The first instruments developed in the evolution of
steelpan were Tamboo-Bamboos, tunable sticks made of
bamboo wood. These were hit onto the ground and with
other sticks in order to produce sound.[3]
Tamboo-Bamboo bands also included percussion of a (gin)
bottle and spoon. By the mid-1930s bits of metal
percussion was being used in the tamboo bamboo bands,
the first probably being either the automobile brake hub
"iron" or the biscuit drum "boom". The former replaced
the gin bottle-and-spoon, and the later the "bass"
bamboo that was pounded on the ground. By the late 1930s
there occasional all-steel bands were seen at Carnival
and by 1940 it had become the preferred Carnival
accompaniment of young underprivileged men. The
55-gallon oil drum was used to make lead steelpans from
around 1947. The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra
(TASPO), formed to attend the Festival of Britain in
1951, was the first steelband whose instruments were all
made from oil drums.
Steel Pan a resource of
information on the steel pan instruments history,
bands, players, panorama and related sites of the Internet. afiwi.com /steelpan
WhenSteelTalks
Find everything and then some. Working
hard for you is
PanOnTheNET.com. Web's best guide to Pan
Orchestras and Panoramas [more]
2008: Celebrating ANTONY WILLIAMS
who developed the standard or spider web
pan and the divine system of 4ths & 5ths
pantrinbago.co.tt [more]
In Memorium: TnT Carnival expert
journalist Terry Joseph
remembered as
"a giant of a man and a cultural
warrior".
Gone 2JAN08 @ 60 years [more]
D’RADOES
TUNE :-OIL AND MUSIC ARTIST :-M MONTANO& D
RUDDER
CAPTAIN :-JUNIOR ‘MAN’ SAMUELS ARRANGER :- ED QUARLESS
TUNER :-LEARIE & ROLAND HARRIGAN PAN YARD :-8039 CHASE CT ; BET RALPH AVE &
E 83ST
2NDBAND :-PAN
SONATAS
TUNE :-TEN COMMANDMENTS ARTIST :-J ISAACS CAPTAIN :-SHERWIN ‘PIN’ EDWARDS ARRANGER :-YOHAN POPWELL TUNER :-BERTRANDKELMAN PAN YARD :-1254 STERLING PL; BROOKLYN; NY
www.sonatas.panonthenet.com
3RDBAND :-
SESAME
FLYERS
TUNE :-HOOKED ARTIST :-K PHILMORE ; MARK LOQUAN CAPTAIN :-JONN LOYDE-GILL ARRANGER :-P GODDARD TUNER :-GABRIEL DOYLE ROBLEY ; LEARIE HARRIGIN ;
MARLON
DEWSDURY ;ROSS THOMAS PAN YARD :-1021 E 48 ST ; BROOKLYN ;NY
www.sesame.panonthenet.com
4THBAND :-CROSSFIRE
STEEL ORCHESTRA
TUNE :-MUSICAL VENGEANCE ARTIST :-L SHARPE CAPTAIN :-ELIZABETH McFAIRSON ARRANGER :-KHUENT ROSE TUNER :-ROLAND HARRIGAN PAN YARD :-P.S. 241 ;PRESIDENT ST; BROOKLYN ;NY
www.crossfire.panonthenet.com
5THBAND :-
ADLIB
STEEL ORCH
TUNE :-HEAT ARTIST :-A SAMAROO CAPTAIN :-FRANKLIN MAYERS ARRANGER :-ANDRE’ WHITE TUNER :-FITZ & PATRICK WORRELL PAN YARD :-855 NASSAU RD; UNIONDALE ; NY
(Map)
(1 block from Uniondale Ave.)
Uniondale, NYContact:
FRANKLIN & JEAN MAYERS
516-623-4061 (home)
516-292-2016 (panyard,
after 6:00 PM)
http://panonthenet.com/adlib
6THBAND :-
DESPERS USA
TUNE :-SOUTH PAN CHAMPS ARTIST :- CAPTAIN :-WAYNE
‘BUMPY’ INNISS ARRANGER :-WILFRED AND KLEIM TUNER :-CLEMENT FRANKLIN&KIM-LOY WONG PAN YARD :-621 CLASSON AVE ; BROOKLYN ; NY
www.despers.panonthenet.com
7THBAND :-C.A.S.Y.M
TUNE :-MUSICAL VENGEANCE ARTIST :-L SHARPE CAPTAIN :-TRAVIS ROBERTS ARRANGER :-ARDDIN HERBERT TUNER :- DOYLE PAN YARD :-15SNYDER ; BROOKLYN ; NY
www.casym.panonthenet.com
8THBAND :-
HARMONY MUSIC MAKER
TUNE :-HOOKED ARTIST :-K PHILMORE ; MARK LOQUAN CAPTAIN :-DIONNE NORTON TUNER :-DOYLE PAN YARD :-1351 LINCOLN PL ; BROOKLYN ; NY
9THBANDS :-
PANTONIC
TUNE :-MUSICAL VENGEANCE ARTIST :-L SHARPE CAPTAIN :-ELLIS BAPTISTE ARRANGER :-KEITH ROBERTS TUNER :-ROLAND HARRIGAN PAN YARD :-ALBERMALE BET LOTT & VERONICA ; BROOKLYN
Enter for the Panorama through the main Museum doors on the
Eastern Parkway not the usual entrance.
From
Manhattan: Brooklyn Bridge; first left at Tillary Street;
right on Flatbush Avenue to Grand Army Plaza; approximately 2/3
around Plaza; turn right on Eastern Parkway. Museum is at first
intersection (Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue). Or
Manhattan Bridge enters directly onto Flatbush Avenue.
From Westchester, the Bronx, Queens, or
Connecticut: Triborough Bridge to Brooklyn Queens Express (BQE)/Manhattan
Bridge exit to Tillary Street, follow directions from Manhattan.
From Staten Island and Southern or Central
New Jersey: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Gowanus Expressway
(Route 278 towards Manhattan); exit to 38th Street; left on
Fourth Avenue for approximately 2 miles; right on Union Street;
5 blocks to Grand Army Plaza; go 1/2 around Plaza; turn right on
Eastern Parkway. Museum is at first intersection (Eastern
Parkway and Washington Avenue).
From northern or north central New Jersey:
George Washington Bridge/Holland or Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan;
follow Manhattan directions.
From Long Island: Grand Central
Parkway to Jackie Robinson Parkway; exit at Bushwick Avenue;
left at third traffic light to Eastern Parkway; approximately 3
miles to Washington Avenue. Museum is across intersection at
left.
United Kingdom - The Champions of Steel
competition took place in London’s famed Hyde Park for the
second year as it again opening the Notting Hill Carnival on
Saturday, August 23, 2008. Once again Ebony Steel Orchestra, the
2007 panorama champions, retained their title for 2008. [more]
Toronto, Canada - More than 7,000 fans at
Lamport Stadium enjoyed the defending champions Selah Steel
Academy successfully defend their Pan Alive panorama title.
1st Salah Steel
Academy – Puncernelly – Defosto – Winston Scarborough –
Salah Wilson
2nd Afropan
Steelband – 10 Commandments of Pan – Tony Prescott – Jason
“Peanut” Isaac/Ingrid Depleza – Earl La Pierre
3rd Silhouettes
Steel Orchestra – Sweet Soca Man – Baron – Winsford Devine –
Mark Mosca
Phase 11 Pan
Groove come from behind in the Trinidad National Semi Finals
Panorama competition in true "musical vengeance" style to capture the title of
Champion steelband of the world in the 2008 Trinidad and Tobago finals held in Skinner Park, San Fernando
on Saturday 2nd Feb 2008
Phase II Pan
Groove PANORAMA
Prelims Trinidad 2008
Large
Conventional Band Results
01. Phase II Pan Groove - Musical Vengeance (481)
02. Trinidad All Stars -Thunder Coming (480)
03. Sagicor Exodus - Puncernelly (474)
04. Witco Desperadoes - Pan Commandments (471.5)
05. Silver Stars - Thunder Coming (463)
06. BP Renegades - Thunder Coming (460)
07. RBTT Redemption Sound Setters - Puncernelly (459)
08. Tropical Angel Harps - Latin On the Court (454)
Medium
Conventional Band Results
01. Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille - Hooked (465.5)
02. Steel Xplosion - Get Down (459.5)
03. Clico Sforzata - Thunder Coming Down (444.5)
04. NLCB Buccooners - Hooked (441)
05. Arima Angel Harps - Latin On The Court (437)
05. Sangre Grande Cordettes - Latin On The Court (437)
07. HCL Valley Harps - Celebration Time 2008 (436)
08. Carib Dixieland - Puncernelly (433.5)
Small
Conventional Band Results
01. Pan Elders - Latin On The Court (476)
02. Arima Golden Symphony - Fiery (470)
03. Merrytones - Musical Vengeance (469)
04. Petrotrin Siparia Deltones - Whole Day (465)
05. Tornadoes - Latin On The Court (457)
06. Tamana Pioneers - Earthquake (451)
07. Panosonic Connection - Thunder Coming (448)
08. Pandemonium - Celebration Time (445)
09. Tunapauna All Stars - Tell Me Why (444)
10. Simple Song - Bass Man (435)
Terry
Joseph passed away on January 2nd 2008.The 60-year-old columnist
who worked at different times for the Guardian,
Express and Mirror newspapers, died in Georgia,
United States on New Year's Day while visiting with his wife,
Dr. Laini Gilliam-Joseph after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Dehumanising our youth
Clearly, along the road to success, she became
one of the very black bitches she created and,
for that, was rewarded with the opportunity to
make more.
-Where
pan reach?" 2nd World Steelband Music
Festival
-Pan
Patent Plan by George Whitmyre, of Elkton,
Maryland, and Harvey J Price, of Wilmington,
Delaware
He was born in Laventille in 1947, and spent
the latter part of his
life writing about the culture of Trinidad and Tobago,
especially Pan, Calypso and Mas. At the Send-off ceremony
Express Editor-at-Large Keith Smith recalled that Joseph was
such an expert on steelband, mas and calypso, that people from
all corners of the world would be referred to him for
information on the art forms.
"the sheer magic of pan still has
the rest of the world as excited as a mosquito in a
nudist camp" Terry Joseph writing about the 2005
World Steelband Music Festival at Madison Garden in NYC
Joseph was remembered for his
warmth, spontaneity, biting sense of humour, sarcastic wit, as a
great drinker, cultured style and class, fairness, brutal
honesty, strength and courage, and for being an indefatigable
worker, "a giant of a man and a cultural warrior".
During the celebration there were performances by
the Laventille Rhythm Section, Lord Superior, Lydian Singers,
Brother Resistance, singer Mavis John accompanied by
Grammy-award winning percussionist Ralph MacDonald and veteran
steelband arranger Pelham Goddard. For the final tribute, Roy
Cape All Stars and steelband Sagicor Exodus performed "Memories"
by The Mighty Sparrow.
As Joseph's casket was being carried into the hearse, the pall
bearers danced and sang to the calypso music and some beat a
tune on the casket. His body was then removed for a private
cremation.
August 2008: Trinidad and Tobago Prime
Minister Patrick Manning’s has chosen Dr Brian Copeland
as the recipient of the country’s highest national award in
2008.
Dr. Brian Copeland's work with
steelpan allowed Trinidad and Tobago to move beyond the
successfull challenge to USA granted patents on steel drums
which could have required licensing for steelpans imported
from the birthplace of Steelpan.
Dr Brian Copeland
and his work developing the steel pan of the 21st century is to
be awarded the first successor medal to the Trinity Cross,
Trinidad & Tobago's highest honor
Dr. Copeland will be the first person to
receive the new Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT).
The highest award was previously known as the Trinity Cross but
the name was changed following a high court decision that it
discriminated against non-Christians.
Ju
stice Peter Jamadar
had ruled that the Trinity Cross indirectly discriminated
against non-Christians after a court case brought by the Sanatan
Dharma Maha Sabha and a Muslim organisation.
It has been over two years since the highest award was granted
and Dr. Copeland will be the first recipient of the as yet
unveiled award which may or may not feature the the three
mountain peaks which
Christopher Columbus himself used to name
the island Trinidad.
The Government of
Trinidad and Tobago challenged the steelpan patents, using the
classic "prior use" arguments and asserting that this so-called
ingenuity was identical to published local work of pan pioneer,
Anthony Williams.
After examining evidence submitted by the Intellectual Property
Office, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued an Inter
Partes Re-examination Certificate that cancelled all the claims
of the "Cycle of Fifths" patent, effectively revoking it. The
arrangement of notes has been placed in the US public domain,
which means that no-one else can register a patent for it.
On August 20th 2008,
Patrick Arnold,
president of the
Trinidad-based group Pan Trinbago, the world governing
body for the steel drum, whose group has
Patrick Arnold, the
President of Pan Trinbago inaugurated the
Anthony Williams Awards ceremony and President's Ball in
December 2007.
been involved in
contesting the American patents since 2004. According to
Newsday
he opposed the selection of Copeland saying that there were more
deserving such as pan tuner Ellie Mannette, or
Mr. Anthony Williams,
one member of the TASPO band, on returning from Britain,
designed the "Fourths and Fifths" arrangement of notes which is,
in effect, a cycle of fifths. The ground-breaking
Trinidad All Stars Percussion Orchestra (TASPO), was the
historic full steelpan orchestra which introduced the instrument
to Europe while on tour to London and Paris in 1951.
According to Pan Trinbago's
historian Neville Bryant, "it was Williams who invented the
fourth and fifth tenor pans which gave the pans a wider musical
range. It was he who invented the spider web tenor pan and he
was the first person to put steelbands on wheels." This has
become the standard form of note placement for lead pans and
more importantly led to no entity being able to claim ownership
of the steelpan.
At 76-years of age, Williams in December of
2007 was honored by Pan Trinibago for his work which also
included leading the Pan Am North Stars for many years.
Dr. Copeland, head of the
electrical and computer engineering department at the University
of the West Indies, St Augustine, led the team that
invented a new steelpan, the so called the G-pan, which was
unveiled with Prime Minister Patrick Manning in July.
On July 4, 2007 Copeland’s team
of engineers unveiled the G-pans, which features 37 notes
instead of 29, three full octaves rather than the two and a half
octaves of the traditional tenor and a 37th note is actually the
first note of the fourth octave.
In an interview shortly after
the ceremony, Copeland told a
Guardian reporter that the award “augurs well for the
protection and preservation of the instrument.”
and that by moving
towards patenting “we would be consolidating ourselves as the
owners of the steel pan.”
Meanwhile Pan Trinibago has undertaken a campaign to elevate
the appreciation of the genius of Tony Williams to the evolution
of Pan arts. Their program August 2008 features three such
events:
"In recognition and celebration of the
man who has been hailed as an “absolute genius”, Pan Trinbago
staged three significant activities during the month of
August 2008.
The first is the rededication of the Foundation Stone at St.
Paul’s Street on Friday 15th August 2008. The stone marks the
place where the first meeting of steelbands was held.
"Two days later on Sunday 17th August 2008, there will be an
Inter-faith Service at Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars Pan
Theatre, Duke Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad, at 10:00 am.
Several members of the Inter-Religious Organization (IRO) will
officiate.
"Lastly there is the inauguration of The Hall of Fame with
Anthony Williams as the first inductee. The ceremony will take
place on Friday 29th August 2008 at a venue to be confirmed."
Neither Anthony Hall or Dr. Brain Copeland have, as yet,
been given a wikipedia page which as of Sept 2008 had only 12
panmen listed.
"Born at Rose Hill, East Dry River in
1930, his detractors say he would have been too young to shine
at the time pan made that first developmental leap. What is not
in dispute is that Spree executed the best-remembered pan
performance of the 1946 Carnival. And since that event is widely
recorded as the first time the instrument had been used as a
lead voice in the yet fledgling steel orchestra, it seems more
than reasonable to link both situations.
"Several pan historians, some of whom were probably on hand for
his public premiere of the 14-note tenor pan on March 5, 1946
(Carnival Tuesday of that year), insist that no one had hitherto
produced that level of music.
---Terry Joseph
No one person
invented pan
“Pan
as an item was not invented by any person. It evolved and there
are a number of people, including myself, who advanced it
through certain stages of that evolution.” said Ellie
Mannette who spent most of his
career studying the further development of the pan instrument
and at the West Virginia University (WVU)
since 1994.
“We have also developed a geometry for the pan templates,” he
said. “This allows us to simply measure the spaces and make the
notes, so a pan does not always have to be an instrument with
the notes shaped the same way all the time. As long as the C
note has the same size specifications, it can be tuned
accurately."
by Terry Joseph Oct-2000
New York City: the
capital of
Caribbean Music, Arts, & Entertainment
Playing Large for
the World
Terry
Joseph passed away on January 2nd 2008.The 60-year-old columnist
who worked at different times for the Guardian,
Express and Mirror newspapers, died in Georgia,
United States on New Year's Day while visiting with his wife,
Dr. Laini Gilliam-Joseph after a prolonged battle with cancer.
