A historical look at the pan with a focus on the contribution of a small village to its evolution has been documented. The meaningful and relevant documentation in the form of a book titled, Panriga — Tacarigua’s Contribution to the Evolution of the Steelband Phenomenon in Trinidad and Tobago written by Kenrick P Thomas, was recently launched at the National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis). The book, a revised version (the original was first launched in 1999) tells the story of the development of pan in an in-depth account of Tacarigua’s role in the pan landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.
Thomas, a pan pioneer in his own right has been involved in all aspects of the pan spectrum. The former executive member of the national steelband body then known as the National Association of Trinidad and Tobago Steelbandsmen (NATTS), the forerunner to today’s Pan Trinbago, introduced the pan stands for the tenor pans by taking them off the laps of the players during the semifinals of the music festival held at Roxy Theatre in 1956. While Thomas is credited with this honour he finds it a hard pill to swallow that the evolution of the pan has been credited to areas in Port of Spain and neighbouring communities, while small villages like Tacarigua get little or no mention.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/featured-news/Tacariguas--contribution--to-pan-252350431.html
Replies
Can anyone advise where Mr. Thomas' book can be purchased?
According to Anthony Williams, North Stars was the only band with their pans on stands in the Preliminary rounds of the 1954 Steel band music festival. Their tunes were "Schubert's Serenade" and "Tennessee Waltz", and failed to moved on to the other round. (Source: Unpublished "History of the Steel Band" by Anthony Williams).
On the other hand Kenrick P Thomas is claiming that in 1956 he was responsible for taking the tenor pans off the players lap and putting them on stands.
Is this a typo error?
Sam,
Getting the true facts is a process, we are fortunate that some of the key players are still with us.