It has suddenly occurred to me that the biggest difference between pan tunes of today and those of yesteryear is not about the music , but the story.
Great panorama selections of the past were all arrangements of calypso music that told stories we knew , stories that , consciously or unconsciously were in our minds as we listened to the music.
Because it was both the story and the music that made the tune memorable.
Which is why Kitchener was so great ; all his calypsos told stories , and the arranger tried to convey his impression of the story via the music.
In Bradley's arrangement of Blue Boy's Rebecca for instance, you could almost visualize Rebecca in the mind's eye as you listened to the music, as " she was dancing around in a circle , she was high , high , high".
Similarly , listening to "The Jammer" today you realize that Bradley's arrangement may be one of the sweetest jams ever heard in a panorama piece.
He deliberately chose a style and tempo to evoke a feeling of the jam.
And don't tell me that Boogsie's "Birthday Party" didn't make you think of a joyful birthday celebration!
A good example for today is All Stars winner , Full Extreme's " We Jammin' still".
This song appealed to specific emotions , that were evoked even by the simple expression "We Jammin' still".
Today's pan tunes could almost be generated by computer ; technically sound music with rhythm and tempo , but with little appeal to one's emotions , and therefore easily forgotten.
Over fifty years ago , Desperadoes won the panorama with a tune called Obeah Wedding ("Melda") .
To this day I remember the arrangement , because whenever I think of that tune , I think of Sparrows lyrics , the story he told , coupled with Beverly Griffith's classic arrangement.
Ask me to hum the melody of Despers last panorama winning arrangement "Different Me" , and to tell the story behind the song and , to be honest , I haven't a clue.
Replies
Very true, GRJ! I endorse those points wholeheartedly. Pan music at Panorama has to be a intelligible social, historical and traditional performance, like Carnival (all tho beads, feathers and naked bodies have overridden that idea) which must feel touchable, not alien to the community that it fades from a person's memory quickly.
The lack of meaningful content is a major problem with all calypso today, with rare exceptions. I'm not sure whether this is because no one is writing meaningful, story telling, calypsos, or whether the population/DJs/etc. aren't listening to them.
Good points Glenroy
We have to stop using the term "Pan Tunes" or "Pan Songs" . This has limited the intention of the musical instrument -the steel pan. The original intention of the instrument is that it can play any genre of music. It can play European classical music to Jazz, to Pop to Rock n Roll to Rock, Reggae music anything can be played on it.
Agreed that there developed a Panorama music which was composed by existing Calypso singers through the years. That was interpreted as "Pan Tunes" because of the use of many chord changes in the music and a story line connected to the Panorama event in some way. Before that, songs by very early calypsonians were played by the steel bands at carnival time and at the early Panoramas. They were not specifically written for the pan in mind and just for the Panorama event and after that the so-called "Pan Tune" dies a natural death. No one plays it throughout the year. That's actually no good for the steel bands as well. This is one of the reasons steel bands Panorama songs are not played on TV or Radio during the year. Again no good for the steel band art form.
Within recent years some of the younger Soca singers were asked to sing or composed songs specifically for bands and so they came up with their story telling and their musical genre and composed. Even that has now come to an end.
It's back to what it used to be. The whole thing has revolved full circle. Singers sing and compose what they wish and steel bands and conventional bands choose songs according to their specific liking. They are not "Pan Tunes" or "Panorama Tunes". Therefore people who still refer songs as "Pan Tunes" once a steel band plays it for Panorama have not understood the important revolution, the important revolt. With revolting nothing can change. Revolution does not mean violence. Revolution means something can be revolved or evolved in order to come up with new ideas, new creations etc. So revolution was needed, in that the Soca singers now ruling the roost both at carnivals in T&T and elsewhere and during the year at parties and jams as well all over the globe, can write their songs as they wish. Some songs can have a story line, some have no real story line as such but their music sells the best ever in the history of T&T music. It sells internationally as well. We really should be asking why is this and why calypso never really enjoyed such international recognition, which is also very important for our music industry. Then it opens up a whole new financial market for our artistes including steel bands.
We should not really waste time again to compare old calypsos which served everyone well at that time with the Soca music of today. One of the main reasons Calypso never made it really into the real music industry is that it was still to folk music and was associated with only a specific time-namely T&T carnival and so others across the globe. It sold a few records for those purposes. The Soca music because it has reduced its folk aspect and increased its more commercial aspect may and will stand a better chance to increase into the real music industry.That is happening more and more now.
It is for these reasons I try to point out that we should not criticize the present format of Soca music whether they tell a Panorama or Carnival or T&T folk or news story line. Such lyrics wont exactly help spread our music or steel bands as well. The more commercial the music becomes the higher the possibility for that. We should not be afraid of making millions of dollars. Guys like Bungi Garlin and Marchel Montano has captured that understanding.
So while they make music for carnival, the other songs they make can also be sold internationally. The steel bands of today are made up of followers of Soca artistes. They love their music. we must understand this. Some of us cannot remain out of T&T and see exactly what is going on. You have to be here to read the lines of revolution. How the steel band and its players are revolving and evolving.
Then it also brings into question why the steel bands cannot return to the present 21st century carnival. It cannot really except if it has its own electronically advanced instruments as well that can also mix in with other electronic instruments. That time is also nigh. And there you have the re-emergence of the T&T sound masters both the steel panists and the conventional instrumentalists merging together.
I have personally given how electronics of the steel pan can sound with other electronic musical instruments time and time again. There is really in my opinion no reason or excuse for the two types of musical instruments merging now the steel bands through their young generation players are demanding they play the Soca songs. I find it a great revolution on their part. Then the culture can go on and on. Guys there is nothing more to come from calypso as we knew it. De MarshGra now tells that story. We have to finally accept that end point. Once we do we can begin to bless the youngsters. Not curse or condemn them or criticize them on their efforts to promote T&T music industry on the whole.
Mighty Sparrow - Melda [1966]
Desperadoes- Sparrow's" Melda".Panorama winner 1966
Happy New Year G
Very true Glenroy. I could not have said it better myself. Something I tried to point out in the forum thread. https://whensteeltalks.ning.com/forum/topics/this-is-the-song-that-s....
It seams Sidd is adamant I should not judge modern arrangements and performances. But I'm human so I will continue to judge and be judgmental.
It appears to me that the young ones are very defensive when criticism is directed at anything they do. But if one is averse to constructive criticism then improvement will be non existent.
One performance I still play frequently on the way to work is Raindrops on my Pan by Hatters. Absolutely beautiful to my mind and like Melda very memorable.
Randi
Randi , I will repeat what I said on another forum.
Whenever I make a critique on modern music , it always seems to turn into a talk about " nostalgia" and "old people".
May I say that my critique was about pan tunes , not today's party music in general. That would be another discussion.
I cited the example of "We Jammin still" as a tune that said something memorable.
If I remember correctly ( since I'm old ) , that was last year..
In the last few years there have been several tunes (like Trini , Town ting etc. ) that were also memorable because they had a point of view.
I am merely commenting on pan tunes that seem to come off a computer driven musical production line , say nothing and are quickly forgotten.
A favorite of mine...
Wayne Rodriguez