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  • Rudy Kendall makes a powerful point (or points) about this whole thing. RACE is the main ingredient. Not only in the pan world but other areas of life. Glenroy also hits on something I have said for decades, in all the PAN  islands  steelband needs to RETURN TO THE CARNIVAL ROOTS, PAN on the road was the crucible of the birth of PAN.  As a multi musician I have lamented the loss of PAN and also BRASS for carnival. The big truck is killing the carnival culture. Now we buying costumes made in a factory in china. This is symptomatic especially from the uncle tom conversations I just heard in a

    BLACK barber shop in El Socorro road emancipation weekend. I was shocked at the vitriol against our AFRICAN heritage. Wake up Trini..paddy corea 

  • There is a limited demand for a staged steelband presence worldwide , now that the novelty of the steelband has worn off.

    Because of his international presence and expertise  , Andy Narell has , to his credit been one of the few who has been able to achieve some measure of international success with a steeband in the European orchestral tradition. ( Remember , I'm not speaking of soloists).

    In my humble opinion , the future of the steelband does not lie in trying to mimic the European classical orchestra.

    After all , how many successful orchestras are there worldwide?

    How many of you have seen any of these orchestras perform? Not to mention that their appeal is to an older , upscale crowd.

    There are probably as many if not more steelbands in Trinidad and Tobago.

    I venture to suggest that the future of the steelbands of T&T lie in a return to playing party music for the masses.

    We too quickly discarded the "steelband carnival" image, when that role as a key ingredient of the peoples carnival celebration ,was the original role of steelband .

    The Trinidad Carnival gave the steelband its identity, but we ran away from that , so today it has none.

    I think that somehow we have to figure out a way to reintegrate the steelband into the carnival , which I believe will be a boost to both the carnival and the steelband.

    That way , I won't have to feel like we are lying when anyone sings about "jumping up in a steelband "at carnival

    • WORD, Glenroy, What they will do in the outside world is remove the lead Pans and have them hidden among conventional instruments.

      The steelband has to return to carnival,  I find it difficult to understand why they don't see this as beneficial.  

      • Ain't NO PAN coming back in Carnival!!! On a more current topic, Cecil -- RUDY giving meh too much pressure. I want to turn the clock back (but not far back as the 60's) and make you my NUMBER ONE pardner on the forum again. Good thing you refused to sign the dissolution decree.

        • Claude , over the years I've expressed my thoughts on what I see as possibilities for the future of the steelband.

          You all could take it or leave it.

          Personally ,the main reason I returned to visit Trinidad at carnival in years gone by was to enjoy the steelband.

          Now , apart from my large collection of pan recordings and videos , I can get the best of the steelbands activity each year via technology, so there is no real reason to go back ,

          So I express my thoughts based on decades of observation from within and  without the Caribbean diaspora , but this issue doesn't directly affect me.

          Like I said , take it or leave it. 

  • Black American with PAN and CALYPSO!!! I rest my case!!!

  • Lord Have Mercy!!! Allyuh disturbing me from my OLYMPIC GAMES.

    Allyuh blaming ANDY because allyuh doh know how to COMPOSE NO MUSIC for the OUTSIDE WORLD and allyuh doh know how to record the PAN properly.

    Ah never see more!!!

  • What so special about this?Boogsie does that everyday 24/7

  • Here's the thing, it's not so much about white and black but it is about white and black. The fora (plural of forum) that is used to garner the millions of views is dominated by white persons who know how to exploit it.

    Black people can only emulate that by getting a following of white persons which they do not have.

    Secondly yes, white people have an inherent bias against black but more importantly against third world people. If you don't understand and appreciate that you will miss the point.

    Black persons generally concur except for those who are black activists, who are a minimum.

    For example all the hype and press about the shortcomings over the Rio Olympics is simply jealousy because Brazil is seen as a black or third world country, so they cannot do anything right. Funnily enough we blacks continue to perpetuate that by actually agreeing with it and repeating it.

    The reports about bad water quality is one such example. Even though the white head doctor of the Canadian team has said that the water quality in Vancouver is just as bad or worse that in the bays in Brazil, everybody is still repeating the false info that you will get sick if you even look at it. Same with the un-readiness of the games village as reported by the Australians.

    And even Brazil will comply. Of the over 200 kids that accompanied the athletes on stage at the opening ceremony, only two were black. Funnily enough about half of them were Asian. What the hell is that?

    So don't expect that to change anytime soon. If white pannists from Trinidad were playing pan it would be the same outcome. We just do not have the clout to command that audience.

    That's why Trump is so up in the polls in the US. He spouts rhetoric against minorities that the Americans wish they could and secretly do.

    Why is ISIS so vilified? Why not Israel who commits even worse sins than ISIS does?

    Why, when a black man shoots up somebody, it's always a terrorist act, but when it's a white person doing it it's just a misunderstanding. Do you believe if white police shoot white persons they will get away with it, anywhere? Or if the police doing the shooting were black,would it would be so condemned?

    Why do you think they have a category called black against black violence?

    It is a white/black thing but more importantly it's a white supremacy over black or coloured thing based on where you come from, more than what colour you are.

    Even white persons from a black country will be given the short end of the stick.

    So if Andy was seen as coming from Trinidad, he would suffer the same indiscretions.

    And we happily support it ourselves by joining in it without even realizing it. (In fact if Andy were black we would not have an opinion about his playing, but there are those who would say that Andy is no good, because he is white from a white country and therefore has some advantage)

    That's why the dangerous DNA vaccine against Zika is being tested in Jamaica. It will never be allowed to be tested in a white country, but third world countries are fair game and we support that by agreeing that you can dump whatever poison you want on us or that ISIS are terrorists that should be eliminated.

    Simply because whatever comes to us from a white source is better. A lot of the millions of viewers of the faux rastas playing the fool on the hang drum were actually black. Bet your bottom dollar.

    By the way if the man playing the pan were black on the Under the Sea video mentioned above, there wouldn't be the 2 million views either.

  • Mr. Codrington: You have the talent under your thumb. Bring a good musical product with a good marketing angle to the BIG MARKET and it will thrive. Don't bother with RUDY and all that RACE TALK; there is a BIG GLOBAL DEMAND out there for PAN MUSIC if it is presented right by any artiste -- BLACK or WHITE.

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