PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars Steel Orchestra is mourning the sudden passing on Friday November 29, 2013 of stalwart John Lopez. Up to a few hours before we received the news, John was practising happily in the pan yard for Parang & Steel which begins tonight at 8.00pm. A special tribute to John will be posted on When Steel Talks later today.
The following are the winning panorama pieces
(1) 1986: All Stars with arrangement by Len "Smooth" Edwards "The Hammer"
(2) 1987: Phase II with arrangement by Len "Boogsie" Sharpe "This Feeling Nice"
(3) 2010: Silver Stars with arrangement by Edwin Pouchet
"Battle Zone"
The following are the best non-winning panorama pieces.
1986: Phase II/Len Sharpe "Pan Rising"
1987: Renegades/Jit Samaroo "Pan in A Minor"
American pannist and composer Andy Narell is an iconoclast who fearlessly challenges the narrow definitions of acceptable pan music. He is global, and his usefulness as an ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago's national instrument is tainted by suspicion long held by panmen and the steel pan fraternity in general here. It may be an attitude of his own making. Long held beliefs are hard to dispel with logic. Pan pioneer Rudolf "Fish Eye" Ollivierre welcomed itinerant writer Patrick Leigh Fermor back in the late 1940s to Hell Yard, as described in his travel book The Traveller's Tree—"The ease of his manner was admirable"—implying a sense of awe and acceptance we have nurtured over the years in this region for "tourists." Narell has long ago stopped being a tourist. The cri de coeur of a Trinidad-resident critic sums up the native posture towards Narell:
He is one of us and thus, prone to the same criticisms and praise as the rest of us. He is critical of our music, our Panorama and we react without obsequiousness. And rightly so, for that is the Caribbean posture, effectively practised by the panman forever; never back down from a challenge.
Andy Narell belongs to a pantheon of expatriate creatives who "belong" here in Trinidad and at the same time are aware of their difficulty of so belonging. Important regional authors were temporary immigrants to these shores in the mid- 20th century—Edgar Mittelholzer in 1941-48, George Lamming in 1946-50, Derek Walcott in 1959-76—and their presence and experiences added to the canon of great West Indian literature. Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain, and by extension, the island is a place frequented by those wanderers in search of inspiration and succour. It still is a moving place designed to shape memory and ways of feeling.
George Gershwin's symphonic tone poem, An American in Paris is the impression of a visitor—probably Gershwin himself recounting an earlier visit—moving through the city of lights. Andy Narell is an ideal template of An American in Paradise! The idea of an expatriate musician in a foreign land and his potential influence on the music industry formed a question in the writer's head: "would an American in Trinidad energise a jazz (pan jazz?) renaissance in Trinidad, or would it foster competitive jealousy?" The answer could be gleaned from the Narell narrative.Narell's initial visit was as a 12 year old child to perform at the 1966 Trinidad Music Festival. That life-changing experience introduced him to the panyards and the pioneers, especially Ellie Mannette, and served as the education of this lifelong student of the steel pan and the steelband movement. His annual pilgrimage to the source has been unceasing since 1985. His encyclopaedic knowledge of panmen, the music and the environment of pan suggests that he has done his work, and his global journeys in the service of spreading the sound of pan and his music are not matched by many.
Trinidad-born Nobel laureate in literature, VS Naipaul posits poetically in A Writer's People: "small places with simple economies bred small people with simple destinies." Narell, the American, sees the world differently. He recounted that when he first did a concert in Trinidad in 1985, it was billed as a shoot-out, a competition. The promoters thought that would pique interest. The implication of race and nationality was an unspoken catalyst. That idea was whispered loudly!
The apprehension by Trinidad and Tobago to fully adopt this ambassador of steel pan jazz has been noticeably clear. French film maker Laurent Lichtenstein, in his portrait of Narell filmed in Trinidad in 2009, Andy and the Jumbies, asserts that his presence and concert "may help him to be accepted as a real Trinidadian." Narell himself has noted to writer Asha Brodie in 2007 that he wasn't everybody's cup of tea: "I guess I also have a reputation for being 'avant-garde' and for not caring about who wins [Panorama], which is why my phone isn't ringing." That isolation could either be the result of xenophobia or artificial rage. "Small people with simple destinies."
His presence has not swayed the minds of dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists. The years-long struggle for the privilege to compose for Panorama was an exercise in the fleshing out of de facto prejudices that disallowed foreigners from composing or even arranging for the competition, much less a tune without lyrics. Triumphant in 1999 in breaching the divide, Narell was once again in Trinidad arranging his composition "The Last Word" for Birdsong Steel Orchestra for the 2013 Panorama competition. This is his third competition, and controversial to the end, judges and commentators noted that the tune doesn't "reflect Trinidad's energy or language!" Champion steelband Despers' arranger Beverley Griffith noted in a conversation with ethnomusicologist Shannon Dudley: "Excitement is one of the key things in today's Panorama; you hear that on every judge's score sheet: 'It could do with a little more excitement.' They wouldn't tell you exactly what it is..." De facto prejudices and de jure standards are continuing challenges to Narell.
A narrow focus on ensemble music for pan can limit the Trinidadian's need to accommodate him. He is more than an arranger. It is not without trying that he succeeded to place the instrument in the context of global music industry via prolific recorded output, sales and performances. According to his bio:
He's one of only a small handful of steel pan players in the world who are playing jazz, and perhaps the only one among that coterie to commit an entire career "live and in the studio" to creating new music for the pan in that context.
The intersection of location and presence can yield surprising results on music output. Narell was categorized by the music industry in the US—sheet music publishers and reviewers of his initial Heads Up recordings—as a Latin Jazz artist, even if not so self-described, thus negating the growing influence that the music of the Caribbean isles had on his growing canon of music. His effortless movement and adaptation of Latin American melodies and rhythms including his work with Caribbean Jazz Project and on the album Behind The Bridge in the mid-to- late 1990s signalled new directions in music.
In 1999, he reaped the benefit of post-apartheid South Africa's adulation of him and his music at the Arts Alive Festival, with 60,000 fans "singing" his lyric-less steel pan melodies. The juxtaposition of an Afro-Caribbean bred instrument in Africa led to recordings there. Later relocation to Paris and meeting with exiled French-Antillean jazzmen there led to the formation of Sakesho and the resultant two CDs. The corpus of Trinidadian steel pan music allows space for this maverick.
Narell, the frequent visitor—in 2013, he performed at the annual Jazz Artists on the Greens in Trinidad in March, Jazz in the South in St Lucia in May, and St Kitts Music Festival in June—if not the fortunate traveller has created music that to the local ear resonates with the sound and energy of calypso and the harmonic and melodic sentiments of the Panorama compositions of calypso legend Lord Kitchener, and steel pan players/arrangers Ray Holman, Len "Boogsie" Sharpe, Robert Greenidge, among others. This town—Port of Spain, paradise—has rubbed off on him. He belongs to Trinidad.
Photo Credit
Ari Rossner
I am so proud of the Brooklyn Steel Side as Travis Roberts and Kern Simon decided to take this Orchestra to another .level. What highly committed and motivated young men!!! I have known one of their arrangers Kendal Williams playing pan as a toddler. He is an extremely talented and hardworking young man who is admired by many for his exemplary behavior and dedication. He has great potential and takes his music seriously. He is always willing to be a team player and has the ability to get along well with both his superiors and his peers.
Good Luck to all the members!!!!
I just wanted to say farewell to Richard Mc David, engineer and pan stalwart.
Richard passed away and was cremated on November 5th, just a couple of weeks ago. Apart from his active involvement in the management of Renegades, Richard worked as a contractor for the Steelpan Initiatives Project and was the lead engineer for the G-Pans and the steelpan fabrication facility at Macoya. He was a member of the team that was awarded the Chaconia Gold Medal in 2008. He was a brilliant man!
The first picture posted below is one of just a few I have in my possession and shows myself, Richard (centre) and master tuner Roland Harrigin at Roland's tuning room in Belmont in December 2008.
Richard is the second member of the G-Pan team to have passed away - Keith Belle passed on last year. Keith was a keen metallurgist and an avid parandero.
The second picture shows Terry Crichlow (slightly hidden on the left), Richard at centre and Keith working on a G-Pan top with a jig they jointly fashioned in 2007. They all were members of the CARIRI steelpan research team of the early 1980s, a team that included Bertie Marshall, Anthony WIlliams, Keith Maynard and others.
Sadly their hopes of seeing the G-Pan to greater success never materialized.
May God bless their souls
The last leg of Pan Is Beautiful XII, which was the Orchestras Category, took place at The Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad on November 16th, 2013.
The following are the results:
(1) CODRINTON PAN FAMILY 577
(2) INVADERS 571
(3) COUVA JOYLANDERS 566
(4) RENEGADES 550
(5) EXODUS 547
(6) PAN ELDERS 496
(7) TROPICAL ANGEL HARPS 489
(8) DIATONICS 476
The Codrinton Pan Family who won the preliminaries on October 19th, also won the Tune of Choice scoring 289 points, followed by Invaders.
Invaders won the Best Test Piece also scoring 289 points followed by Codrinton Pan Family. This was the first time that the top two Steel Orchestras' Tune of Choice were locally written.
"The Pan with Love-Our Gift to the World" was composed by Ms. Keisha Codrinton, and "1962 Overture-Our Independence" was composed by Mr. Arddin Herbert.
The third leg of finals at Pan Is Beautiful XII was held on November 10th 2013. This time it was the Single Pans Category and 9 bands participated. The following are the results.
1st MARSICANS {545} "Donkey Kong Country 2" by David Wise arranged by Frank Alleyne & Marlon White.
2nd UNI STARS {538} "Tempest" by Kareem Brown & also arranged by Kareem Brown.
3rd D' Original WOODBROOK MODERNAIRES {532} "The Eleventh Hour" by Arddin Herbert who also arranged & conducted.
4th TRINIDAD NOSTALGIC {530} "I am a Slave" by Mighty Sparrow arranged by Amrit Samaroo.
5th TRINIDAD POLICE STEEL ENSEMBLE {527} "Dance of the Comedians" arranged by Dr. Jeannine Remy.
6th ICE WATER PAN ENSEMBLE {514} "Castillian Folk Medley" arranged by Kendell Lewis.
7th SCRUNTER'S PAN GROOVE {487} "Pan in Harmony" by Lord Kitchener, arranged by Aaron Clarke.
8th SELF HELP MARINES {481} "Sabor A Mi-Be true to Me" arranged by Godwin Bowen.
9th NEW AGE TRENDSETTERS {474} "Somewhere My Love" arranged by Curtis Jones.
5 of the 9 compositions were locally written, but If one did not know, one would have thought that 2 of the top 3 bands were performing classical compositions that were written by Europeans. How wrong one would have been. As a matter of fact the Single Pan Bands and their Arrangers have to be commended for producing should great music on pans that are limited. Only the tenors and the seconds are chromatic.
The 4th leg of Pan Is Beautiful XII, which are the Orchestras is scheduled for November 16th 2013 at the largest playground in the Caribbean, The Savannah.
I am looking forward and hope that with great music there will be great pan support.
The finals for Pan Is Beautiful XII, Soloist and Ensemble categorIes were held on November 8th, 2012 at NAPA in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
"Plenty Music but not Plenty support" The staff of Napa+The competitors=Pan Supporters
Let no one place blame on Pan Trinbago.
SOLOISTS AS FOLLOWS:
1st JOSHAU JABARI BEDEAU 280 "Call me Hero" by Venessa Headley. 2nd KEISHA CODRINTON 278 "Pan in Harmony" by Lord Kitchener. 3rd KHARI CODRINTON 267 "Pan Night and Day" by Lord Kitchener. 4th AVERY ATTZS 260 "Caught in a Loop" by Dr. Jeannine Remy. 5th KERN SUMERVILLE 255 "Rainorama by Lord Kitchener. 6th ANTHONY PHILLIP 252 "Life at La Paix Road" by Arddin Herbert. 7th DACHELLE MORRISON 246 "Fiddle Faddle" and 8th MEAGANN TAITT 245 "Written in August" by Nigel Diaz.
ENSEMBLES AS FOLLOWS:
1st GOLDEN HANDS 542 "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson, arranger Vanessa Headley. 2nd HATTERS 541 "The Renewal" arranger DR. Jeanine Remy. 3rd STRYKE STARS 523 "Journey to the Promise Land" by Kenneth Guppy. 4th FUSION STEEL 520 "Play Mr. Pannist" by De Fosto. 5th SUCCESS STARS GEMS 517 "Pan in A Minor" by Lord Kitchener, arranger Mickeil Gabriel and 6th LONDONVILLE CLAYTONES 502 "Tenderly" by Nat King Cole, arranger Keith Salcedo.
7 of the 8 soloist performed a local composition for tune of choice.
4 of the 6 ensembles did likewise.
Fusion Steel was 2nd at the prelims doing Dr. Jit Samaroo's "Pattens" but they changed their choice of tune for the finals and placed 4th.
Hatters were 38 points behind Golden hands at prelims, but came back to lose by a mere point.
This was a great competition, the music was excellent.
Sunday 10th will be the Single Pans finals at NAPA and November 17th, the Orchestras at the Q.P Savannah.
Oye Como Va - Silver Steel Band! Monroe, CT - November 2013 from del fuego films on Vimeo.
