It is no secret that many of us would like to see a return to a strong participation by steelbands in all aspects of Trinidad's Carnival , including a major role in providing music for the carnival parade.
Such activities , however would take a lot of work and planning .
This is not the nineteen-sixties or seventies , and anything less than a professional approach will not be acceptable.
My question is a hypothetical , but gets to the root of the matter.
Suppose by some miracle band leaders were to turn to steelbands to provide music for masqueraders as an alternative to the djs , would the steelbands of today be capable of accepting such roles ?
And I'm not talking about a few pans on trucks, played by kids.
I'm talking about two days of music .probably done in shifts, by steelbands large and powerful enough, with a musical repertoire to satisfy the needs of the mas playing public.
This is not charity , people , no one will just tolerate a substandard performance by steelbands just because it is "we culture" .
The bands will have to produce.
I think that only a few bands may be able to handle this , and we know the names , but I certainly would like to be proved wrong.
Because , like I said , it will take real work , planning , and imagination.
And a refocussing of the steelband , arrangers and players on an entirely different musical format for carnival , geared towards partying , not competition.
It is also probably why many would just as soon ignore the Carnival parade entirely , and just wait for that panorama check.
Please , please tell me where I'm wrong people. !
This is one instance where I sincerely hope that I am.
Replies
London Gabriel, the answer is not putting the steelband on the road with mas bands, they have to create a Carnival for the steelbands away from the DJs.
What is pan on the ave it just dont have mass
Bro. Pan on the Avenue is not Carnival.
Well pan on the road would be good but can the bands really cover the sizes of some these bands they have now,
I for one always said after jouvert I would not put a band on the road for carnival and this is why bands I play for the people sacrifice all fetes to practice and if they do go one party and miss a practice band leaders want to cut them or penalize them, but players do have a life also,
Now carnival monday and tuesday is the only time dem players will get to go and enjoy whats left of carnival.
And yes I hear nuff players say that and also some players who dont play some years simply they want to take in some fetes and not have to worry about being put down for going to one.
London: Yuh exposing some "INSIDE ISSUES" -- BRAVO for you!!! The PASSION and ENERGY and HUMAN RESOURCES and FOCUS ON MOVING THE INSTRUMENT FORWARD is long dead and gone!!! That was THEN and this is NOW!!!
The SIXTIES PEOPLE did what they had to do!!! Now let the DEE JAYS and the YOUNG PEOPLE do what they have to do. Even so, this so-called R&B/CALYPSO they trying to sing down there eh working for me AT ALL. And Duvone gone and running down nonsense and putting it in THE PANORAMA.
Ah might as well start following RAP!!!
Claude , yuh know why ah does vex with yuh sometimes ?
Because yuh doh listen.
I'm one of those sixties people yuh talking about , and yuh know what ?
In the sixties , I was liming , partying , and I played mas , played in a combo , a big band ,two steelbands , on the road and even beat pan on Harris Promenade and in St Paul's church.
And yet I've said I probably would not be in a steelband today because panorama is too demanding , and would prevent me from enjoying other aspects of Carnival.
So doh be throwing words at we old people , some of us are probably in a better position to understand what is going on than even you out dey on de left coast !
you hit it right, that is what most players I have spoken to have been saying, not that they dont enjoy it but its a lot of time.
Now we tend to say pan is dying young people not playing etc, but most of the songs I see they post on when steel talks for panorama 2018 if I was an arranger I would pick them.
Now trying to keep young people in to the pan its give an take you have to play songs they know and what your audience can relate to and sing along to. Not what our parents listen too,
All my years of playing pan my grand mother never came to a panorama she say dont understand and cant sing along, they had a gospel concert and she went and she say it was lovely she knew what was being played.
What does Duvone have to do with whats going on in pan
Sometimes we should really talk to the players to get their take on what is going on and what it would take for them to play on the road or do certain task,
One thing I do is what ever band I go to I talk to everyone and observe things thats going on.
Claude, I've told you before the only place pan in the Mecca has to go is back on the road and if they were going to use the electronic version the group Dr Copeland had/ have would have been leading the way, I don't hear to much about them today.
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