A Christmas with solar lights for a pan tuner’s home through the work of Pan Moving Forward.
Hasely Crawford, Gold, was playing on the pan as a thank you to the Pan Moving Forward (PMF) team for ensuring that tuner, Felix Clarke, got lights this Christmas. He said, ‘I feel like I won gold today’ and he prays that God blesses and continues to bless the members of PMF for the good work they have been doing for the steel pan movement during this period.
Felix Clarke, originally from Point Fortin, learned to tune as a boy by observing the late great Allan Gervais. He recalled he was not old enough to be taken seriously by Mr. Gervais but because of Mr. Clarke’s passion, he started bringing notes into grapefruit juice and oil tins. He continued following his passion for tuning and has had a lifelong relationship with the steelpan.
As a young adult, he founded La Romain Super Vibes Steel Orchestra. Picked the name, tuned the pans and arranged the music. He later travelled to Canada in 1981 with Buccooneers Steel Orchestra as he served as their tuner. In 1989 he travelled to Pyongyang, North Korea with Brother Resistance and a group of musicians as an arranger/performer to the group which represented Trinidad in the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. He tuned for steel bands like Third World, Free French, West Stars, Harmonites, just to name a few. However, his standout project was at Casa Blanca’s pan yard and his involvement with the Jomoline Pan, which made the Guinness book of world records as the largest steel pan in the world. Jomo Wahtuse was not a tuner so he turned to Vernon ‘Birdie’ Mannette who tuned the first Jomoline pan and then to Mr. Clarke for improvement on the clarity of the notes for the second pan.
Mr. Clarke is currently building his home in Morvant. After seeing on social media that PMF lit up the Brazil RX 4 steelband’s pan yard with solar lights, he reached out to PMF’s education officer, Mr. Lesedie Felix. Mr. Lesedie Felix was also a student of Mr. Clarke. PMF assessed what was needed and worked with the funds Mr. Clarke had, to ensure his home was powered. Mr. Clarke’s main concerns were depending on the neighbour to charge his phone and working on his tuning craft after the sun sets. Mr. Clarke said he is very impressed with the group’s (PMF) ability to deliver and he would literally have a bright Christmas because of the PMF and their solar drive.
The same day PMF lit Mr. Clarke’s home, the pan movement lost the great innovator, Dr. Anthony Williams. PMF expressed condolences to the steel band world and to his family. PMF has a growing concern with the way our elders and unsung heroes in pan are being treated. Preservation of our history and by extension the makers of that history is non-existent at this time. It is not good enough to wait until our pioneers die to make a speech and donate trinkets to their funeral costs. The pan movement must do better. The elders may not always need money but the support to make what they have to do. Attention must be given to them as they were the ones who paved the way for not only the instrument but also the people that make a livelihood from it.
PMF takes this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.
Aquil Arrindell
President of Pan Moving Forward
Replies
This is one of the MOST SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENTS in the HISTORY OF THE STEELBAND. And nobody eh BEGGING THE PNM GOVERNMENT FOR MONEY to implement and FORWARD this PROJECT -- like the GIMME GIMME WORLD OF STEELBAND.
But everybody so busy KISSING UP TO BEVERLEY for THE NEXT GIMME GIMME -- that they are scared to BREAK RANKS and give CREDIT where CREDIT is DUE.
WE are MOVING PAN FORWARD with THIS PROJECT ... YES, MR. AQUIL!!! YOU and FUAD are TWO STEELBAND VISIONARIES and you all are not there TO PIMP THE PAN like others!!!
AQUIL, BOY!!!
I want to be involved in that PROJECT, BOY. Call meh nah ah want to SPONSOR some LIGHTS in ah house or ah PAN YARD. Me eh like dem other EXPATS and DEM who does boast about how much DEY LOVE PAN but will not put up a BLACK PENNY to support the cause -- yuh know.
Even though I eh DAT BIG on the QUALITY OF PAN MUSIC I does be hearing -- i am still DOWN WITH THE CAUSE. Especially since PAN TRINBAGO (and BEVERLEY) eh doing nothing to PROMOTE PAN or HELP PAN MEN.
AH REALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS PROGRAM -- allyuh done do THREE ALREADY.
AH want ONE UNDER MY NAME -- CALL ME AQUIL, CALL MEH!!!
Ah making ah contribution (SPONSORSHIP) under the name of CLAUDE GONZALES and WHEN STEEL TALKS ... anytime yuh ready!!!
AA! Mr Claude, you asking people to call you? I thought you does only use email.
Merry Christmas to you Mr. Claude and to my WST family. Special Season's Greetings to the WST administrators. Continue doing your good work. We would be happy to do a project under the banner of WST and Claude Gonzales. Special thanks to Mr Claude Gonzales for always being willing to put his money where his mouth is. Although he professed to dislike steelpan music and only loves calypso, his actions and donations say contrary. Enjoy the day and let us make 2022 one to remember.