I spent my whole life (knowingly and unknowingly) waiting to hear that PERFECTLY RECORDED PAN NOTE. And as the PANS got BETTER and BETTER the notes came closer and closer to my dream -- more so L-I-V-E than R-E-C-O-R-D-E-D. But then the DIGITAL ERA came in and it was clear to me that it was just a matter of time before the PERFECT PAN TONE was MANUFACTURED on a COMPUTER.
As a TRINIDADIAN, I have always felt guilty for not LOVING PAN MUSIC the way that people like GLENROY JOSEPH and BUGS and CECIL HINKSON and ODW and WHEN STEEL TALKS and SIMEON SANDIFORD and SALMON CUPID and MICHAEL SMITH and ARTHUR TRAVERSO and IAN FRANKLIN and DOCTOR DELITE and EARLY RICHARDS and INGRID BLACKWOOD-BELLE and BERTEL GITTENS and KEITH SMITH and RUSSELL PROVIDENCE and PATRICK ARNOLD and so many other POSTERS who express their love for THE INSTRUMENT on all these PAN FORUMS.
(If I left out your name, just plug it in below -- no offense intended ... I will edit it in.)
But I am a CALYPSO LOVER, FIRST!!! And I grew up with THE GUITAR and THE CUATRO in the house.
When I was about seven years old, one of my neighbors (Selwyn Davis) -- he was about 9 years older than me -- got a PAN and started to practice it in his yard ... which was within earshot of our house. Now, I don't know ANYTHING about music (I didn't then and I don't now) but when I listened to THE PAN back in 1955 - the notes sounded a little dull and MUFFLED.
Now before people get vex and start to cuss -- remember that I was a CALYPSO LOVER from SMALL and I grew up listening to the guitar. And I was comparing THE PAN MUSIC to music I was hearing on THE RADIO (still do) -- especially CALYPSO.
This is my experience I am relating here -- okay!!!
So as the FIFTIES continued to roll towards the SIXTIES and more and more STEELBAND MUSIC entered the AIRWAVES, I kept having a problem with the way some CALYPSOS were being represented on THE PAN. A voice in my head kept telling me (every so often): Dem STEELBANDS should not have tried to PLAY THAT CALYPSO. In my little mind (even then) there was a PURITY and SACREDNESS to the CALYPSO TONE that should NOT BE DESECRATED.
(Please bear in mind that I am expressing ADULT THOUGHTS experienced by A CHILD. Let me cement this point by saying that I grew up in one of the most integrated neighborhoods that could exist in TRINIDAD or other parts of the world -- but I did not have any awareness of what an "INTEGRATED NEIGHBORHOOD" meant at that age!!! Some of you may get the point!!!)
Anyway, that was my EARLY IMPRESSION of PAN MUSIC. At the age of 12 THE FAMILY moved to ANTIGUA for two years and I got exposed to BRUTE FORCE and HELLS GATE. I can't say that I remember the SOUND OF PAN in ANTIGUA -- although I PLAYED MAS for the one and only time in my life with BRUTE FORCE STEELBAND. (And imagine my first CULTURAL SHOCK when all the boys in school kept telling me that BRUTE FORCE was THE BEST STEELBAND IN THE WORLD -- that is another story.)
I am going to SKIP THE LIFE STORY HERE and jump to an article that was written by KEITH SMITH (Trinidad Express) in the NINETIES (allyuh could go dig it up if allyuh want). And in that article, KEITH SMITH was defending PAN MUSIC and he criticized some TRINIDADIANS for not LOVING PAN MUSIC as much as they should to the extent that some people told him that the sound of the pan was to "TINNY TINNY". Did that ever RING A BELL WITH ME -- TINNY TINNY? For the first time in my LIFE OF PAN I felt that I was NOT ALONE -- if other people were hearing what I WAS HEARING. That article really stuck with me!!!
I am not going to get into more HISTORY here other than to say that I have had EYES ON A NEW DAY of PAN TONALITY for DECADES. And that is THE WORLD that I have lived in EVER SINCE -- dreaming of the day when I would hear the perfect PAN TONE.
Here we are today!!! We are on the verge of a PAN SYNTH BREAKTHROUGH -- and THE LOCALS are OBLIVIOUS to how this will CHANGE GLOBAL PAN MUSIC. While some people are wondering about my constant references to GUYANA PAN. Well, in the LATE SIXTIES I lived in GUYANA for TWO YEARS and PAN WAS NOTHING in THAT COUNTRY at that time. But after one time is TWO. And, today, I see GUYANA PAN as having the GREATEST POTENTIAL LEADING TO GLOBAL PAN.
I have to admit that (recently) I have sent a bunch of emails to some GUYANESE AGENCIES begging them to hire me as a GLOBAL CONSULTANT to market their PAN MUSIC for them -- but the THIRD WORLD is THE THIRD WORLD and I know better. Just look at BEVERLEY RAMSEY-MOORE!!!
Last night I was in heaven (American Heaven) watching THE WORLD SERIES OPENING GAME and the LOS ANGELES start of the NBA SEASON.
NO GREATER THRIL!!!. (WTF TONIGHT: WASHINGTON BLAZING THEM!!!)
But when I reflect on the SOUL OF MY CULTURE -- PAN PROGRESS seems to strike a CONSTANT CHORD with me. So I came out of the YANKEE CLOUD of JOY and reflected ON THE PAN TING!
And -- by the way -- as much as I LOVE CALYPSO ... I think that PAN has UNLIMITED POTENTIAL and EQUAL GLOBAL APPEAL (as SOCA DONE RIGHT -- another story)!!! And I know that the PAN SYNTHESIZER will GLOBALIZE PAN in a way that will LEAVE TRINIDAD PAN BEHIND!!!
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