It's Broken! Fix It! - Pan & Mas

[Bugs]

The large bikini Mas bands have abandoned the Savanah for the Socadrome. The greatest steel orchestras in the world are playing to an empty Grand Stands at 3:00 am in the morning. And the streets of Port of Spain as Mr. Rubadiri Victor showed are empty on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Maybe this is truly an opportunity for the steelband to go back on the road.

https://whensteeltalks.ning.com/photo/meditation-on-the-traditions-...

[whasi choo quan]

Are you for real.trinidad J'ouvert Cover's San Juan ,arima,chaguanas ,San fernando and other small boroughs and all our big bands come out .government subsidy ,to help associaton and promote tourism.pretty much most of big bands have sponsorship.my best jump for carnival steel band(played in band paparazzi)picture carnival tuesday 5pm,tired,tragrette rd,going home ,up come band playing destra song up tempo marvelous sound.had to back,band you guessed it pamorama winners ,2nd people choice. 2nd bomb,eventual band of year.Trinidad massy all stars .take a leaf from them, spread to other pan people .we gave the world pan.they play pan but we are pan.

[merrytonestothebone]

This year was different though…the competitions organized by PT (on Duke Street) were well patronized…especially Jouvert morning, where 8 Single Pan and 10 Conventional bands performed…it could only get better...

[kentish borde]

Steve it ain't easy but struggle is nothing new to us. Don't give in. The only way Panorama ends is if we .don't play. If that happens it would bring about changes

[Cecil hinkson]

We were NEVER faced with such a situation, the powers that be has ah job cut-out for them, lets see how they handle it.

[orlandoSteve]

Merchant said it my friend, Pan in  Danger. A lot of you Pan lovers are not aware that most of the present Pan players in Trinidad and Tobago no longer plays pan for love of it but for the money. Each pan player is paid the sum of $1000.00 by the Government to play in the Panorama. Peter Ray Blood just wrote and article in the Saturday 14,February edition of the Trinidad Guardian, called the Pest in Panorama. There are a bunch of pan players called crackshots / panhoppers that plays for several bands, at the end of season they can pocket several thousands dollars plus a bonus if they played for a winning band. 

[Glenda Marvray]

That's quite true about the 'panhoppers'. We know of some that play for more than 5 bands. There's no more pan loyalty..just goes to show that 'money talks'!! How do you prevent this? It's so out of control, but realistically, how does this get fixed? If limits could be applied, how will they be enforced? 

[BEDE LOPEZ]

Glenda, That's very difficult to fix since "There is a Shortage of Pan Players in Trinidad".

[orlandoSteve]

No Bede there are no shortage of pan players, things are just disorganize. Too many small bands rules and regulations have to be put in place, more Community Bands needs to be established. Bands have to become more business like, self sufficient operate year round and not for just Panorama. that's how West Side operated when I was part of their management team.

[BEDE LOPEZ]

Jameson, Them days gone Oui, Those days we play Pan for the Love of Pan not the Money 

[VALENTINE YOUNG]

There is not a Shortage of Pan Players at Panorama  contrary to popular beliefs. Panorama Steel bands are Over Subscribed. The Problem is.The Young Pan Players don't Like Playing Pan on the Streets. The Rather the Glam and Glitter of Panorama, their 10 Minutes of Fame.  Every thing has changed from Our time to now. Our Whole Carnival is Taking a Nose Dive. From Panorama - Mas -  Calypsoes even Soca. Thank God that we Grew up in the Golden days of Carnival. Its very Sad to see How our Special Thing Has Regressed. Carnival Now is Like West Indies Cricket, going no way Fast.

[Lilian Sten]

Pan grew out of the communites. These communities have decayeded and degraded, slowly at first, by emigration, rehousing social mobility, recently at an alarming rate through drugs , guns, aids and political manipulations. Still, in the weeks before carnival, when the panyards are in full practice mode, each community regroups and reaffirms, reconnects, re-charges and  a whole lotta other 're-s' to numerous to mention. We come home, from far and near, meet and greet, listen and learn, look back and move forward. (And we all know the terrible tabanca of ' not making it this year). Those few weeks of music, of practice, innovation, discipline, togetherness and sheer love of it, is of utmost importance, not only  to us as panlovers, but also to community and society as a whole. It brings us together as 'one heart-one love', and while the communities crumble ('loss of social cohesion' is the scientific term) the music repairs, restores and nurtures our very souls. Forget the nit-picking bureaucrats and self seeking officials. They are a periferal nuisance. At the center is the music, the people who play it and the people who love it. Focus on that, and all will be well.

[whasi choo quan]

Some players are professionals (is it wrong to get money for time spent practicing,other artists destra,Fay Ann etc now sing about an hour in 2,3 fetes a night.) and musicians ,you tell them go practice for 2months ,then squabble when they get paid,or are placed on trucks (ever watched long ago players all sweat and grime,no rest (downtown,savannah )always on the go).steelbands have moved on, they played their part and deserve their rewards.