marketing - D'Radoes has a huge fan base,
and uses direct marketing approach -- their yard was always
packed with visitors
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting, with
100 players taking the stage for panorama
-
performances - launches
Related Articles
D'Radoes ready to woo
them with "Darling"
BACK-TO-BACK
BRADLEY (It's Bradley's
Town After All)
Clive Bradley, Pelham Goddard
and Yohan Popwell
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Harmony
Harmony has invested in its future by focusing on
the development of its youth.
The organization made great strides forward musically and
administratively. Harmony has improved every year of
its existence and invested heavily in their infrastructure.
This year they went with Brian Nicholas, one of their resident arrangers, as arranger for panorama, and
they also brought new tuner
Oliver Hospedales
into the mix to take care of and upgrade their instruments. These
moves may ultimately pay off big for the organization in the
future. 2005 was a very good year for Harmony's stageside
as the organization demonstrated its musical versatility and
growth. Harmony put on a good performance at this year's
panorama, and incorporated an attractive dance sequence into
its presentation. Watch out for next year.
Related Articles
Harmony Steel Launch
Pan Lights Up Central Brooklyn
(D'Radoes, Sonatas,
Harmony, Dem Stars, CASYM, Ambassadors)
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Marsicans

Surely this year's 8th place panorama placing was not the ending
Marsicans management and players had envisioned to an otherwise
successful season.
Nevertheless Marsicans has established itself as one of the big
band contenders for the panorama championship title. Their
rise to the top of the New York heap was indeed a quick one.
This year marks the first time in Marsicans' short history that
it has not placed in the top four positions. This is indeed a
serious accomplishment considering the fact that the group has
only entered four panoramas and is technically only five years
old. It was a good year for Marsicans in spite of their
disappointing panorama placing. Marsicans has established
itself as a New York powerhouse. The organization has a
talented group of core players. Their stageside was even better this year than last
year. The organization needs to maintain steady management to go
even further.
Their arranger is master musician Pelham
Goddard. In an
interview with
When Steel Talks
the arranger Pelham
Goddard expressed the need for the pan community to stay current and
young in terms of their selections of panorama tunes. Marsicans
has clearly used this approach in its youth appeal.
Their choices in the past two years - Celebrate and Dead or Live
- are consistent with this belief.
Marsicans is one of the few orchestras
that has recorded its panorama selection every year of its
existence. They are also featured on the
2005 New York Panyard CD.
-
marketing - internet and direct marketing
-- Marsicans' panyard is one of the more popular yards in NY
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting, with
100 players taking the stage for panorama
-
performances - launches
Related Articles
Marsicans Band Launch
2005 (Despers USA, Sesame Flyers, Sonatas and
Marsicans)
Marsicans Steel Orchestra Ready To Rock and Roll
- Set to Bring Them In Dead or Alive...
Clive Bradley, Pelham Goddard
and Yohan Popwell |
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Pantonic

They've been to the mountain top and they have been to
the pits. 2005 was indeed an interesting year for
Pantonic.
The
organization was scrutinized in every facet and on every level
in ways it had not been previously tested. After enjoying
an essentially unchallenged view from the top of the New York
pan scene for the past five years, the organization was stunned
by a series of unexpected and uncharacteristic circumstances.
First the group lost its panorama crown in 2004 and was awarded,
for them, a shocking twelfth place out of a field of thirteen
competitors. And
then the group found itself essentially homeless in New York up
until two weeks before panorama. Being homeless in New
York is never a good thing, but for a steel orchestra the size
of Pantonic, coming off a less-than-banner-year, this could have
been the kiss of death for a lesser organization.
Pantonic players show that they are
singularly committed to Pantonic and were prepared to sit out
the season had a practice space not been secured. Then,
with the panyard acquired just two weeks before panorama - the band was
still able to take the
stage with its full one hundred players, a remarkable feat
and tribute to the commitment of the players to the organization.
The ability of Pantonic management to not throw in the towel,
to not panic, and to continue to successfully problem-solve under what had
to be tremendous pressure - is also a testament to the
organization's ability to meet new and unpredictable challenges.
Pantonic has one of the best stagesides in
New York. Their repertoire covers a wide variety of music and
genres. Their core players are young, talented and
committed. Additionally they have a great arranger in Clive
Bradley and steady management, including their captain and
vice-captain. Pantonic put itself in a position
to win this year's panorama by simply out-working the other groups.
Their ability to practice into the wee hours of the morning with
the presence of the majority of all their players was very
impressive.
At the panorama Pantonic seemed to have the
audience mesmerized by their size, weight, sound and
performance. Three-quarters of the way through the tune,
it appeared to many in the audience that the
band had it pretty much locked down. Pantonic again
recorded their 2005 selection
for the
2005 New York Panyard CD/DVD... Group recordings to date --
'Pantonic
Live - The Limited Edition CD (2002);
Tonic For The Soul (2003)
-
marketing - the organization is one of
the best at promoting its works and successes through
the internet/ PanYard packed with visitors in spite of late
start
-
recruiting - great year galvanizing 100 players
to take the stage for the 2005 panorama when taking into
account last year's twelfth placing.
-
performances - solid performances during
pre-panorama season
Related Articles
Pantonic InVue2005
2005 Steel Pan Champions
Pantonic Wins New
York Steel Band 2005 Panorama
Pantonic Jumps to "Action"
Set to Recover Winning Ways
Clive Bradley, Pelham Goddard
and Yohan Popwell |
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Sesame Flyers

This
was a year of struggle and personal tragedies for the organization. Sesame is another New York-based organization that
is youth-oriented. Their musicianship has improved
although their panorama placing has not. Arrangers Freddie
Harris, III and Andy Akiho have taken a non-traditionalist approach to
panorama arranging. In the long run it will resonate
favorably with
the global steelpan community. The lumps they are catching
now will pay off in the future. And Sesame's stageside
improved immensely, mixing current pop and Caribbean selections...
To move up the ladder the organization will have to commit to
out-working the other groups. Watch out for them in 2006.
Sesame produced
a DVD
featuring its stageside
in 2004, and for this year contributes its panorama selection to
the
2005 New York Panyard CD collection.
-
marketing - Sesame has a large fan base,
and uses the direct marketing approach, strong internet presence
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting, with
100 players taking the stage for panorama
-
performances - launches and year-round
engagements
Related Articles
Sesame Flyers Kick Into "Action"
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Sonatas

Sonatas has been and will continue to be a formidable force
in New York pan.
They have steady and committed management that gives its players the
tools and support to succeed. Sonatas, the 2004 Panorama champions, came out
of the gate smoking. They have established themselves as one of the
top music groups in America. There stageside is second to none. And
they easily have the best instruments in New York. Their arranger Yohan Popwell
is young, capable and driven, and has the ear
and support of the players.
2005 turned out not to be their year in terms
of the panorama but they did not beat themselves. They brought it all to the stage. Their presentation was clean and balanced.
Unfortunately the panorama audience was not allowed to experience the
full effect of Sonatas because of the sound system. Sonatas recorded
it's 2005 stageside repertoire. They are also featured on
the
2005 New York Panyard recordings. In their last
six panorama entries, Sonatas has failed to place within the top three
only once - a phenomenal testimony to the
organization's consistency and commitment to excellence.
Look for Sonatas to come back with a vengeance next year.
-
marketing - has a large fan base, and
uses the direct marketing approach -- internet presence getting
better
-
recruiting - great year of recruiting,
-
performances - launches and year-round
engagements
Related Articles
Sonatas Launch Tops for Season
Champions Sonatas Capture Their
Music for the Ages
Champions Sonatas ready to defend "From Beyond"
Sonatas
Serves Notice "We Come Out To Play!!!"
CrossFire Steelband Launch/Invitational
Clive Bradley, Pelham Goddard
and Yohan Popwell |
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The Show:
C
{it was a mediocre
production; pan folks' efforts and
talents are not being realized to the max...}
The showtime was promoted as 7:00 PM with doors opening at 6:00
PM. This year we noticed that the bands were not wearing their customary
wristbands for entry into the panorama. They were given
tickets instead. There was a separate entrance for the
performers and media. We observed none of the customary
confusion at gates this year. The door security/authorities
performed a thorough search of our bags before allowing entry. They
were not as confrontational as they have been in the past, although
different security check points had arbitrary rules, as they were not all
in sync as to their guidelines.
Once again this year there was no program to give
any guidance or information about the panorama performers.
Luckily the panorama fans are very knowledgeable about their pan
music. The MC seems to know less about New York Pan every
year. Why is that? Let's face it - if you eliminate the
large video displays and the cell phones, there would be no difference
between 2005, 1995 or 1985... No growth! No imagination!
Nothing to make you go "wow!" Now that's a shame. Who's
taking credit for this "great" production this year? The
producers of this show need to take a vacation and go to a few concerts
and see just how shows are put on in 2005 (as they have been for
some time!).
Luckily there is a huge need for programming material
for all the entertainment and educational gadgets. Young, new and
exciting productions on a grand scale are just around the corner for the
New York Steelband fraternity. It's been the I-Pod generation for
a few years now... soon the younger generation of the steelband
movement will have other options...
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Panorama Running Time Clock: A
{got to give homeboys their
props... the bands moved on and off the stage like clockwork - The
bands completed their performances in four and half hours}
- 8:25 Sound Check for Marsicans
- 8:27 Marsicans beings their performance
- 8:37 Marsicans ends
- 8:58 Sonatas begins their performance
- 9:07 Sonatas ends
- 9:28 ADLIB begins their performance
- 9:37 ADLIB ends
- 9:51 Caribbean Youth Panoramic begins their
performance
- 10:04 Caribbean Youth Panoramic ends
- 10:27 CASYM begins their performance
- 10:35 CASYM ends
- 11:00 Despers USA begins
- 11:10 Despers end
- 11:30 CrossFire begins
- 11:39 Crossfire ends
- 11:57 Sesame Flyers begins
- 12:07 Sesame Flyers ends
- 12:28 Dem Stars begins
- 12:35 Dem Stars ends
- 1:02 Radoes begins
- 1:11 Radoes ends
- 1:30 Pantonic begins
- 1:40 Pantonic ends
- 1:59 Harmony begins
- 2:09 Harmony ends
- 2:30
Results Announced
______________________
5 hours total
Media Facilities To the best of our knowledge, no Media
Kits with band information were presented to visiting media. In
terms of ease of accessing the bands from basic vantage points while
they performed on stage,
When Steel Talks
ran into significantly more turbulence than usual. There
was no post-performance area set aside for press to interview/photograph
the performing artists. [New
York Panorama 2005 In Pictures.] Stage Smediaize Still too small for
the larger bands to set up quickly enough. While the orchestras
with smaller complements of players managed the task in an acceptable
amount of time, the powerhouse steel orchestras fielding upwards of
eighty musicians have to accomplish an on-the-spot feat of engineering
to place all their instruments in the limited space. They take up
significantly more time before being ready to play.
Prizes /
Appearance Fees
D-
Oh, and by the way, what are/were they? It would be good for the
audience to know what prize purses are up for grabs. It's a normal
feature of competitions to periodically inform/announce to, all those
present, what is at stake in the event. This is one competition
where sometimes even the bands themselves don't know exactly what they
are competing for - even after the competition...
Management of at least three of the competitors for the September 3,
2005 competition said either that they were unclear, or had no idea as
to the prize purses at stake, and had received no official communication
before the event, nor to date.
When Steel Talks
contacted the offices of the promoter/organizers of the
Panorama on September 26, and was told that "they
[promoter/organizers] had no information on
the prizes as yet."
For the record - figures of a first prize of between $17,500.00 and
$20,000.00 were bandied about, with some management reportedly hearing
unofficially that second and third prizes were around $15,000.00 and
$12,000.00 respectively.
Appearance Fees
Curiously, and at least to the best of our knowledge - the New York
Panorama held at the Brooklyn museum grounds is the only competition in
US history that in effect, punishes top-placing bands/winners by taking
away their appearance fees (is this even legal?), reportedly in
between the amount of $3,500.00 and $4,000.00. Again, does anyone have
documentation that will provide the exact amount? An appearance
fee is just that - an appearance fee. Isn't this for just
showing up and taking part in a competition? The appearance
fee should have nothing to do with a band's other financial rewards at a
competition.
Post-Production and Follow Up
The panorama results are actually up on the promoter's web site. We
haven't seen any pictures but they are sure to follow. Right? No 2003
embarrassment here? We are sure the promoters did get pictures of
the winning band performing. Right?
There has been no word on a DVD or CD yet. We've been told that
the governing bodies lack the ability to market and move CD/DVDs.
If true that's truly unfortunate.
In terms of the media we've seen no stories, articles, releases from
either the promoter or pan governing bodies about the panorama or its
participants.
Access (bands, players, management,
arrangers, fans): A+
[NY steelpan community is very media savvy and has
a keen understanding of the importance of documenting, promoting and
telling their own story... Indeed it is often said "if it wasn't
documented - did it really happen?"]
As we indicated earlier our Steelpan Photographers
were truly frustrated and annoyed at the difficulty and obstacles they
encountered in trying to access the stage for shots of the bands at the
2005 panorama - even though they had legitimate media credentials -
issued by the promoters' office. Interestingly enough, we were
told some folks have more access rights than others. Nevertheless
When Steel Talks
was able to document the panorama in pictures, largely
because of the continued cooperation we received by the entire New York
steelpan community, a process which was ongoing throughout the season. In this regard, the
players, managers, arrangers and fans get an unconditional
A+
for their courtesy, professionalism and
cooperation in facilitating the documentation of their season's work.
New York Panorama - 2005
In Pictures click
>>
New York Panorama 2005 In Pictures.
J'ouvert:
B
The event continues to receive great support from the New
England steelpan community. It's popularity among the people has
steadily increased as it is truly one of the few remaining events in the
world where you can hear and enjoy pan on the road. Almost every single
New York steelpan organization was present.
J'Ouvert - 2005
In Pictures click
>>
J'Ouvert 2005 Pictures In Review
PR Departments
C
For the most part the public relations wings and PRO's were
extremely cooperative with providing information on and data relating to
group performances and panorama details. However, these officers
have to become proactive as a means of taking advantage of media and
related promotional actives before deadlines kick in.
Side Bar Stagesides
Utopia Pan Soul: The Next Generation, CASYM, Pantonic, Sonatas, Steel Sensation
These five represent the best stagesides in New York. All five
of the groups are very unique and bring a very different look to the
under-30 player arena. All have stepped it up big time. They
added an interesting array of new and old songs to their respective repertoires.
And all have already either released recordings, and/or have recorded new music that will be available
in the near future. |