New York 2011 Steel Orchestra Panorama in REVIEW

 
ADLIB Steel Orchestra on stage during their winning 2011 NY Panorama performance

The week leading up to the Panorama, New York was visited by an earthquake, and then a hurricane.  So it was clear this panorama was going to be a rumble.  Panorama remains the single most important community-based performing arts event that is Caribbean culture-influenced in America - challenged only by drum and bugle corps competitions and Brooklyn’s J’Ouvert celebrations.

It was a long season with all the band launches and pre-panorama activities.  The launches were excellent. There was a spirit of camaraderie and cooperation that must exist for the launches to be fruitful. This is not to say that everything was ‘peachy cream’ and everyone agreed with everyone.  Let’s just say folks saw the bigger picture, and behaved like adults with self-interest - long enough to get the job done.

Pan Jam session at Despers USA Pan Loft

The stage sides performed well and introduced lots of good music. Despers USA’s innovation of R&B and Reggae night was brilliant.  More ideas like this are needed to change the look and feel of each steelband event.  Also it would nice if a committee made up of all the bands was to decide and put out the 2012 schedule for launches ASAP.  So much more could be done in terms of increasing attendance, increasing gate receipts, advertising and marketing the launches and related pan events, and fundraising and bringing potential business associates to the table - if this was put in place. Not to mention making the events on a whole, much more efficient and profitable.

First off let’s deal with ‘the Good.’ There was a lot of very excellent music created this panorama season. Some serious thought, musicianship, heart, spirit, musical relevancy and knowledge went into both the panorama music creations and productions for NY 2011.

Sonatas Steel Orchestra

All the groups looked great. But Sonatas was outstanding.  Orisha John, the fashion and set designer for Sonatas, took it to another level.  Sonatas’ visual production was one of the best ever for a panorama. Moreover it could rival any of the Broadway productions in terms of theme, visual impact and relevancy.  Take a bow, Orisha - there should be a separate award just for what you and others bring to the NY panorama stage each year.

And again in spite of New York’s overall hostile environment the players came out to play in very large numbers - four orchestras hit the 100 man-limit with ease.  Most of the other bands were up there in size. And yes, in New York size matters because of a known ‘devil’ I’ll expound upon in a little while.

As we said before there was some great music delivered this season. However, one can say unequivocally that panorama was NOT the best place to listen to these creations given the battle the groups have to overcome sonically because of the sound system.  If you were fortunate to hear the groups in their yards, or while they were warming up before going on stage, you were afforded the opportunity to hear all the aspects of the band (playing abilities and sonic quality of their instruments).  On stage what we heard was a criminal-minded butchering of the sound of the steel orchestras by the sound reinforcement “engineers.”  Sweet pan became something out of a horribly-engineered, heavy metal Black Sabbath concert.

New York Panorama 2001 Pantonic Steel Orchestra

Ten years later after NY’s greatest panorama - when the majority of NY Pan people ‘walked off the plantation’ so to speak - the return to, and continued association with the current event promoters, have damaged the NY Pan brand severely and limited its growth to none.  Ten years later after the 2001 panorama produced the first Panorama DVD in the world with all the bands on it - the ‘first run’ of this year’s DVD left significant New York steelband franchises off it.  Need we say more.  After all this is New York - the entertainment capital of the world...

Da Show...  -  (Full results and info here)

The runway...

With much anticipation we looked forward to this year to see the annual musical battle between the panorama-bound orchestras. The NY panorama bands are special and steeped in tradition and their own brand of panorama culture.  One and done. The winner is it and all others are just that - others. Sniff, sniff come back next year.  It’s just an Empire State of mind.

D’Radoes management team sporting their I’z Ah Trini shirts

Three groups decided to show that they were the real thing when they used the popular Benjai’s 2011 smash hit I’z Ah Trini as their tune of choice to panorama glory. One group warned “Doh Be on Dat” and give up peacefully.  Two groups tried to mesmerize the audience and judges with the romantic intoxication of the Pan with Destra Garcia’s “Calling Meh.”  Another used the thought-provoking call to service in Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s “Do Something for Pan.”  One group intended to simply take “Advantage” of the situation with Machel Montano’s runaway hit.  And finally one entrant intended to win by simply turning the panorama into a smooth “Soca Night.”

This was a special year.  Hanging in the balance was an opportunity for a three-peat by the pride of Crown Heights, the mighty Sonatas Steel Orchestra.  The hat-trick in NY is a feat not accomplished since Despers USA did it in 1998. Led by the brilliant strategist general manager Mack Scott, field marshal Yohan Popwell as arranger, and captain of the fleet Ainsworth “Chuffy” Cust - a plan was devised to secure the title again for the black-and-gold, take-no-prisoners Sonatas.  With more titles (ten) than any other franchise in NY, they were the odds-on favorite.  And they, Sonatas, intended to grab that pinnacle of panorama success with lights, cameras, action - “It’s Showtime” as their tune of choice.

Of course there were 9 other orchestras which had no intention of allowing Sonatas to succeed. A black-and-gold (Sonatas’ colors) victory party was not in their plans and/or psyche.

Arranger Yohan Popwell on stage with Sonatas Steel Orchestra for NY Panorama 2011

So playing third were the defending champions, Sonatas of Bandoleros (2009) and Battle Zone (2010) fame. They were in the unamiable position of playing not only early but also as the first large band. The strategy was to simply deliver a command performance from position three, thereby setting the bar so high they would not be caught from behind by the others performing afterwards.  Sonatas did perform very well. And when the lights came up it was indeed ‘Showtime’ in every sense of the word. With Popwell dressed to kill, conducting the show with his ring master top hat  - the show was on.  Mr. Popwell, like the great Clive Bradley, is a master showman. He was in his element. It was unadulterated musical drama.  Unfortunately, one of the main advantages possessed by Sonatas, the superior quality and tone of their instruments as maintained by master tuner Bertram “Birch” Kelman - was nullified by the sound system. It added nothing but noise and distortion; (ironically Sonatas was initially left off of the promoters’ 2011 NY panorama DVD - talk about things that make you go ‘hmmmmmmmm’).

This was not to be the defending champions’ night - no three-peat - no victory dance tonight.

D’Radoes Steel Orchestra on stage for NY Panorama 2011

D’Radoes Steel Orchestra - always a group you never take lightly; if they bring it all to together it could be ‘lights out’ for others in the competition.  D’Radoes’ captain Junior “Mann” Samuel is one of the nicest people in Pan, but no one should mistake his quiet demeanor for a lack of a desire to win, or as an inability to make moves to put D’Radoes on the winners’ row.  “Mann” brought in Terrance “BJ” Marcelle to lead the charge in 2011.  And deliver the goods “BJ” did.  D’Radoes came in third in this year’s competition.

CASYM on stage for the 2011 NY Panorama

It was a foregone conclusion that CASYM was going to come real hard this year.  CASYM is a musical force to be reckoned with at any panorama. They have placed in the top three in eight of their last nine panorama entries, including their 2006 championship.  The moment one heard “Doh Be On Dat” you knew this was the tune for CASYM and Arddin was going to work it.  It fit them like a glove.  Energetic, performance-oriented and battle-tested CASYM, led by arranger Arddin Herbert, came into this contest with one goal only - the championship. They, too, were affected by the sound system, but they were also large enough (100 players) to overcome the negative challenges of the sound system.  It was a close finish. CASYM just could not put itself out front far enough, to not be caught by the eventual winners ADLIB Steel Orchestra.

Members of ADLIB Steel Orchestra celebrate their 2011 NY Panorama championship on the stage

The night, and by extension, 2011, belonged to ADLIB and Andre White. The Long Islanders who always feel like second-class citizens in Brooklyn are the toast of the town.  With their second championship in their last four attempts, sandwiched between two second ‘placings’ - be assured that ADLIB is for real.  Their rendition of Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s “Do Something for Pan” captured the imagination of the crowd and garnered enough music collateral with the judges to translate into a well-deserved win.

REview

Note: The video links provided are from YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook posts of the Panorama. They are provided simply to afford the reader a visual understanding of the event.  Basement Recordings/PanOnTheNet/When Steel Talks – is in no way affiliated with WIADCA’s New York Panorama, its production, its sound system, the DVD - or any other related product.

New York Pan Stars on stage for the 2011 NY Panorama show New York Pan Stars  (East Flatbush/ Avenue D):  Leading off the show, they were supposed to be the guest artist band and serve as a warm-up to the audience.  What they really became was the sacrificial lamb.  The sound system brutalized them. NY Pan Stars is one of the best-sounding groups in NY with instruments tuned by Guppy Brown and “Birch” Kelman.  They have impeccable sounding instruments and very good players.  It was really sad to hear this group reduced to extremely loud tin cans with an ‘over-miced’ drum kit.   A golden opportunity for the uninitiated in steelpan music to experience a different side of Pan was lost. Sesame Flyers on stage for the 2011 NY Panorama Sesame Flyers  (East  Flatbush/ E 42nd Street):  A late entry into the competition, the group therefore was relegated the lead position for the competing orchestras.  Led by the indomitable spirit and talent of arranger Freddie Harris, III - a simply military strategy was enacted - scorched earth.  Take ‘advantage’ of the stage as their song suggested - leave nothing standing after their performance - the panorama would end right there and Sesame would be awarded champs.  It almost worked.  Immediately after Sesame Flyers concluded their performance, an emergency call was put out over the speakers for the carpenters. The panorama was delayed by NYPD (New York Police Department) until they could fix the stage.  Unfortunately for Sesame they did fix the stage well enough to continue the panorama.  But seriously, Freddie did a great job with the limited time and player resources afforded him.  Sesame Flyers definitely had the panorama spirit. click to see Sesame Flyers panorama video performance Boston Metro Steel Orchestra on stage for NY Panorama 2011 Boston Metro  (Boston/ Baird Street) was up next and the sound ‘devils’ gave them the treatment from hell.  At their size they didn’t stand a chance.  If you were present at J’Ouvert you really got chance to hear what the orchestra sounded like.   They were one of the great-sounding bands on the road. click to see Boston Metro’s panorama video performance   Sonatas  (Crown Heights/ Sterling Place) - Sonatas is a class organization with lots of achievements. They are one of the great community-based musical franchises in America.  Their fourth position placing in this year’s competition is an aberration.  Sometimes you can do everything right and still not come home with a trophy.  Their owning the record of the most panorama wins in New York history is not by luck.  This is the first time in the Yohan Popwell era (eight years) that they have not placed in the top three.  Musically, this year’s tune of choice “It’s Showtime” -  while obviously thematically and dramatically perfect for Sonatas - may have handcuffed Popwell’s creativity because of its great similarity to last year’s tune “Battle Zone” - written by the same composers.  A ten-point difference between Sonatas and the winning score is a lot - particularly for a group which has been together for years, and is used to out-distancing the competition. Then again, the sound system was awful.  And it is in large part what the judges hear, and adjudicate. click to see Sonatas panorama video performance   Arranger “BJ” Marcelle on stage with D’Radoes Steel Orchestra D’Radoes  (East Flatbush/ Ralph Avenue) - One had to know there was going to be something different about D’Radoes this year, when their arranger told WST (When Steel Talks) with two weeks to go, that they had already finished the tune.  That has to be a first and a record for D’Radoes.  They delivered a rousing interpretation of “Trini” that connected with the audience.  Though this was the maiden voyage for arranger  Terrance “BJ” Marcelle in NY, he seemed very comfortable at the helm of D’Radoes.  As fate would have it D’Radoes caught, and passed, Sonatas with their performance to secure the third place.  They didn’t seem as ill-affected by the sound system as the other groups.  This was probably due to the way they set up on stage.  Setups can differ for individual steel orchestras, along with the showcasing of the miscellaneous voices of instruments, which themselves can vary from band to band.  In any regard, in a town that is very hard on rookie NY panorama arrangers, “BJ” did exceptionally well.  D’Radoes broke up the virtual lock that the big three (CASYM, Sonatas and ADLIB) have had on the top positions since 2007.  Dressed in the national colors (red, white and black) of Trinidad and Tobago - pans and all, D’Radoes looked good.  The panorama DVD does no justice to the work of “BJ” and how D’Radoes actually sounded.  No arranger has made it past one year at the helm since the late Clive Bradley was in musical command of D’Radoes.  It might be safe to assume “BJ” will be around for awhile. click to see D’Radoes panorama video performance CrossFire Steel Orchestra on stage for the NY Panorama CrossFire  (East Flatbush/ Utica Avenue) - Up next was CrossFire who could not escape the ills of the sound system simply because of their size.  It was pretty bad on them.  I doubt the crowd was able to hear the finer details that arranger Leon “Foster” Thomas skillfully embedded in his arrangement of “Trini.”  If you visited CrossFire’s yard or caught them during their warm-up  - you quickly realized that Thomas is a deep thinker.  He has his own voice/style and knows what he is doing.  It’s not all about wine and jump for him.  Like many of the great ones there are multiple levels and layers of music and rhythmic activity taking place.  It is for the listener to find his level of engagement.  Foster is very conscious of the importance of story-telling to the theme of the song.  CrossFire is again another of the New York groups with awesome sounding instruments that was brutalized by the sound system.  With top-notch tuners like Roland Harrigin and Emmanuel “Jack” Riley, it is a shame that the audience did not get to experience the sonic prowess of CrossFire; that was criminal.  Manager Douglas Martin has really invested in securing quality instruments for the orchestra.  Visually CrossFire looked spectacular.  Every year the band is right up there with the best-dressed for panorama. click to see Crossfire panorama video performance Pantonic Steel Orchestra on stage for the NY Panorama Pantonic  (East Flatbush/ Albermarle Road) - These very young Tonic players were very impressive this year.   The commitment of Pantonic’s management to youth development has paid off royally.  They showed much poise and growth. The successful transition, rebuilding and re-tooling  of the group continues.  They are learning how to become champions by the veteran players around them.  Pantonic may no longer be the juggernaut that once made others quake at the mere mention of their name, but anyone who experiences the enthusiasm and commitment of the group can see that it  will be a relatively short time before they are back in contention.  They are a talented and fun bunch.  Some of these young people will clearly be major players in the steelpan music arena.  Also, they were phenomenal on J’Ouvert morning.  They had the largest band on the road.  Like the Energizer battery bunny, they just kept on playing.  To leave a panyard with this number of instruments for J’Ouvert took a conscious decision, and knowledge that there would be players to fill the racks - and play on the route.  It says a lot about the management of the band, and commitment of this group of players.  Keith Roberts, the person who carries the weight of replacing master arranger Clive Bradley - seemed very comfortable and relaxed with the current situation and group.  As the players continue to grow with Roberts look for good things. The orchestra had also been left off of the 2011 panorama DVD for some unknown reason.  Of course Pantonic management always has the group looking first-rate.  This year was no exception. click to see Pantonic’s panorama video performance CASYM Steel Orchestra on stage for the NY Panorama; arranger Arddin Herbert is at left CASYM  (East Flatbush/ Church Avenue) - While the group has been around long enough to deal with adversity and panorama disappointments, the 2011 results were not what CASYM had in mind when they entered this season.  Nothing short of a NY title would suffice.   CASYM gave a great performance.  Dressed like saga boys (and girls) with blue tops, white slacks and white dress caps, CASYM delivered their typical, high energy and engaging routine.  Only 1.5 points separated them and the winners.  In its last six panorama entrees CASYM has only crossed the victory line once. Clearly the frustration level is high but CASYM remains one of the top steel orchestras in North America and a true New York gem. click to see CASYM’s panorama video performance Despers USA on stage for the 2011 NY Panorama Despers USA (Bedford Stuyvesant/ Classon Avenue) - No he is not “Odie 1,” at least not yet.  However, like a bunch of Jedi Knights on a musical quest, young arranger Odie Franklin and the young talented bunch of players who are Despers USA will not be denied.  They are on the road to Panorama gold.  There are things that are essential to panorama success that cannot be taught or copied.  Odie Franklin possesses an abundance of these ingredients naturally.  In his debut at the musical helm of Despers USA he more than justified the confidence the players had in him leading the way.  Moreover, Odie is right there with that group of talented young New York arrangers having a significant impact on the  steelpan music world. This year the young Despers were charged, driven and hungry with high expectations. While things didn’t pan out as planned they made a musical statement.  They are a force to reckon with. click to see Despers USA’s panorama video performance ADLIB Steel Orchestra on stage at the 2011 NY Panorama ADLIB  (Uniondale/ Nassau Road) - ADLIB is the 2011 New York Panorama champion.  They have felt the agony of defeat in the past and the joy of victory.  While they are young in age they are a veteran crew with many years of experience.  They are a world-class orchestra and a fitting testimony to the work and commitment of ADLIB’s management led by Mr. Mayers, “Aunty Jean,” Lisa Mayers and others, when they decided to invest in the development of their community’s youth. The result has been a fine group of young people with impeccable musicianship who have achieved success and are living productive lives - and like all NY orchestras, embrace their culture and the steelpan music art form without compromise. ADLIB has represented Long Island well.  It is their time and they can remain at this level of excellence for an extended period of time as long as they don’t become overly content. In New York panorama you don’t know how to win until you have won it.  ADLIB has figured that out.  It  was not too long ago when WST predicted that ADLIB would be the next Pantonic (next great NY band).   And that fellow ADLIB band members at that time, Andre White and Sade Constantine, would do great things in Pan.  They have not disappointed us. ADLIB’s tune of choice was “Do Something for Pan.”  Their visual stage presentation included pictures of “Giants in Pan” - Rudolph Charles, the late Pat Bishop and Ellie Mannette to name a few.  As always ADLIB looked spiffy. Andre White, their arranger, is at the beginning of his musical journey.  He clearly understands the ‘beast’ that is NY Panorama, all its pitfalls, warts and merits.  Winning panorama is not his biggest challenge - he has already successfully done that - twice, and by age twenty-one.  His biggest challenge is to find ways to continue to grow within the confines of the panorama structure, and not become jaded or complacent.  Moreover his charge is to take panorama music to another level while speaking to his generation in his own voice. click to see ADLIB’s winning performance Harmony on stage for the 2011 NY Panorama Harmony  (Crown Heights/ St. John’s Place) - Dressed in white and yellow for their Panorama night appearance, Harmony has had a busy pre-panorama season, with pan lovers having several opportunities to catch their stage side performances at the band launches.  Closing the evening’s performances is the wish of almost every competing panorama band, and Harmony had the luck of the draw this year, playing in that coveted ‘final spot’ position.  The band was smaller than in recent years, but still managed to make their way to the stage with an Eddison Quarless arrangement of “Calling Meh.” click to see Harmony’s panorama video performance

Da Devil(s) & the Sound
Nothing kills good music like bad sound. And there was plenty to go around at this 2011 panorama. It is believed by many that the sound reinforcement team had to have parachuted in from Hell, or bored upwards themselves from ‘the underworld’ just in time for panorama.  Nah - it’s almost the same devils every year with the same disparaging mindset toward the steelpan instrument, orchestras and Pan community.  The devils are just worse some years than others.  This was one of those real bad years.  When we saw the engineer put a Shure SM 57 Microphone on a bass Pan we knew immediately they had bad intentions for this panorama.  Sonic hell was about to be visited upon NY Panorama 2011. “This Is How We Do It” - is not one of the songs that comes to mind when one sees these guys at work.  In all fairness to these devils they never said they like Pan, respect Pan, or know the first about live sound reinforcement for Panorama.  They never even said they were good.  All that is a surety is they, or their ilk, keep getting called back to do the same horrendous job year after year.  But at a ticket price of $45:00 one would expect, and is entitled to - better.

One thing I’ll say about these devils:  they spread the ‘torture’ around equally. They affected all the bands - some, because of their size, were affected more than others. The end result is no orchestra escaped being adversely affected through their ‘system.’

In addition, they touched all the attendees equally.  And that includes the promoters’ guests.  It was really funny to see some of the guests give that face of biting into a lemon when the sound system really got going.  LMAO - Let’s hear it for Una Clarke and her daughter congresswoman Yvette Clark for trying to keep a pleasant face while they were being sonically ‘tortured.’  As one long-time Pan fan said to us - with abject pain on his face - and his hands over his ears: “That stuff sounds horrible.  Who is responsible?”

Da Judges

We look forward to the day when a judge will stand up and say “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more!  There is no way I can do a credible job under these conditions.  Turn the damned sound system off.  These steelpan performing artists deserve better!”

The Off-Ramp

Again - another extraordinary effort by the New York Steel Orchestra franchises, players, tuners, management, supporters and fans from all over the world. Take a bow. Only the United Nations can probably boast of having so many different flags of different represented countries of their membership, hanging from their terrace like those in the New York panyards.  Pan is a global experience.

A very intelligent Pan man once said that all the Pan community requires for a great Panorama is a very large stage where the bands can maneuver with ease, fair and competent judging and good sound.  It would be nice to have those, and also see proper compensation for their efforts.  What do you think?

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