GREETINGS!JACK WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE SHARPE FAMILY. HE SAYS "THE GOOD ONES LEAVE TOO SOON. I'VE KNOWN THESE GUYS FOREVER AND THEY ARE ALL PERFECT. CAN'T SAY NOTHIN' BAD ABOUT PAN FOLKS. I DIDN'T SAY MUCH BEFORE BECAUSE I FIGURED SHIRLEEN WOULD TAKE CARE OF THAT, BUT I HAD TO SAY A LITTLE SOMETHIN' TODAY. I MAY NOT SAY MUCH, BUT I WILL BE THERE TONIGH FOR SURE."SO I SAY ALONG WITH JACK, " GOD BLESS, AND PEACE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY."HUGS,SHIRLEEN
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There has to be something for those of us who love steel pan and can't play and want to do more than be a groupie - maybe you can help a sister out committed to the promotion of the steel art.I am starting a storytelling circle and would like to include traditional stories/folktales. Really interested in stories that include steelpan/carnival culture. Happy to receive an outline that we can work with or better still any anecdotes from life tale/ experiences of steel pan players that we can work up.Think about it - What happened to you on the road to Panorama? Did you really see - what you see on Jouvert morning? Come on talk to me.
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Hi all,I've been playing pan in Toronto, ON, Canada for 10 years now. I'll be honest: i don't like big bands for the most part. The arrangements seem like complexity for complexity's sake. Don't get me wrong, I like when they play good music, but I find that the competition of it all compromises the music.Look, I love hearing big bands live when they have a melody that has a direction to it. I respect the heritage behind the big bands.MJ
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Anyone who has played one of the new G pans, please give us some information on them - what do you think - how does the sound compare to a standard pan - please tell us where you played the pan.
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New generation branches steel orchestra the number one steelband in orlando currently captained by lisa Charles and Roy Belfast celebrated their first pan yard ramajay in december which featured players like Michael Kernahan,Junior Harris ,Marvin Burnett,Jerrel Baptiste, Carl Sampson,&Jackie Young This steelband has been in existance for over twenty years and has performed for many engagements in the florida area including the opening of the Amaway arena, the amazing kids parade, Martin luther King parade, Lynx Public transportation services and many more engagements for large conventions in the Orlando area, as well as participating in all the area carnivals. it is also known for the very first steelband to take part in the Miami Carnival.
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Trinidad, W.I. - For the first time in their storied history, Caribbean Airlines Invaders Steel Orchestra will perform their very own original composition as their tune of choice, for the Trinidad and Tobago national steelband music panorama competition.
The steel orchestra’s 2009 offering, entitled “Caribbean Woman” was penned by famed composer, arranger, and performer Len “Boogsie” Sharpe. Vocalist Anselm Douglas does double-duty as lyricist for Caribbean Woman. Kenny Phillips served as the song’s producer and Caribbean Airlines Invaders Steel Orchestra, in what may be a first - served as executive producer.
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Global - Bright, articulate, immensely talented, intellectual, down-to-earth and forthright are all words that can be aptly applied in the description of this young man. He is a music educator and a much sought-after music lecturer and adjudicator of steelpan and other music-related competitions. He has been involved with the steel pan instrument for over twenty-six years and hails originally from southern Trinidad.
Meet Victor Prescod, project coordinator of the “Pan in the Classroom Project Unit” in the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago. This unit is part of the curriculum development division. Its main focus is having the steelpan used as the primary instrument to teach music in schools. In an informative and personable exclusive interview, When Steel Talks captures Victor Prescod’s insight on music education, adjudication and adjudicators.
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Antigua & 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.
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Antigua & 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.
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This year's music festival was the limit of my disappointment with the management, creativity and initiative of Pan Trinbago. having recently learnt about the new arrangements for this year's activities only deepened my disillusionment with this body. why separate the finals and alienate the medium bands? what is the organization saying? that only the large bands are worthy of the final night accolades on carnival Saturday? is that because the "big wigs" have vested interests which they need to protect?
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Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - While When Steel Talks was visiting the panyards on our recent trip to Antigua we caught up with the country’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer who was in Halcyon Steel Orchestra’s panyard taking in a practice section for the 2008 Moods of Pan Festival. We posed three questions to the Prime Minister which he very graciously answered.
“...as leaders and so on, we ought to be identifying with the art form and to give it as much encouragement and exposure as possible, so that it can grow and flourish not only in the Caribbean, but throughout the world....We as leaders need to be paying great attention to what this is, and to make sure that we hold it - while we give it to the world, we hold it as ours.”
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United Kingdom - Brent Holder, World Champion Soloist, formed the Caribbean Steel International steelband in 2004, after obtaining invaluable experience from working with some of the top steel bands in the UK, Trinidad and Japan with three members owing to the demand for small gigging bands. After ensuring that their small steel band was well established on the gigging circuit, CSI founding members decided to start a community group which would involve their local communities in the steel pan art form.
....CSI felt classes would be especially beneficial to those who are disabled, socially excluded and an advantage for the youths in the borough as it would keep them off the streets and teach them a culture they may not already know about, also giving them the opportunity to enhance their teamwork skills and take pride in themselves and what they can achieve.
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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.
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New York, USA - As 2009 comes into focus, for André White - 2008 has been that ‘year to remember.’ For this young musician who set the steelband world on its ear, life will never be the same. New York steelband panorama veteran arrangers – some previous competition winners themselves - had to respectfully duff their hats to André White in the early hours of Sunday September 1 - when his arrangement of Amrit Samaroo’s Heat as executed by his band, Long Island’s one hundred-strong ADLIB Steel Orchestra, made them New York Panorama champions for the first time ever, and by default conferring upon him, the title of ‘champion arranger.’ But the additional history-making element is André’s age. He was a mere eighteen years old.
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Trinidad, W.I. - Make me another “Voom Box.” Such were the words of Len “Boogsie” Sharpe when he realized the effect and potential of the new invention from UK-based inventor, Dudley Dickson, when the instrument which houses the Sonic Bass, was tested with National Panorama Champions, Phase II Pan Groove at C2K8 (Carnival 2008).
The acoustic Voom Box is made of plywood and is somewhat like a speaker box since it amplifies the sound of the pan, in this case the seven-bass. An excited Boogsie believes that another voom box would strike a better balance to the sound of the band.
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United Kingdom - The British Association of Steelbands Future Development Forum (BAS FDF) hosted their “Calypsteel Winter Lime” on Sunday 21 December 2008 at Carnival Village Yaa Asantewaa, 1 Chippenham Mews, London W9. It is a new initiative developed by FDF, in partnership with Carnival Village and the Association of British Calypsonians, and the intention was to bring together pan, calypso and parang to celebrate the festive season in true Trini style. Steel bands and Calypsonians play 2 or 3 Christmas carols, plus other songs from their repertoire in a family evening show.
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St. John’s, Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - Meet Khan Cordice, the eighteen year-old youthful arranger for the National Youth Pan Orchestra of Antigua & Barbuda. As fate would have it, WST conducted an interview one day before Cordice would make history by winning the 25-A-Side competition at the Moods of Pan Festival 2008, beating out other seasoned and previous winning arrangers to do so. click to read full story and see videoRead more…
Hailing from
Trinidad and Tobago, Skiffle Bunch is one of the
worlds best steel orchestras. They are the
featured orchestra in this weeks 'Steelband
Music Video of the week'.