Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - As the unmistakable sound of pan continues to spread across the farthest reaches of the globe, it is perhaps worth pausing to take stock of these early pan pioneers. Beyond the members of Taspo and the various national steelbands, the stories of many early pan pioneers have not been told. Ironically, these lesser-known pan pioneers are responsible for taking pan worldwide.
Every year at Notting Hill Carnival, you’ll see one such early pan pioneer. A small man with a big smile, a panman, the scratcherman for Nostalgia, that’s Cyril Khamai, a quiet man with a gentle presence. Pan has played an integral part of Khamai’s life since he was a child in Trinidad. Chasing a dream, Khamai went to the UK in 1957 and has been playing, building, tuning, and teaching pan in his new home ever since. Beyond the UK, he has travelled the globe from Russia to Hong Kong and all over Europe, playing pan with a number of different bands.
Khamai started playing pan with the Free French Steelband in San Fernando, whose leader at the time was Theo Stephens, who had been a member of Taspo.
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