The first question for me is whether there is another foreign own-composition in "orthodox" Panorama format? There are some other good own-compositions out there, notably involving Andy Narell, but none that I would class as an "orthodox" Panorama piece. I would happily stand corrected.
This piece comes closest I think to the kind of work that Bobby Mohammed produced a long time ago, and he shook up Panorama as Glenroy reminds us. Some of the styling has a "piano-lessons" feel to it, or maybe I should say reflects a music academy background. That is not meant as a slur. He has put together the pieces for a successful arrangement quite well. There is clear simplicity, integrity and coherence of melodic and rhythmic structure. To that he has applied "Panorama" idiomatic expressions, eliciting from the players -- clearly accomplished and well practiced musicians -- the quintessential carnivalesque joyousness required under the Panorama orthodoxy.
I looked at other performances coming from the 100pan project. They did a good job on "Pan earthquake" also, among others...
My main point in citing this performance was to suggest the viability of some sort of possibly quadrennial "Pan Olympics", patterned after the Olympics. I can't see it as an annual event. A 10-year cycle is too long, so either a four or five year cycle might work. There does now seem to be enough of talent spread all over the globe, and a steady feed of young talent coming out of school programs and music academies. Pan Trinbago might want to move from one-off events like ICP, and institutionalize something like a "Pan Olympics".
Food for thought...
Oh, another thought... Much as I like seeing a foreign arranger exploring the Panorama genre, I also love seeing foreign bands apply the pan to their own local musical idioms, not just classical and jazz. There is one performance on Youtube in Mauritian "sega" style of Pan in A Minor. Small band stuff, but they too might be able to put together a 100-pan project and delight us all. In any Pan Olympics, local folk musics put to the steelband should be a special category.
-Big Sid
S. F. Thomas > S. F. ThomasMarch 29, 2017 at 9:30pm
P.S.
Re the thought of a "Pan Olympics" where one of the categories is the steelband playing the music of a particular folk...
Here is a great example of a Cuban steelband playing a piece of Cuban music and wowing the crowd at an Ibero-American Cultural Festival:
Cecil hinkson > S. F. ThomasMarch 30, 2017 at 5:01am
I won't be too surprised if I hear someone put together a Pan Super Bowl in the US.
S. F. Thomas > Cecil hinksonMarch 30, 2017 at 6:29pm
Or by whatever other name...
I used the term "Pan Olympics" to suggest an event stretching over perhaps a three-day weekend to start with, involving different genres of competition, age-levels of contestants, and perhaps even some non-competitive events, like a first-day or last-day "pan on de road" kind of opening or closing celebration.
Also I wanted to suggest some kind of rotation as to which country would host, like the Olympics and the World Cup.
That is the (very broad) vision. How to make it work in terms of detail, and finance, and event planning, and etc. is secondary. If the vision is embraced, finding a way to make it happen can be found. The rest of the world will look to T&T for leadership in this respect. That responsibility rests with us.
Replies
Thank you, Claude...
The first question for me is whether there is another foreign own-composition in "orthodox" Panorama format? There are some other good own-compositions out there, notably involving Andy Narell, but none that I would class as an "orthodox" Panorama piece. I would happily stand corrected.
This piece comes closest I think to the kind of work that Bobby Mohammed produced a long time ago, and he shook up Panorama as Glenroy reminds us. Some of the styling has a "piano-lessons" feel to it, or maybe I should say reflects a music academy background. That is not meant as a slur. He has put together the pieces for a successful arrangement quite well. There is clear simplicity, integrity and coherence of melodic and rhythmic structure. To that he has applied "Panorama" idiomatic expressions, eliciting from the players -- clearly accomplished and well practiced musicians -- the quintessential carnivalesque joyousness required under the Panorama orthodoxy.
I looked at other performances coming from the 100pan project. They did a good job on "Pan earthquake" also, among others...
My main point in citing this performance was to suggest the viability of some sort of possibly quadrennial "Pan Olympics", patterned after the Olympics. I can't see it as an annual event. A 10-year cycle is too long, so either a four or five year cycle might work. There does now seem to be enough of talent spread all over the globe, and a steady feed of young talent coming out of school programs and music academies. Pan Trinbago might want to move from one-off events like ICP, and institutionalize something like a "Pan Olympics".
Food for thought...
Oh, another thought... Much as I like seeing a foreign arranger exploring the Panorama genre, I also love seeing foreign bands apply the pan to their own local musical idioms, not just classical and jazz. There is one performance on Youtube in Mauritian "sega" style of Pan in A Minor. Small band stuff, but they too might be able to put together a 100-pan project and delight us all. In any Pan Olympics, local folk musics put to the steelband should be a special category.
-Big Sid
P.S.
Re the thought of a "Pan Olympics" where one of the categories is the steelband playing the music of a particular folk...
Here is a great example of a Cuban steelband playing a piece of Cuban music and wowing the crowd at an Ibero-American Cultural Festival:
First the tune: Si a una mamita by Los Van Van, a fantastic piece of music by any definition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h5LeTo3U1Q
Now the Steelband del Cobre gets to rock it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b77Nnq8SwD8. Check out the crowd reaction. Now imagine they do a 100-pan project!
-Big Sid
I won't be too surprised if I hear someone put together a Pan Super Bowl in the US.
Or by whatever other name...
I used the term "Pan Olympics" to suggest an event stretching over perhaps a three-day weekend to start with, involving different genres of competition, age-levels of contestants, and perhaps even some non-competitive events, like a first-day or last-day "pan on de road" kind of opening or closing celebration.
Also I wanted to suggest some kind of rotation as to which country would host, like the Olympics and the World Cup.
That is the (very broad) vision. How to make it work in terms of detail, and finance, and event planning, and etc. is secondary. If the vision is embraced, finding a way to make it happen can be found. The rest of the world will look to T&T for leadership in this respect. That responsibility rests with us.
As I said, it's food for thought.
-Big Sid
Nice to see how the music has crossed all geographic boundaries. Notable also is the manner in which they move with the rhythm of the music.
Thanks for sending this around again, sweeter the second time seeing it.
That looks like Panorama from Japan, they are good.