Expats living in foreign see the Potential for Pan and how far it could reach Globally and Locals appears to be waiting for it to be done by a foreign Country which they are already doing. If Mr. Claude Gonzales was ah Local instead of an Expat living in Foreign, what advise, ideas and help would he offer to the PAN FRATERNITY. e .

You need to be a member of When Steel Talks to add comments!

Join When Steel Talks

Votes: 0
Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • This is one of the reasons that I'm glad to see bands such as Pan Fantasy and Salah's Pan Academy from Canada, enter into the Panorama and other shows in T&T. We as Xpats have to lead the way in showing the Locals that we are surviving and carrying the pan movement in foreign to new heights. As the saying goes, " if you build it, they will come" If we continue to show that pan is alive and doing well in other countries, maybe someone will sit up and take notice. I remember a time when a steelband would be sent by the T&T authorities to tour the foreign lands, play in the steelband festivals or put on performances to show the Xpats where pan is in T&T, but now all we have is news of bickering and in fighting between the Pan authorities and the players. It's time for PanTrinbago to put their house in order and show the world what a unique instrument we have, and show it proudly. The Xpats are out here trying to do their part, what is the " World Governing Body for Pan" doing to help their cause....

    • Jerry: You just hit on a point I have been thinking about. The more STEELBAND proliferates globally, the less need for countries to bring STEELBANDS from Trinidad to perform. For the most part a STEELBAND is a STEELBAND to the outside world!!!

      EXPATS have done MORE THAN THEIR PART with ZERO RECOGNITION from TRINIDAD!!!

      • Since I left Trinidad, my mission was to spread the word of pan.

        I left Trinidad with a tenor pan,double-second and a Dup-Doup.

        Taught two persons in Tasmania and immediately had a jingle for Kingstown Shopping Centre.

        I left Tasmania to Canberra and had another Jingle for Canberra Shopping Centre. Played all over NSW's with  a band called Caribbean Carnival. Also with my own band Called Calypso Pan-tas-tic. Today, although I am semi retired I manage atlas to help get together to a Ten piece Group called The Groove Warehouse Steel band. I am now 80yrs old but still hope my group to come home and show off the promotions of pan Overseas boosting the the culture of my Country Trinidad.

        These are the things we all expats do for our Country Trinidad. Courtney Leiba

        • BEAUTIFUL COURTNEY!!! BEAUTIFUL STORY!!!

    • Pan Fantasy - Unforgettable

      2016 New York Panorama
      arranged by Al "Allos" Foster

      Pan Fantasy - Lucy

      2015 International Steelband Panorama

    • All the Steelband has is Panorama so this is as far as they reach everywhere, they need  development outside panorama.

  • Earl Richards, you are putting me on the spot to explain this whole thing. It is a mindset thing!!! If you live your life in Trinidad you see PAN through one lens and if you live in foreign and supported the instrument in foreign (and I don't mean hustled the instrument for a living in foreign) and had the time and the disposition to see the potential of the music (if done right) then you develop another mindset. I will always believe that there is a GLOBAL MARKET for PAN MUSIC based on my exposure to radio and television and live PAN performances and the acceptance of the instrument by a decent size of the public in FOREIGN. Had I lived my life in Trinidad I could not come to the same conclusion.

    Now, Trinidad has the best PAN PLAYERS in the WORLD so it is logical to assume that they should be providing PAN MUSIC to the world -- but therin lies the problem. If you don't live in FOREIGN and understand the FOREIGN EARS -- then you cannot MAKE MUSIC FOR FOREIGN. And I don't think that the LOCALS will ever get that.

    So I always call for collaboration between LOCALS and EXPATS if we want to do what we should be doing with the music. But that is a voice crying in the wilderness because you cannot tell the LOCALS that they need help in producing their own music. You are insulting them. But the problem is that technology has changed the whole music equation. INDIGISOUNDS has let the cat out of the bag in much the same way that so many of our students have just come here to go to school and given away so much of the information that people who have never been to Trinidad could write best selling books about PAN -- but that is another dicussion. I like to stay with the PAN MUSIC issue on this forum because that is the aspect of the game that I am most passionate about and could probably make the best contributiuon to. I just happen to believe that I know how Americans want to hear PAN MUSIC presented. We all have our avenues of conviction and that is mine when it comes to PAN MUSIC for the GLOBAL MARKET. 

    (It is interesting to see that BRENDA HOSANG jumped into this discussion because a long time ago I realized that she and I have had similar experiences and probably learned some of the same things about the potential of the music because we both have spent time and money and energy supporting and promoting and observing PAN MUSIC (she on the East Coast and me on the West Coast).  Maybe BRENDA could come on the forum one day and tell us some of her stories because I know that she has many!!! The experience is not just limited to those who played the pan!!!)

    To be honest, I don't really care WHO makes the BREAKTHROUGH with PAN MUSIC in the long run. White, Asian, African American, European. I just want to hear some WELL-RECORDED PAN MUSIC that MOVES ME. And I just want to hear the music on radio and TV and to read reviews in magazines about the music.  But LOCALS made the invention and LOCALS mastered the INSTRUMENTS and LOCALS paid the price and LOCALS burn with desire to get the MUSIC out and benefit from it. So i keep coming on this forum and pushing for the PAN MUSIC just like Cecil keeps pushing for PAN ON THE ROAD and the DRAG -- ROLLING ON THE GROUND.

    I live with the belief that you become a product of your environment although a lot of people argue differently!!!

    • We see the success of collaboration between the LOCALS and EXPATS when it comes to playing and producing Mas in All Stars on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, The Locals have their sections and the Expats comes with their sections and form one successful large costume band. So why the same Collaboration between Locals and Expats cannot be done with Pan Music. As they say one hand don't clap.  Hope to see more postings from BRENDA HOSANG about her experiences in PAN.

  • Claude already talking himself blue in the face. So much information, tips, know-how, etc but it seems that the locals expecting everything to be done and then while they sit, a golden tray will land in their lap.
    The more he talks, the more they don't take heed.
    Brenda H.
This reply was deleted.