Congrats Odie Franklin, well done kiddo I am a fan,besides a few ensemble problems, great attempt for your experience you've earned and A, very entertaining piece,and good variety, I wish I could say same for all the bands, by the way congratulations also to Leon Foster you are growing up, and I can hear it in your efforts, I must express my dissapointments, in the majority of performances though and the overall approach to the presentations, right after the results the DJ played the All Stars version of scrunter's "Woman on the bass" and it was a treat still after 32years, there was nothing close to that not even from All stars themselves with their winning arrangement
It seems that the trend today is to play meaningless lines and runs, that makes little and no connections to the song, and the music has no breathing space to allow the audience to savour its sweetness, after the DJ plays the song there is a lul when the band comes on in the old days the DJ was only a warm up to the main course now the calypso is more entertaining than the pan, I found my self dancing when the DJ plays and look around and I am not alone then the band plays and everything gets quiet, why I mentioned Odie; well after the DJ played the audience was on their toes as the band striked up, that is good, then D'Radoes came the DJ played and the house came down, no surprise of the quick count after hearing a lot of grumbling when the band was comming in bout how the count was too slow, after the DJ stopped the quickness of that "killer" hook line "baccahnal! Baccahanal!" went by without any response from the crowd, the lack of frenzy was not there, this is a "rebecca" like song and at the end the audience were still glued to their chairs.
All I have been hearing for some years now is runs and runs, no breathing space, no show stoppers, what's up with the music, some of the same arrangers who had us on our toes dancing singing humming, just making noise, yes and the pans is much sweeter but the sweetness used to be in the playing and the arrangements, why I like Odie, he is trying to get our attention, give him time he will figure out the ensemble issues and good luck for next year dude
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To all who like to hear the chromatic scale in a panorama tune let me tell you from now, I aint too sure yuh go get that from Ray and Andy in 2013 but I guarantee you beautiful music.
Some arrangers stay with the Chromatic scale to be safe so they will never be wrong and some arrangers copy that style to be copy cat. Now Andy and Ray gives you music where you find yourself folding your hands and listen and say to yourself, THAT IS MUSIC.But Panorama music is not easy to arrange, you have to give the judges what they want to hear and you have to rough it up, if you play nice music and don't rough it up, you can't win. That is Panorama music, different from Festival misic.
Bede, It's the same "roughin-up" that have we where we are today. Over the years we have been gettin desensitize to good music, now we end up wid an shit-fest people want to know wah happen. I know that Zanda, Ray and Andy just puttin down good music, Boogsie too change up he style last year, this is what all arrangers have to do, forget about the judges and everyone else and just put down good music.
Ah know people go say money talks but when yuh sell yuh soul to the devil yuh end up wid nothing.
Andre, I could see that this will have varied opinions and cross talk which I am not getting into as there will be no winners with opinions flying left, right and centre, but I 'm curious to know from what year did you start your panorama research to come up with Archbishop of Pan being the best re melodious and telling a story. Yes I agree it is very good and does that, but from the files of "D Brados" Pan In harmony (1976) Ray Holman Queen of the bands(1971) and a few by Earl Rodney from 1968 to 1974, they will but "D Bishop" to bed.
This is no guessing game about where the steelpan reach, it reach, pan trinbago through WST have to get on board and tell the world what is happening in pan country through out the year, continue putting on pan events, the public is ready to support pan events.
SteelFestTT was put together by a board headed by its Chairman, Maureen Manchouck and sponsored by The National Gas Co. of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd this would be an annual event. NAPA and the Little Carib Theatre would see new faces promoting pan shows.
For the last four years I research the steelpan as a business, 2012 is where the steelpan business peak hotels, car rental, food venders, liming on the avenue, souvenir, t-shirt venders, tuners, builder, helpers, lighting, stage, pay-per-view, and many, many more business involved are doing a thriving business.
Who have the vision in T&T would share in the spoils of the steelpan business because it is taking off...
Glenroy, this is the PAN model I envision from the year 2012. Panorama has it fixed date Carnival Saturday night, panorama today is a show, SteelFest will be an annual 2 weeks steelpan festival with our world-class steel orchestras play alongside renowned percussionist groups fron Brazil, China, Cuba and India - This is a huge tourism project on-board. Pan Jazz Tobago, and many more pan events.
For the last couple years more and more steelbands are on the road playing mas, ariapita avenue have monday night steelband mas, no DJ
Pan lovers in Trinbago have pan events every month, on the 23rd September 2012 Pan and Floats around the savannah, on 29th September 2012 Youth Pan Day at the paddock in the savannah
Also the 6 large steelbands in port of spain and woodbrook playboyz rotate events all year around. Trinidad & Tobago are lapping-up pan and supporting pan events. All these events would be annual
Andre, all that activity for steelbands is good but the big picture is having all steelbands on the road for carnival sharing in spoils that carnival bring.
The response to this posting shows that pan people world wide are concerned about the Panorama and its music .
I think the reason is simple
The Panorama concept has been a major influence in the development of the steelband worldwide, and Panorama music has caught the imagination of pan fans and taken steelband music to its highest heights.
But,for all of the great benefits that resulted from Panorama, not the least of which have been some masterpiece performances through the years, there have also been negative effects which many prefer not to see.
The fact is Panorama only happens to occur at Carnival time, but really is no longer part of the Carnival.
Panorama has taken pan out of Carnival, leaving pan lovers feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied after Carnival
Even the panyard is no longer much fun, with the repetitive practice of one tune, unlike in the early days when on any given practice night bands went through a full repertoire of tunes.
And then there is the dreaded "Dead Panyard Syndrome" which is what happens when a band is knocked out early in the Panorama, and the panyard is virtually dead until the next year.
Panorama music is not Carnival music, since little of it is celebrated on the streets at Carnival.
In fact, I prefer to think of Panorama music as Classical Music for Pan. The complex modern arrangements demand complete attention like classical pieces, and I usually have to listen to a Panorama tune several times to appreciate what the arranger has done.
That is why I have been advocating taking Trinidad's Panorama away from Carnival.
Panorama is a big boy now, and can stand without Carnival.
It can be the centerpiece and climax of a month long pan festival held later in the year.(I would like to see an international Pan Competition including winners from London , New York and the other islands).
Let's give Carnival back to the steelbands so they can take advantage of what should be Prime Time for steelbands, and so they can generate some income.
Bring the bands back on the streets with decent prize money, and encourage them to turn their pan yards into Carnival Pan Theatres. This will encourage them to learn and play real Carnival music, and to rebuild their bases of support.
This will also improve the carnival which has deteriorated into a DJ driven bra and bikini parade.
I might also add that this will give Trinidad steelbands two big festivals to look forward to, Carnival time and Steelband time!
I highly doubt that taking panorama out of carnival is going to magically revitalize pan on the road for carnival. That ship has sailed (some may argue since 1970, even more since 1979) but the truth is that the tastes of young people have moved away from steelband and calypso itself since the "old days" that many on here look back on fondly. The vast majority of music heard Carnival Monday and Tuesday is modern soca which simply does not translate that well to pan, and besides, revellers would rather have their internal organs battered by the wattage of the big truck than chip to steelband. I argue that panorama is actually the remaining sanctuary for the development of steel orchestra as an artistic movement, chromatics or not. The days of Nocturne in E Flat on the road are long gone. Kids don't want to hear classical. They wanna hear "PUMP YUH FLAG".
Noah, Those are the words I been trying to find which equals to my thoughts on Steelband music of today, "MODERN SOCA WHICH SIMPLY DOES NOT TRANSLATE THAT WELL TO PAN" 2 chords, 3 for the most, no sweet melodic lines, but we have to accept it, this is a new world, we cannot change it, it's like the young people style, with their baggy pants hanging off their tail and their drawers showing. THIS IS THE NEW TIMES.
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