The History of Steel Pan:
Instrument of the Twentieth
Century
Dr Gertrude Shotte
Presented on 11th October 2013
London Assembly
City Hall
The Queen’s Walk
London SE1 2AA
1
Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where
speech ends – Alphonse de Lamartine.
I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my
parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like
my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived
on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water –
Ray Charles.
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no
pain – Bob Marley
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it
is impossible to be silent – Victor Hugo.
Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed
heart opens – Maria von Trapp.
Music happens to be an art form that transcends language –
Herbie Hancock.
Beautiful music ... is one of the most magnificent and
delightful presents God has given us – Martin Luther.
Introduction
I begin by taking a look at the title of this lecture that appears on
your programme. Undoubtedly, steel pan music is a musical force
to reckon with in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
However, it is during the decades of the previous century, in
particularly the latter decades, that it has drummed its way into
the hearts and minds of people from every ‘tribe, tongue and
nation’.
So, I feel justified in relabeling the subtitle ‘the
instrument of the twentieth century’.
A lecture of this nature cannot do justice to the history of the steel
pan, “the 20th century’s only percussion instrument invention”
(Jones, 1982, p.5). So powerful, rich and voluminous is its story
that it merits a library of its own. This lecture therefore is a mere
2
‘drop in the bucket’ of the lifespan of such a unique instrument.
Yet, it will present the salient parts of some of its many and varied
stories, in sufficient proportions to portray the steel pan as the
instrument of the twentieth century.
The statement, ‘the steel pan is the instrument of the twentieth
century’, has undoubtedly sparked a plethora of mixed reactions.
It is no surprise to have harmonious applauses pealing from steel
pan enthusiasts across the Caribbean. Unquestionably, the loudest
shouts of praise will hail from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,
for obvious reasons.
But from another ‘space’, I can clearly
envisage the furrowed brows, the questioning eyes and the gaping
mouths.
I visualise too, the question marks and exclamation
marks that accompany voiced feelings of doubt raised from those
who do not know the history of the steel pan. I can also hear
caveats whispered and/or clamoured in certain circles whenever
conversations about the elevated status of the steel pan become a
welcome and/or unwelcome topic of discussion.
But such negative reactions are expected for in spite of the
universality of the steel pan, by and large, there is an annoying
lack of knowledge of this fascinating instrument. And ‘to add insult
to injury’, pessimistic reactions flourish because of the negative
stereotypes that spread like wild fires; apprehension lingers
perhaps because of factual narratives of the ‘Bad John’ culture into
which the steel pan grew and expanded; and lively consciences are
torn with indecision because of the influence of some people in
particular religious circles, who view the steel pan as abhorrent.
Also, comparisons made to the steel pan, are often made against
the backdrop of the five broad classifications of western musical
3
instruments - strings, woodwinds, percussion, keyboards and brass
- the type of music played, determines the prominence of one type
over the other.
For example, one can expect more brass and
percussion from a jazz band, while more strings are expected from
a classical orchestra. So, the contentions live on. The steel pan fits
neatly into the percussion category. Yet, its versatility allows it to
be classical, jazzy or whatever other category that the pan masters
deem musically fit.
Inevitably, such an audacious inference
prompts these questions:
1. What is the steel pan?
2. Where, when and how was it originated?
3. What is the story of the steel pan?
4. What are the stories of the pioneers of this unique
instrument?
5. Why is it considered to be the instrument of the twentieth
century?
4
This lecture attempts to address each of these questions; and in so doing,
seeks to present a historical narrative of the steel pan.
Subthemes
include, ‘Controversies, Conflicts and Confrontations’, ‘Gender Issues’ and
‘Spreading Its Wings’ and ‘Going Further Afield’.
The lecture will also
make a case for upholding the steel pan as the instrument of the
twentieth century.
What is the Steel Pan?
Simply put, the steel pan is a percussion instrument.
The names ‘ping
pong’ (used early in its history) and steel drum are sometimes used.
Steel band, which is mistakenly used instead of steel pan, is the collective
noun for the various types of steel pans that make up the ensemble. The
people who play the pans are called pannists.
Where, when and how was the Steel Pan originated?
Steel pan and Trinidad and Tobago are words often heard mentioned in
the same sentence, in the same breadth.
No great surprise since the
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the birth place of the steel pan. Meville
Bryan, Assistant Office Manager/Consultant of Pan Trinbago, is a Steel
Pan Historian acknowledges that there are varying accounts regarding the
exact date and location in Trinidad where the first steel pan was tuned
since no official records were kept by either the pioneers or the British
colonial government of the day.
Mr Bryan however cites this popular
version that is linked to the proverbial saying: Necessity is the mother
of invention.
Mr Bryan sees the steel pan as a sound proof of that
maxim. Bryan notes:
It (the steel pan) was born out of deprivation - a desperate
need by a people to fill the void that was left when something
central to their existence was taken away (Pan Trinbago, 2013).
Jones employs a similar description: the steel pan was “born out of
5
frustration and social ostracism” (Jones, 1982, p. 5).
A Trinidadian steel pan arranger, Michelle Huggins-Watts, expresses her
version this way: "It really came from the bowels of our impoverished
lower classes and we are extremely proud of that," says Michelle
Huggins-Watts, a Trinidadian steel pan arranger (BBC, 2012).
Let us take some steps back in time. Before the abolition of slavery in
1834, the French had introduced a street carnival to Trinidad. It was not
until the slaves were freed that they were allowed to participate.
However, they did not possess the financial means to acquire the
conventional instruments, so they used African drums, the instruments of
their ancestors. Bryan reports that they created percussion bands made
up of bamboo joints cut from the bamboo plant. These were known as
"Tamboo Bamboo" bands and these provided the accompaniment for
the masqueraders in the annual festivities. The "Tamboo Bamboo" bands
held sway during the 1920s and early 1930s.
They were banned in
1934 (BBC, 2012).
World War II (1939 – 1945), was a war that changed the political,
economic and social structure of the entire world. But it was this very
dark period of history that provided, in the words of Historian Bryan, “the
beam that lit the way to the discovery of a new musical
instrument”. Let us see how this came about.

During the war, the British colonial government banned the Tamboo
Bamboo bands, forcing the people to look for other ways to make
merry.

Steel drums discarded by the oil refineries on the island, became
available.
6

‘Festival goers’ used to bang the flat surface of the drum and
accidentally
stumbled
experimentations.
upon
a
sound.
This
led
to
further
Consequently and subsequently, the steel pan
was born. This is the only musical invention of the twentieth
century.

Upon discovering that indentation left by the constant pounding
against the flat end of the drum brought about various sounds, the
lives of the underprivileged, unemployed young men in Trinidad
were filled with hope and excitement. Word about the possibility of
making music with the drums, spread.

Further experiments followed. Added indentation was achieved by
heating the drums in bonfires. More notes with different tones were
found by varying the size and depth on the indentation. Creativity
abounded among the youths and one note led to two, then
three, then four on a single drum.

In 1945, Trinidadians celebrated the end of the war by parading in
the streets with their new instruments, in spite of the limitations of
not having an instrument on which an eight-note scale could be
played.

“Legend has it that Winston Spree Simon, tirelessly working to
improve on the initial discovery was able, sometime in the early to
mid-forties, to tune the ping pong; on which he could play a
complete eight-note scale. With rubber wrapped around one end
of a piece of stick, Spree played a simple melody to the excitement
of those who surrounded him at what would later come to be known
as the pan yard”.

News of Spree’s achievement spread from Port of Spain to the rest
of the country. Naturally, this sparked more experimentation.
7

Early 1950 saw top-class tuners such as Ellie Mannette and
Neville Jules come on the scene. Bands were formed right across
the country. Interestingly, the names by which the bands were
called were adopted from American movies - Destination Tokyo,
Casablanca, Rising Sun, Invaders, Tripoli, Bar 20, Red Army,
Desperadoes.

The ‘ping pong’ was improved and expanded and renamed - the
tenor pan, double seconds, guitars, cellos and bass.

The steel pan art grew and expanded to the point where Trinidad
was invited to send a steel band to the Festival of Britain at the
South Bank Exhibition, in 1951. This led to the formation of the
Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) with members
drawn from steel bands such as Casablanca, Invaders, Free
French, Crossfire, Tokyo, Southern Symphony, North Stars,
Rising Sun, Sun Valley and City Syncopators. Among the
chosen few were Mannette, Spree and a man who would soon
earn his place among the legendary innovators/tuners, Anthony
Williams. One of the pan men then, Sterling Betancourt gives this
account: “We went over with our rusty pans. They weren't
painted or chromed or anything - just dustbins... People
didn't know what to expect, but they liked it. They said it
was 'black magic'” (BBC, 2012).

The ‘pan men’ were still not satisfied with the instrument what they
had produced.
During the 1960s, experimentations continued as
pan yards became laboratories. Anthony Williams designed a
tenor pan known as the "fourths and fifths," meaning that next to
the tonic note were the fourth and fifth notes of that scale. Bertie
Marshall of the Highlanders followed with his creation of the double
tenor.
These designs are still being used by most steel bands to
this day.
8

In the 1970s, Rudolph Charles, leader of the Desperadoes,
continued to be innovative.
He introduced the nine and twelve
bass, which effectively extended the range and depth of the
bass drums by increasing the number of drums from the
traditional six to nine and then to twelve.

Rudolph
Charles
was
on
the
move.
He
introduced
the
quadraphonic; improved the pitch of the tenor pan to what is now
known as the high tenor; changed the appearance of the steel by
replacing the oil paints of the 1950s and 1960s with silver
chrome; put stands on wheels and covered them with
canopies. This allowed for better movement of bands through the
streets, and protection from the sun during carnival parades.

The image of pan men was elevated in 1962.
This was the year
that Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from Britain. The
then
new
government
involved
the
steel
bands
in
official
engagements by hiring them to perform at social and state
functions.

Corporate sponsorship from companies such as Amoco, Coca
Cola, West Indian Tobacco Company, Pan Am, Shell, British West
Indian Airways (BWIA), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
(CIBC) and Starlift (now Petrotrin Starlift), also played a role in
helping to raise the status. Bands were provided with funds to
purchase drums, pay for arrangers, tuners and uniforms.

In
1963
the
National
Panorama
Championship
was
established by the Carnival Development Committee. I deem
it fitting to say “Happy 50th Anniversary!”
(Please see 50th
9
Golden Anniversary of Panorama – David Cuffy, Entertainment
Journalist). This was a move from a ‘street war’ to a ‘musical war’
on stage where each band was required to play a 10-minute
rendition of a calypso of choice. Financial rewards and perks such
as national engagements and overseas trips serve as added
motivation to participate in the competition.
The Story of the Steel Pan: Spreading Its Wings
Investigating the sociology of the development of the steel pan would
make interesting reading, but that slant is out of the scope of the lecture.
However, I must make mention of the fact that the story of the steel pan
is much more that adding to the world-wide lists of instruments that do
exist. The story is about a people who rose from the ashes of deprivation
to awaken and expose latent musical skills and abilities. Back then, the
steel bands, comprised mainly of unemployed young black men who often
found themselves in violent confrontation, and of course in trouble with
the law.
Because of this, a sizable section of the society, rather than
hailing these men as pioneers, regarded them as social outcasts. What
about the status of the steel pan and the pannists today?
I answer in
three words – so much better, because as noted in one of my favourite
Latin phrases, tempora mutantur et nos mutamur cum illis – times
change and we change with them.
Soon after steel bands in Trinidad and Tobago to take root, steel bands
were formed in the neighbouring countries of the Caribbean. Initially, the
pans were obtained from Trinidad, but as the steel pan fever enveloped
Caribbean pan enthusiasts, they too started their ‘home-made brands’
and learned the art of tuning.
The idea of ‘home-made brands’ is an
instructive one, for pans made in Trinidad and Tobago have a special
10
look, a special touch, a special appeal, a special sound. Similarly,
the pan men and women of Trinbago play pan and entertain with a
flamboyance that is quintessentially Trinbagonian. Nevertheless, the
versatility of the pan makes allowance for differences – variations that
make positive distinctions.
This means that pan makers in individual
islands can construct pans with some degree of modification without
diluting the essence of this wonderful instrument.
It follows too, that
pannists can adapt their own style of playing and yet uphold the musical
value to produce a pleasing sound.
In explaining how this works,
Montserratian-born George Brade, founder and leader of the Whittington
Steel Band, England, had this to say: “... we started to get the oil
drums and do our own steel band music. But we made it our own
by giving it some of that Montserrat influence...” (BBC, 2004).
Similarly, there are Antiguan, Anguillian, Bajan, Vincentian, St. Lucian,
Dominican, Grenadian, Jamaican, Kittitian, Nevisian and other island
influences, and yet pan men and women are able to ‘enjoy the pan to
the full’ and offer top-notch entertainment to
satisfied and
thrilled audiences.
Unfortunately, the art of making pans and tuning then was not the only
thing that was spread throughout the Caribbean. The controversies,
conflicts and confrontations expanded too.
Controversies, Conflicts and Confrontations
There are many stories told about the controversies, conflicts and
confrontations that surround the playing of the pan. Anselm Samuel, in
his Foreword for ‘The Gerald Forsyth Story’ revealed: “in those days, the
ruling elite and society in general in Trinidad and Tobago frowned on
pan men and women”. But that is putting it mildly.
Gerald Forsyth,
11
musician, pannist, pan tuner and the first individual to introduce pan into
schools in England, tells this story:
When I went into pan, I had quite a lot of problems with my
family. Both my mother and father were hostile to the idea of
their son, who, having had the benefit of musical training, would
choose the culture of the underclass, the steelband (Forsyth,
2011, p.30).
(See Forsyth (2011) for the rest of the Gerald Forsyth story).
Permit me to cite two familiar examples from Kinsale Primary School
(KPS), Montserrat. Pupil K loved music and wanted to join the KPS Steel
Band. His mother refused to allow him to join the band because it was
not decent and Christian to play steel.
The other example comes from a
grandmother who saw the steel pan as central to benna music. Her
grandchildren were therefore not allowed to associate with any form
benna music.
Benna (alternatively spelled bennah, or called ditti) is a genre of
Antiguan
and
Barbudan
music.
It
is
a
calypso-like
genre,
characterized by scandalous gossip and a call-and-response format. It
first appeared after the prohibition of slavery, and became a form of folk
communication in the early 20th century, and it spread local news across
the islands (Island Mix, 2013).
In some Caribbean islands, there were
many who saw steel pan as a synonym for benna, which, to them,
represented ungodly worldly music.
So, in a Christian society, it was
viewed as very unchristian to be involved in anything to do with the steel
pan. Interestingly, I can recall a twenty-first century example: last year,
2012, a colleague and I represented the Alliouagana Singers at a
Caribbean Day event in Essex. One Part of the event was in the hall and
the other in the Church. On seeing the pans, one lady angrily asked the
minister whether he would allow the steel pan to play in the church. I did
not hear what the Minister’s response was, but the lady and two of her
12
friends took up their bags and walked away. This shows that, in spite of
the progress made in promoting steel pan music, there still remains a lack
of understanding among some people in religious circles.
Perhaps some of the names that were given to steel bands ‘added more
fire to the religious fury’. From Trinidad, I name Desperadoes, Green
Eyes, Invaders, Renegades, Proud Rebels, Hell Yard and Red
Army.
Using two examples from Antigua and Barbuda, I name Hell’s
Gate and Brute Force. The names speak for themselves. And as if the
name Hell’s Gate is not undesirable enough, that very band won the
2011 Antigua and Barbuda National Panarama competition with the
Mighty Swallow’s ‘Satan Coming Down’.
It was Hell’s Gate steel
band that was playing at an event at Brimstone Hill, St. Kitts sometime in
the early 1950s, when a number of people were stampeded to
death.
The steel pan thus came to be associated with death and
destruction. Little wonder that the steel pan is viewed in such a negative
light. Like in the Gerald Forsyth’s case, many family conflicts arose when
children ‘ran away to play steel pan’. Sadly, in the twenty first century
some negative stereotypes still live on. In an interview with ‘When Steel
Talks’, Trinidadian steel-pan musician and administrator Shelley-Jeanne
Langton-Attang was asked what was the one thing she would change
about the steel pan, she replied: “The stigma that Pan is a ‘wine and
jam’ instrument” (When Steel Talks, 2013). The pessimisms that
circulated were bad enough for the boys, but much worse for the girls.
Gender Issues
Generally, right across the Caribbean, playing steel pan was considered to
be ‘a man thing’.
Elizabeth Caesar, sister of Boogsie Sharpe, the
legendary musician, pannist, composer and arranger, had this to say:
13
Growing up in St. James/Woodbrook area, surrounded by so
many steel bands, fed my fervour for the pan, but ironically, I
was not allowed to play. In my house, it was not considered
ladylike (Caesar, 2011, p.37).
Elizabeth Caesar’s experience is quite similar to many women and girls’
who wanted to play pan. In fact, before the 1970s, women just were not
allowed to play the steel pan.
Michelle Huggings-Watts explains that it
was not until the late 1970s that women really got involved in pan
because the pan was considered a street instrument, and it took
some time before it became respectable (BBC, 2012).
And even
when some women enjoyed a degree of acceptance and respectability in
the steel pan circles, “the morality of the steelband women who
accompanied the men was quite often questioned, as they were deemed
to be promiscuous and free spirited” (Walrond, 2007). Here is how one
woman relates her early experience:
As a youth on visits to my grandmother’s home during Carnival,
although I was always fascinated by the steelpans of ‘Proud
Rebels’ Steel Orchestra which were housed in her yard, my
sister and I were not allowed to go anywhere near those
badjohns. Even though my aunts (my father’s sisters) worked
with these youths to create a sense of community, my mother’s
Roman Catholic upbringing and social class aspirations did not
permit us to indulge in that activity. So we stayed in-doors
during our visits (Walrond, 2007).
So what is the ‘gender’ status of the steel pan today? Raisha
Lovindeer, captain of Jamaica’s UWI Panoridim Steel Orchestra,
supplies this answer:
Pan was played heavily during Carnival season, and mostly only
by men. Now, the instrument has transcended the Carnival
experience and the gender roles. Many pan players and band
leaders in Jamaica are women (When Steel Talks, 2013).
14
This is not simply ‘a Jamaican thing’. The women who performed at
the 2011 UK Women of Steel event commented that the event was
very important to them because “women aren’t really showcased in
the Pan Community in this country” (Pan Podium, 2011, p.39). They
have urged the UK public to expect more from them. In countries
around the world some expectations are being realised; other
expectations are on the cards. Headlines such as these reflect this
mood:

Women and Steel 2006 (T&T)

Sisters In Steel -Botswana Africa

Women of University of Alaska: The Steelband Ensemble
Speaks

Pan Women of Antigua Speak

Iman Pascall: A Steelpan Virtuoso In The Making (New York)
15
Below are the names of some pan women who has made the headlines:

Shelley-Jeanne Langton-Attang - Trinidad & Tobago

Rosanna Toney - Brooklyn, New York

Cleo-Antoinette Hampson - Antigua

Emily Lemmerman - Austin, Texas

Delphina James - United Kingdom

Sherry-Ann Welsh - Grenada

Angela Beyer - Texas

Karen Codrington - Trinidad & Tobago

Kizzi Codrington - Trinidad & Tobago

Patrice Charles - Trinidad & Tobago

Latifa Joseph - Antigua

Keisha Codrington - Trinidad & Tobago

Niyatta Tyson - Brooklyn, New York

Sunity Maharaj - Trinidad and Tobago

Shanelle County - Long Island, New York

Alicia Dixon - Brooklyn, New York

Laura Rouse - US Virgin Islands

Debi Gardner - United Kingdom

Koruri Hanato - Japan

Raisha Lovindeer - Jamaica

Vernetta Paul - St. Lucia

Zakiya Howe - Brooklyn, New York

Anita Bonan - Paris, France

Mia Gormandy - Tallahassee, Florida

Natasha Isaac - New York

Zaynab Wilson - Montreal

Kris Murrell - Trinidad and Tobago

Allidonna George - St. Lucia
16
The women named in the list share a variety of roles in the pan business musicians,
pan
players,
arrangers,
directors,
administrators
and
educators. I must make mention of Debi Gardner, who is not only an
accomplished pan player, but is also the Director, British Association
of Steelbands (BAS). As far as raising the profile of women in steel pan
affairs are concerned, it seems safe to say, ‘times are certainly
changing’.
Going Further Afield
The steel pan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, has been
touring the world and leaving its unforgettable, magical influence on
inhabitants of the lands. It migrated from the Caribbean to Africa, Asia,
Australia, Europe, North America and South America. And guess what?
Where the steel pan is, the Trinidadians and Tobagonians are also.
They have journeyed with the pan and have shared in taking it to higher
heights. The pan men and women have graduated from the ‘Bad Johns’
and the ‘promiscuous free spirited’ to proud cultural ambassadors of
Trinidad and Tobago.
The Internationalisation of the Steel Pan: Pan Podium, the Official
Magazine of BAS, has ably documented how the steel pan has been
internationalised; and by this I mean has gained recognition in the global
music environment. Pan Podium points out that the steel pan “has
reached parts of the world that could never have been conceived
by its founding fathers” (Pan Podium, 2011, p.3).
We can now hear
about, read about, and/or experience these steel-band events:
17

The Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival

Canada's Steel Pan Competition

Virginia Arts Festival

Princeton Music Festival

European Steelpan Festival

The Australian Steel Band Festival (1st)

The Notting Hill Festival

The Dutch Steelband Festival

The International Steelband Festival (2014)

The World Steelband Festival (T&T)

Nigerian Steelband Panorama

West African Steelband Competition for Schools

The Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival

Canada's Steel Pan Competition

Virginia Arts Festival

Princeton Music Festival

European Steelpan Festival

The Australian Steel Band Festival (1st)

The Notting Hill Festival

The Dutch Steelband Festival

The International Steelband Festival (2014)

The World Steelband Festival (T&T)

Nigerian Steelband Panorama

West African Steelband Competition for Schools
This list is but a mere ‘drop in the bucket’ of the many steel-pan events
that take place around the world.
It is heart-warming to note that the
staff of the Littlehampton Academy, West Sussex, donated a set of pans
to a school in Ethiopia (Pan Podium, 2011, p.6).
18
The players of the Catalan Steel Band expose another side of the
internationalised steel pan. They assert that the steel pan is a
“cohesionary tool between people of different ethnic groups and
the people responsible for the development of this fascinating instrument”
(Pan Podium, 2011, p.14).
These players are a living testimony of this
assertion for the players in the band hail from Venezuela, Spain,
Greece, Uraguay and Switzerland. A head teacher of a music centre
in Spain praises the steel pan for its “social capacity which gives
students the work method – cooperation, teamwork and respect”
(ibid). This work method is manifested in many bands in England. I wish
to make mention of Endurance Steel Orchestra of South East London
where children are ‘musicians’ and not ‘kids’, whose workshops include
young people and children working together with “musicians of all
different races, working together...” regardless of their postcode (p.30).
Warm greetings from comes from cold Norway.
Ingeborg Loseth, pan
teacher of the Stavanger Steel Band, describes the pan experience as:
“it’s a feeling of summer. It gives you the urge to dance” (p.16).
The summer feeling made its way to the opening of a new building where
the children played tropical rhythms “in a temperature of at least
minus 10 degrees”. Ingeborg intends to use the pan to help children
“to play their way into adulthood”. Ingeborg commented that this
event was definitely no 96°-in-the-shade performance, yet the parents
were very encouraging and supportive.
This fascinating Norway story brings to mind a Netherlands story where
pan players were “supported with umbrellas as they played the
wedding march” for a wedding that was taking place at the Plaza
(p.18). The pan has truly unearthed some amazing stories. Here is
another one:
19
Antigua and Barbuda is the only country in the world where a
sitting Prime Minister can be seen pushing or pulling a pan rack
filled with steel-pan instruments onto and off the stage during a
national panorama contest... This Prime Minister, the
Honourable Winston Baldwin Spencer, know Pan! (Pan
Podium, 2011, p.24)
And here comes yet another story:
His Excellency, High Commissioner Mr Gavin Nicholas, Trinidad and
Tobago, at an event that honoured ‘pan greats in London’, informed
invitees that he presented a beautiful tenor pan as a gift to the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as their wedding gift. This was
accompanied by a crystal decanter full of Trinidadian rum. St.
James Palace responded to express thanks to the High Commissioner:
“...It was so kind of you to think of their Royal highnesses in this way,
and no doubt they will have pleasure in playing the drum whilst drinking
the rum!” (Pan Podium, 2011, p.35).
Some Acknowledgements
It would be remiss of me to end this lecture without acknowledging the
sterling contributions of some pan stalwarts in the English society, who
have seen the ‘steel pan flag’ constructed, have taken it up, have flown it,
and who are still flying it today, in spite of challenges and uphill battles. I
would not attempt to list names for fear that I miss some vital
contributors. I simply say: ‘Well done! You have done us proud in helping
to make the steel pan the instrument of the twentieth century’.
I wish to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to the Board of
BAS – Pepe Francis, Robbie Joseph, Eversley Mills and Debi
Gardner. Via Pan Podium, the BAS Board has kept the public very well
informed of all steel-pan activities in England and the rest of the world.
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Concluding Perspectives
During the latter decades of the twentieth century, the steel pan has
shown itself to be the instrument of that century. 2011 was designated
and declared the ‘Year of the Steel Pan’.
That same year marked the
Diamond Jubilee of TASPO and the Golden Jubilee of Dixieland Steel
Orchestra.
In 2008, Salmon Cupid brought the development of the steel pan and
synthesiser together to invent the first E-pan. This is what is said:
It has revolutionized the manner in which the "steelpan" sound
is delivered, while maintaining the basic and traditional way the
instrument is played... The e-pan not only delivers a true
reproduction of the unique "steelpan sound", it also delivers the
full range of the orchestral symphony... This will allow and afford
them greater opportunities for valuable work, whether
performing solo or as "accom-pannist" (New Advanced Product
Evolution Inc. (NAPE), 2013)
Clearly, there should be no surprise to discover that Salmon Cupid was
born and raised in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He is currently
the Musical Director of Toronto All Stars Steel Orchestra.
Clearly, the steel pan has arisen from the ‘ashes’ of deflated pan-yard
‘realities’, and from the ‘rags’ of local and national exclusion to the ‘riches’
of social inclusion in esteemed auditoriums and concert halls in major
cities around the world. The Royal Albert Hall in London, Carnegie Hall,
the Apollo and Lincoln Theatres in New York, the United Nations building,
and the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., among others, are some of
the
venues
where
delighted
audiences
were
enthralled
with
the
harmonious sounds of the pan. When pannists rock audiences with
calypso and soca, and even reggae music, this is quite pleasing.
But,
inevitably, incredulity enters the equation when pannists captivate their
listeners “with renditions of some of the most complex works of the
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classic composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Sibelius, Rossini,
Borodin” (Pan Trinbago, 2013).
The steel pan has changed many lives in a positive way, has united
youths, regardless of post codes, has brought ethnic groups together in a
single purpose, has continued to please appreciative audiences even in
pouring rain and sub-zero temperatures, has brightened many dark days,
has put youthful ‘springs’ in many weary steps, and is indeed a
therapeutic agent!
accomplishments!
In its relatively short years, it has such major
No other musical instrument has managed to
accomplish all that the steel pan has achieved, on the same scale!
The twenty-first century is relatively new
– a decade plus old.
Undoubtedly, the steel pan will continue to make waves around the world.
Spree, Mannette, Williams, Marshall, Charles, Forsyth, Boogsie Sharpe
and others whose genius and creativity have taken steel-pan playing to
great heights, must be commended. Today’s youths should not miss the
opportunity to take steel pan playing to ever higher heights, where
‘beyond the sky is the limit’.
And if pan enthusiasts, arrangers, directors, players, makers and tuners,
in particularly, those who took up the art of pan of in this ‘new’
millennium, if they imitate the innovative passion, hard-working spirit,
enduring commitment and musical drive of pan experts, past and present,
the steel pan would not only be the instrument of the twentieth century,
but would remain a strong contender for the instrument of the twentyfirst century.
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References
BBC (2004) World on Your Street. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/onyourstreet/msgeorge1.shtml.
BBC (2012) A Brief History of Steel Pan. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18903131
Caesar, E. (2011) Pan Podium Artiste Spotlight. Pan Podium, Issue 23,
p.36 & 37.
Island Mix (2013) Benna Music. Retrieved from
http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f16/benna-antigua-82961/.
Jones, A. (1982). Steelpan: The Winston ‘Spree’ Simon Story (Rev. ed.).
Port of Spain: A. M. Jones.
Joseph, R. (2011) From the Editor. Pan Podium, Issue 23, p.4.
La Rose, M. and McCalman, L. (2001) (Eds.) The Gerald Forsyth Story:
The Lifetime Journey of a Pan Legend in the Steelband Movement.
London: Caribbean Arts and Musical Expression Publishing.
NAPE Inc. (2013) The E-Pan. Retrieved from
http://www.napeinc.com/EPan-sp-8.html
Pan Trinbago (2013) The Steel Pan – A Brief History. Retrieved from
http://www.pantrinbago.co.tt/index.php?option=com_content&view=artic
le&id=85&Itemid=100
Walrond, J. (2007) Steelpan, Caribbean Identity and Culturally Relevant
Adult Programs. Retrieved from
https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JCIE/article/.../559/
When Steel Talks (2013) Meet Raisha Lovindeer of Jamaica. Retrieved
from http://www.panonthenet.com/woman/2013/raisha-lovindeer-3-202013.htm.
When Steel Talks (2013) Their Story, Their Voice, Their Life, Their
Dreams. Retrieved from
http://www.panonthenet.com/woman/2013/shelley-jeanne-langtonattang-3-31-2013.htm
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