Southern Marines Steelband Foundation’s 2011 Panorama season was a success when compared to the last four years. After a long drought a little rain came. We were able to come into the National Small bands Panorama finals, and place third out of eleven participants. That is good, thanks to the hard work of the arrangers, the support crew around the yard, the players who dedicated time for nightly practice over the long season, the cooperation of their parents and guardians, the good neighbours and those corporate citizens who thought it prudent to contribute towards our endeavours over the years.
Panorama 2011, to me was a disaster. It started very normal, with the national prelims in the Region. Then came the National Semi-Finals, where small bands were used as Mascots for the Large and Medium bands. How else would one describe a Panorama starting at 9:00 am, in Trinidad, on a Sunday, with people who went out the night before still in bed, and most of those who are up, going to church and Market, and not planning to leave their homes until after lunch? That’s the reality of a Sunday.
If the hard work of producing a Steel band for Panorama – be it Large, Medium Small or Single Pan Band – must have any meaning to the producers, the utmost respect and appreciation must be extended. Panorama must be held over two days, the Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 pm. The Saturday should be the Single Pans and Small Steel bands, and the Sunday, for the Medium and Large Steel bands. The effort and time that goes into preparation should never be taken for granted or compromised in any way.
Difficulties experienced by the Small Bands coming from South or far East and having to play early, in the present format, is accommodation. To start the show, the instruments and a number of players must over night in Port of Spain, where no facilities are available to accommodate them. Be there at your own peril. Yet the Steel bands coming in from the sister Isle, are provided, and quite rightly so, with Boarding and Lodging, and Transport to and from rehearsals prior to the show. If the present format is being maintained, the same facilities should be extended to the first four Steel bands coming in from over 20 miles, and having to perform early.
Then there is this party atmosphere created at the back of and in the North Stand. Who is responsible for it, is it the NCC or Pan Trinbago? How could they be so insensitive to the plight and sacrifice of the Pannist, by being allowed to show total disregard and disrespect for what we regard as our premier show? Would this be tolerated in any of the other Carnival shows, where they would not even invite a steelband to play by the gates and welcome patrons? (By the way, just the other night I saw the other National Instrument of T and T, playing outside of Skinner’s Park, welcoming patrons to the San Fernando City Corporations’ Premier Carnival event. No Steel band?)
Is dollars and no sense the name of the game? The Pannist, the main factor in the show, must be accommodated in an area with all facilities, just like in the festival after performance, where they can sit and enjoy the show like everyone else. Remember this is their show, and they had no time or opportunity to attend and enjoy any of the pre- Carnival shows.
The National Small Bands Final held at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima on Thursday 3rd March, was another debacle. The South/Central Region held National Preliminaries, had more status, and was better promoted than this National Finals. Could you imagine Steel bands coming prepared for a National Panorama finals and meeting the worst conditions one could imagine, for off loading and setting-up to do their sound check? And with all your preparations and decorations; pannists dress up in three piece suit and thing, and no videotaping of the show. Not one Radio station brought the show live to the local or international audience? As a matter of fact, there was no real promotion of the show in the media, print or otherwise.
I must express heartfelt thanks to Yoichi Watanabe and Kats Imai, the two gentlemen working with the University of Trinidad and Tobago, for their commitment and support of the Steel Pan Instrument. They were the only ones noticeably recording the performances at this National Finals. What a shame! Where are the DVD’s and CD’s coming out of this show? Are we saying that the Music of the Single Pans and the Small Steel bands have no real aesthetic value? Too much quality music is allowed to be lost in this Carnival atmosphere. This will never happen at the Medium and Large Steel bands Finals.
Most of those so called medium and large bands don’t even throw a tantrum during the year, yet the small and single pan bands that keep the thing alive throughout the year, and because of numbers, contribute more to the coffers of our organization, are treated with contempt around Panorama time. During the year, and especially at elections, they are the greatest assets.
The print and electronic media advertised the large and Medium Panorama finals as if that was the only Panorama finals held for the whole Carnival season. But most Steel band leaders make great sacrifices, without thanks or compensation, to prepare their units for the season. If our representative body is focussed mainly on promotion of Medium and Large Steel bands during the Panorama/Carnival season and the Single Pans and Small Steel bands are relegated to Mascot status, then this is cause for concern. If we continue to treat our own with disrespect and contempt, what could we expect from others? Who should we turn to for proper representation?
I am of the opinion that Panorama should be removed from the Carnival season thereby, giving all Steel bands the opportunity to get back into the Carnival and bring mas on the roads of Trinidad and Tobago. Some mas band leaders seems to be seriously against this suggestion, fearing that this would interfere with and cut into their exorbitant profits.
Who benefits from Panorama in Carnival? Definitely, not the Pannist. They seem to be pawns in a bigger game. Their involvement starts sometime before Christmas, and continues nightly for two to three months leading up to Panorama. While other interest groups in the mix are employed and making money during the season, the pannists are hard at work, hoping to make some money at the end of the day. The majority end up despondent and disappointed. They enjoy nothing in the Carnival. The thing they put so much time and energy into, serve only as a mockery to them at the end of the day. They are unable to attend any of the pre Carnival shows. On their big day, they hustle to load up the trucks and get to the venue. At the venue, they hustle to off load and are hustled onto the stage to perform before a very intoxicated frolicking audience. Then they are hustled off stage to reload their trucks and get out of town. Where is the joy or pleasure in all of this?
Put Panorama at a time when the music and the creativity of all the arrangers could better be appreciated. When a Steelband starts preparing after Christmas, it should be for the carnival with mas as the main agenda. I know that the tourist will be glad to come and jump on the streets to the sound of the National Instrument. Put the incentive on the road for Steel bands to enjoy a happy Carnival.
Put Panorama in October. Please be advised, that the STEEL BAND FRATERNITY need an immediate two weekend consultation on the way forward.
Michael L Joseph
President
Southern Marines Steelband Foundation
Replies
Gerry,
I honestly believe that the various bodies involved with the steelbands and Panorama, have their own agendas to follow.
They will not listen to any outsider. The panists spend many hours to get their songs right. At the end, they get to suck up the sawdust. The men, women and children involved in Panorama deserve better treatment. That will only happen when the "big boys" at the top get their act together. The panists have paid their dues and should be rewarded. There has to be a way to solve this problem. If as you suggest that Panorama is held at another time, can you get any one at the top to listen to you. The least they can do is to try something new.
There is a mix up somewhere along the way, because a band with beads and bikinis gets top billing. It must be extremely painful coming up with ideas to match the beads and bikinis.
Three Cheers for a brilliant article. I fully support all the points raised. I was in Arima for the final and the situation was farcial.If the steelband is to regain it's rightful place in carnival then panorama must not be the distraction as it is at the moment.
I expected something more innovative and exciting ideas from this new pantrinbago administration, but after nearly 2 years nothing has changed. I do not hold out much hope for the steel pan in T&T if panorama is going to be the main activity each year.
Terry Noel JP
Leader BT Melodians Steel Orchestra (UK)
www.btmelodians.co.uk
PS Did you had someone named Lively associated with your band? If yes, is he the same Lively who was in the Mounted Branch? I was also a member of the Branch and will like to get in touch with him terry.noel@btinternet.com
I was notified by the good people at "The Steelpan Store" that the large and medium bands were in separate two cd packages.
I appreciated the advance notification, since I also thought that the large and medium bands would be in one package as was done in the past.
I had assumed that one of the reasons that the length of the performances was reduced from ten minutes to eight minutes was so that ten final night bands could fit one one cd.
I guess I was wrong!
but hey. mo money, mo money, MO MONEY...
My point is, pan trinbago should have known that a CD max mins is 80mins, some bands were 9 to 9+ mins and they should not have left an impression that the large and medium bands are on the 2 disc cd package.It was false advertisement. The CD information of the large and the medium bands was printed on the CD package.
My friend got ripped off