Of the 8000 PAN PLAYERS in TRINIDAD, I don' think any one of them could live up to the rigors and requirements of representing THE PAN GLOBALLY. And though the QUALIFICATIONS are not STATED, they are IMPLIED on a number of LEVELS.
An EXPAT from NEW YORK or TORONTO or LONDON or MIAMI might be better equipped -- but no one has stepped up to date ... THAT STARDOM is a HIGH MOUNTAIN to CLIMB.
On the other hand, TRINIDAD has to look at the challenge and face the challenge and find ways to get a FACE out there. With over 1100 SCHOOL STEELBAND PROGRAMS across NORTH AMERICA teaching young people PAN -- it is inevitable that STARS will emerge from those schools with some of the BUILT-IN REQUIREMENTS that go beyond JUST BEING ABLE TO PLAY THE PAN.
The best candidate I see down in TRINIDAD is Johann Chuckaree, but he is busy with his own business and steelband involvement and close family ties -- and he is not going to give that all up to come to AMERICA to get the training required to FILL THE ROLE. However, he has already traveled down half the PAN TECH ROAD -- so if he is smart he could sit down right there in TRINIDAD and join the SYNTH PAN RESEARCH race to create the PERFECT PAN TONE. He has all the BUILT-IN ADVANTAGES in that race.
In summary I will say that we do not have a GLOBAL PAN AMBASSADOR out there because we are short of that level of talent. But it is impossible to convince TRINIDADIANS that they have a MECCA without a MESSIAH. And POUND FOR POUND -- AMERICA is the NEW MECCA OF THE STEELBAND.
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