GRJ. I fully understand your point and also share that same view. What I'm saying is if the Arranger has that ability to bring out the Reggae Vibes. I remember Dave Achong a renown Violinist Arranging for West Stars and he tried very hard to put in those Violin Phrasings in his Music on Pan. I dare say it was difficult to really get the required results for moving from note to note on the Pan is not as easy as moving on the Fret . I remember that "Knock On Wood" and I believe Fonclaire also played it. I'll post it if I can locate it. Thanks.
I love it. More More More. What about King Sunny Okusuns "Soweto Burning" on steel pan? There is no musical vibration pan cannot express. We must continue to expand into all genres of music and continue to create new sounds. I always remember Jason "peanuts" Edwards telling me many many years ago when I started to learn the double seconds "Do not play James Brown, Bob Marley nor Sparrow" because "when James do so what are you going to do?" Peanuts advised me to "Practise European classical music because it repeats over and over again; so it is simple. Rhythm & Blues/Soul, Reggae and Calypso is difficult to play because it can change at anytime." Bro. Joseph if you have any of that "old soul music" (Sam and Dave) on the pan, please be kind enough to post it. Thank you!
Steve, I'm not talking about the skill of the players, or their ability to play the music. I'm talking about the special vibration that you get from a certain type of music.
As a matter of fact, I feel the same way about guitar based rock music. A steel band can physicallly play the music, but can it capture the edgy hard rock vibe? I really don't think so.
(BTW, I also happen to like classic hard rock).
You take that rock and roll tune and adapt it to a calypso tempo, then its a different story.
GRJ. Remember back in the late 60s' and 70s' when Silver Tones and Fonclaire used to be playing Soul Music and the opinions then by some were the same as you have expressed here. Could it be that we have not fully understood the scope of Pan as an Instrument and its' capabilities. Remember that there are many other types of Music that Pan has not as yet ventured to play for even the Foreign Steel Bands still basically stick with our styling of Music. I have this hope that some Band would play Shaggy's " Church Heathen " for it would be interesting to hear that Arrangement on Pan. Probably Trinidad All Stars would oblige with another Fantastic Performance.
Musically, this is a fine performance, but I'll be brutally honest.
I Love Pan.
I love Reggae Music.
I love Trinidad All Stars.
But as hard as I try I could never get that reggae vibe form pan.
I find this strange, since pan and reggae have such similar roots.
On the other hand, pan is cool with jazz,you can get the jazz vibe from pan.
When a classic is played you get the same vibration as you would get from any symphony orchestra.
But reggae.............Most strange!
I'm beginning to think that the actual sound of the guitar and electric bass are such an integral part of roots reggae , they cannot be substituted for.
So you find that a tenor pan as an instrument can be a part of a reggae band, but the true "reggae riddim" has to include guitar and bass.
Of course folks, that's just my opinion!
Comments
I love it. More More More. What about King Sunny Okusuns "Soweto Burning" on steel pan? There is no musical vibration pan cannot express. We must continue to expand into all genres of music and continue to create new sounds. I always remember Jason "peanuts" Edwards telling me many many years ago when I started to learn the double seconds "Do not play James Brown, Bob Marley nor Sparrow" because "when James do so what are you going to do?" Peanuts advised me to "Practise European classical music because it repeats over and over again; so it is simple. Rhythm & Blues/Soul, Reggae and Calypso is difficult to play because it can change at anytime." Bro. Joseph if you have any of that "old soul music" (Sam and Dave) on the pan, please be kind enough to post it. Thank you!
And by the way Steve, I was a member of Silvertones when kenrick "Kicker" George arranged "Knock on Wood" among several other tunes for us.
I was on tenor bass.
Steve, I'm not talking about the skill of the players, or their ability to play the music. I'm talking about the special vibration that you get from a certain type of music.
As a matter of fact, I feel the same way about guitar based rock music. A steel band can physicallly play the music, but can it capture the edgy hard rock vibe? I really don't think so.
(BTW, I also happen to like classic hard rock).
You take that rock and roll tune and adapt it to a calypso tempo, then its a different story.
I Love Pan.
I love Reggae Music.
I love Trinidad All Stars.
But as hard as I try I could never get that reggae vibe form pan.
I find this strange, since pan and reggae have such similar roots.
On the other hand, pan is cool with jazz,you can get the jazz vibe from pan.
When a classic is played you get the same vibration as you would get from any symphony orchestra.
But reggae.............Most strange!
I'm beginning to think that the actual sound of the guitar and electric bass are such an integral part of roots reggae , they cannot be substituted for.
So you find that a tenor pan as an instrument can be a part of a reggae band, but the true "reggae riddim" has to include guitar and bass.
Of course folks, that's just my opinion!