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A questiom for this Forum: Should Panorama Judging be abolished?

Posted by Glenroy R Joseph on July 22, 2010 at 12:36pm
Should panorama judging be abolished?For the longest while I've been pondering this question, and my usual answer has been no, we need competition, because it brings out the best in the bands and arrangers.But listening to Nu-Tones Panorama winning performance of David Rudder's "High Mas" for the umpteenth time, I realize how subjective the judging really is.I mean no disrespect to the legend Clive Bradley, and nothing against Nu-Tones (we all love to see the lesser known bands succeed), but I've listened to this tune upside down and across, and I still can't get the vibes that the judges got from this tune that competition night.I've even listened to the tune after trying some of the stuff that the judges may have been smoking and I still can't get it.Now, I don't have any credentials in music No degrees, accolades or letters after my name, but if there is one thing I know, it's sweet pan music.And I also know that music , like beauty being in the eye of the beholder, is in the ear of the listener.I've been loving pan since biscuit drum, pan round neck days.One of my earliest memories is of my dad taking me to see J'ouvert, and seeing some large men beating drums hanging around their necks. They were chased by the police, because as they beat their drums they were chanting some obscene lyrics to the tune of "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts" , which was a hit in 1950.(I checked).So I don't need any judges to tell me how pan music should sound.Take Panorama 1984, for example. This is one of my favorite panoramas of yesteryear, though there may have been too much of "Lucy in the Savannah".Check out the top four placing bands. They were:1) Kitch's "Sweet pan" by Renegades (Jit)2)Sparrow's "Doh Back Back" by Trinidad All Stars (Smooth)3)Kitch's "Tourist Elsie" by Casablanca (Henry "Bendix" Cumberbatch).4)Baron's "The Jammer" by Desperadoes(Bradley)Now does anyone have the right to tell any of these four arrangers that someone else's arrangement is"better" than theirs?You may like one arrangement more than the other , but is it "better"?It is purely subjective. And subjective decisions can have serious impact on the fortunes of bands and arrangers.Another case in point.Can anyone really say that Jit's " Mystery Band" was better than Boogsie's "Birthday Party" in 1993?It is your right to prefer one tune over the other, but does that make it better?Forget about all the BS about judging criteria. We are talking about music, and it's all in the ear of the listener.I personally think that Professor's "Pan by Storm" may have been his best work ever, and the best performance of 1990, yet he was not a "winner".I think it's Insulting.One of the main reasons for the competition was to channel the rivalries between bands away from violence and into something more constructive, and in that we've succeeded.Now it's time for something different.Don't worry Panorama lovers, I do have an alternative suggestion.We can still have the preliminaries and even the semifinals.It would be relatively easy to pick the top dozen or so bands in the land.Let the Final night be a Festival instead of a competition, and divide the pot between the bands appearing at that time.The bands themselves (or the steelband governing body) could decide whether to divide the pot equally between all the bands, or maybe to use some sort of a lottery system where all bands would stand an equal chance to win the top prize. This way, nobody feels like a looser.I don't believe that outstanding pan arrangers and bands need competition to produce great music.
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Let's Hear it for Pan Times/WST

Posted by Glenroy R Joseph on March 6, 2011 at 12:00pm

Let's hear it for Pan Times/WST.

I don't know about you guys, but I think that one of the most significant developments in the steelband world in modern times has been the development of the internet, and particularly, of Pan on the net, Pan Times, When Steel Talks or whatever they choose to call themselves.

Their role in promoting  steelband culture around the world has been invaluable.

Their impact on this year's panorama is undeniable, from providing up to date information about all things related to the panorama events, to encouraging dialog and information exchange among pan people, to (IMHO) even helping to prod Advance Dynamics to improve their production values.

Their contribution to the steelband movement in general has been immeasurable.


I know I've said some of this before, but I feel so strongly about this that I do not think it can be overstated.

As a die hard pan lover , I cannot thank them enough, and I like to think that I speak for thousands of pan fans out there.

Thank you very, very much, Pan Times/WST.

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Barbara Mason, Steelband Coordinator of Antigua and Barbuda - In the Spotlight

Posted by When Steel Talks on January 8, 2009 at 2:00pm
bmason-red.jpgAntigua & Barbuda, W.I. - Barbara Mason is the Steel Band Coordinator in the Cultural Development Division in Antigua and Barbuda. She is tremendously committed to the progress of youth talent arts. When Steel Talks conducted an exclusive interview with this cultural officer who is instrumental in the phenomenon of Antigua and Barbuda’s Youth Pan Orchestra as one of the best in the region. As a cultural officer: “what we try to do is scout for talent in the various disciplines” says Barbara Mason. They are on the lookout to see how they can assist their youthful resources in maximizing the most of their artistic talents. click for more
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Memorable Moments in MOP’s Five-A-Side Steelband Competition

Posted by When Steel Talks on January 8, 2009 at 3:00pm
myouth.jpgAntigua & Barbuda, W.I. - The ‘Five-A-Side’ competition - a favorite element of the annual Moods of Pan (MOP) steelband festival - did not field in 2008 the plethora of participants as in the past. But the crowd on hand (pictured) undeniably had a very full evening of great music and overall entertainment dished out not only by the eventual two Five-A-Side competitors, Musical Youth and Golden Hands, but also the invited artistes. Moods of Pan is hosted by one of Antigua & Barbuda’s most noted music organizations, Gemonites Steel Orchestra. The organizers had received a commitment from as many as nine groups, each featuring five steelband musicians eagerly vying for bragging rights in the second of the three nights’ events, within the simultaneously humorous and musical atmosphere that was the Five-A-Side competition. click for full story
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The Year 2008 In Pan A When Steel Talks Review

Posted by When Steel Talks on December 31, 2008 at 2:30pm
2008 was an extremely interesting year for the steelpan music instrument. Our When Steel Talks travels, coverage and stories took our site visitors literally all over the globe. We saw the emergence and coming of age of the youth movement as two young and very talented arrangers (André White and Khan Cordice) - both still in their teens - captured major titles against stiff competition in the New York Panorama and the Antigua & Barbuda Moods of Pan Festival ‘25-A-Side,’ respectively. On the flip side, we lost noted Trinidad journalist Terry Joseph, pan pioneers Oscar Pile in Trinidad and Antigua’s Leroy “Jughead” Gordon. The untimely passing of Trinidad and Tobago’s Desperadoes and New York’s D’Radoes premiere bassist Frank “Crawl” Findley and former Phase II captain Edme Gibbons - among others who also impacted on the steelpan art form during their lifetimes - left us with a giant void. WST.JPGclick for full story
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