There is a long history of making music in your home district. From the days of tamboo bamboo bands to today. There is also a long history of opposition to drumming and music making (often termed noise making) in our colonial past. In the past, persons will take up whatever was close to hand be it garbage can covers or old tins and parade in the streets around their homes. This is the start of community steel bands. There is little agreement about the start of the modern steel pan but most persons seem to think that it started with indented biscuit pans which were able to give different pitches. "Spree" Simon of Laventille is widely acknowledged to be the pioneer. In the early days of the Steel Band movement, especially in between the years 1945 to 1965 the pan side was rooted around communities such as Laventille, John John, Belmont and St. James. In his book, Dragon Can't Dance, Earl Lovelace affirmed: "These were the days when every district around Port of Spain was its own island and the steel band within its boundaries was its army, providing warriors to uphold its sovereignty". He further described the preparations for the Carnival seasons in these terms "...now the steelband tent will become a cathedral and these young men the priests... " No wonder Rudder can sing in High Mas "...Our Father who has given us this art so that we can all feel as if we are a part of your heaven, Amen..."
Read more…
Comments