Panorama still pan’s showpiece
A wise man once said it’s better to keep your mouth shut and let everyone think you’re wise; than to open it and let everyone think otherwise. You like that eh? Today I want to address the Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston “Gypsy” Peters, and his statement that “Panorama has killed the steelpan.” Let me tell Mr Peters that Panorama is the showpiece of the steelpan, and is what returning residents and visitors (tourists) come for annually. It has became an integral part of the Carnival mix, and Mr Peters can put that in his pipe and smoke it, whether he likes Panorama or not. It is not the World Steelband Festival that’s the showpiece of the steelpan. Unfortunately, its Panorama. Panmen themselves, and lack of corporate sponsorship have shot the festival in the foot. I would have thought that with the inputs of the Toursim Development Company, the World Steelband Music Festival would have been a tourist attraction, but no such thing.
The attendance at the last steelband music festival in 2008 was disappointing. To me the festival is almost dead, and Panorama is now pan’s signature event. Mr Peters talks about “broadening the scope of the steelpan.” Does he have any ideas? It will be interesting to see what he comes up with, and what his legacy as it regards the pan will be.
One of the ways Mr Peters could “broaden the scope of pan,” is to build “the Panman’s shame” (headquarters), the skeleton of which sits at Orange Grove, Trincity. How about furthering the work of Professor Brian Copeland and his UWI crew, and establishing an Institute of Pan Technology, where young inventors can go and experiment? I am sure there are other ideas which could “broaden the scope of pan.” However, The Buzz spoke to some pan enthusiasts and a few personalities agreed that Panorama was pan’s main event and it would be so for a long time. However, any Minister of Culture who will consider the proposal of Carnival every three months, needs to have his head examined. Nuff said.
Wickham, Corey, Bradshaw head the class
The category of the “ironmen” is one of the hotly contested. I nearly “buss” my brains. Let me say first off, these legends of percussion are many, and were linked to more than one steel orchestra. The nominees in the engine room are:
• “Nicka” Best
• Carlton “Maifan” Drayton
• Corey “Corey Iron” Fraser
• Ellie Manette (Invaders)
• Neville Jules (All Stars)
• Big Jeff
• Becket
• Granville
• Willis
• Francis “Peacock” Wickham (Invaders)
• Albert “Philo” James
• Michael Phillip
• Pelham Goddard
• Morton “Dicko” Ellis
• Rudolph “Iron Charlie” Bradshaw (Despers)
There is nothing better, or should I say sweeter, than an ironman cutting or chiming in a steelband.
It’s truly a difficult task to pick an ironman of all time, so I ask readers to allow me to tie Francis Wickham, Corey “Corey Iron” Fraser and Rudolph “Iron Charlie” Bradshaw as the best. Bless!
‘Bobby’ at Nalis,
Talking about concert, pannist/arranger of Guiness Cavaliers fame, Lennox “Bobby” Mohammed is back at the Nalis Audio Visual Room on December 4, at 4 pm. Bobby, together with former Hillside Symphony standout, Rawle Mootilal, is expected to have Port-of-Spain throbbing with the sounds of sweet steel and the songs of Christmas. Until next week, keep loving up the pan.
Replies
We only ask the question. At what cost?
They both climax their respective sports. The analogy would be apt if the Super Bowl or World Cup were so big that they did not allow for any other meaningful games during the regular season.
Like I said, the Panorama is the proverbial "800 pound gorilla" of pan. It is so big that it sucks up all the energy, and doesn't allow anything else to grow. The bands can do little more than concentrate all their efforts on ths Panorama tune.
And please don't misunderstand me. I love the Panorama. I think it is spectacular. I would certainly like to see it continue.
But I would also like to see the steelbands more fully participating in the Carnival. I think this would be to their advantage.
For this to happen, we have to look at the Panorama objectively.
Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for Monday Night football. I hope my New England Patriots kick the shit out of those New York Jets!
It's certainly a big game!
Go Patriots!!
Better comparisons would be drum corps in the USA, samba schools in Rio, art competitions in highschools, etc. Those are instances of creativity turned competitive. Soccer and American football are competition turned creative.