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January 18, 2008 - Volume 1, No. 8
Panorama: The National
Festival of Trinbago
On
Saturday, February 2, 2008 panjumbies
will celebrate the 45th
anniversary of Panorama in Trinbago.
Although the stage has changed from
Queens’ Park Savannah to Skinner Park in
the southland, Panorama is now the
national festival of Trinbago. As a
result, I think it is only fitting to
take some time to reflect and give a
little background on Trinbago’s national
festival. It was hard work to get there
and still is a struggle each and every
carnival year. Most of the steelbands
and panists from the beginning in 1963
are not around any more. But, a few
panjumbies, like yours truly who were
there can reflect on those times. This
was before the master Clive Bradley and
Len Boogsie Sharpe, the two stalwarts of
Panorama.
On August 31, 1962, Trinbago received
its independence from Britain, its
former colonial ruler. A new political
party, PNM and its political leader Dr.
Eric Williams would lead the new nation.
The nationalism that started in the
1930s paid off in the 1960s. As a result
of the total support that the PNM
received in the 1956 general elections
from the African masses and particularly
the steelband movement behind the bridge,
it was time to deliver to the working
class and majority African arrears of
Laventille, Morvant, Gonzales and
Belmont where the steelband had strong
roots. With people like George Goddard,
Cannon Farquhar, Beryl McBurnie, Carlton
Comma, Lennox Pierre and John Donaldson
Snr. (all deceased) leading the charge
for inclusion, Dr. Williams decided that
it was time to bring the steelbands into
the national culture. Some say that it
was his way of showing the French
Creoles that he had the support of the
masses. Others say that he received
prodding from Beryl McBurnie and the
other middle-class Woodbrook residents
who supported Invaders Steelband within
their middle class enclaves. Whatever
was the influencing force, he put the
Carnival Development Committee in charge
of the next carnival and a new steelband
competition was to follow. Previously,
the music festival, which featured
European classical music, was the
supreme steelband competition. Bands
who won the music festival felt that
they could claim bragging rights on the
bridge or the coffee.
And so, it was in 1963, on a carnival
Friday night, (In 1976 it changed to
carnival Saturday night) seven years
after PNM won the first general
elections, that a new steelband
competition was born. It was called
Panorama. This new event would be under
the financial patronage of the PNM
government (it still is today). After
many years of different steelband
associations being sub culture, Panorama
was to become part of the national
culture and determine the best playing
steelband of the nation. As a result,
Panorama would develop to become the
national festival of Trinbago. It was
the beginning of the African cultural
ascent in the nation. Soon, there would
be Better Village competitions and
Classics and Carols in Woodford Square,
all under the patronage of the new
government. The class stratification of
Trinbago put the steelbands and their
members at the low end of the society.
This new Panorama would instill a
national pride in steelbands and their
followers, especially those form the
working class arrears. It placed the
steelband at the top of the cultural
landscape of Trinbago. Soon, Trinbago
was telling the world that the steelpan
is its national instrument.
Thus, from 1963 to 1979, Steelbands
reigned supreme in the savannah and on
the road for both carnival days. Most
steelbands at that time belonged to a
community from which they received most
of their supporters and panists.
Steelbands like Desperadoes, City
Syncopators (defunct), Joyland (defunct),
Casablanca (defunct), Silver
Stars (revitalized in 2008), Starlift,
Invaders, City Symphony (defunct), All
Stars, Sputniks (defunct), Hilanders,
Kintups (defunct), Renegades,
Savoys (defunct), Sun Valley (defunct, Amboys (defunct), Sunland (defunct),
Dixieland (defunct) and Dem Stars (defunct)
came on the road with hundreds of
masqueraders, mostly from their
neighborhoods. Even steelbands from the
Eastern and Southern parts of Trinbago
came to Port of Spain to display their
musical prowess with plenty masqueraders.
Steelbands like San Juan All
Stars (defunct), Ebonites (defunct),
Harmonites, Cavaliers(defunct),
Flamingoes (defunct) and Cordettes
challenged the town bands for musical
supremacy on the road. At that time,
steelbands were still an integral part
of carnival on the road. Panorama had
not yet become the raison d’être for
steelbands. During the Panorama
competitions, from 1963 till 1971 all
steelbands played a calypso written or
sung by a calypsonian as their Panorama
tune of choice.
In 1972, Ray Holman changed the dynamics
of the Panorama. That year Holman
composed and arranged his own tune
called “Pan on the move” for his band
Starlift. For the first time, a
steelband entered the Panorama
competition with a tune composed and
arranged by a panist. And Holman was
their panist too. It was also the first
time that any steelband entered the
Panorama with a composition other than
the regular calypso sung during the
carnival season. During that time
calypsonians like Sparrow and Kitchener
ruled the road march and Panorama
competitions as most steelbands played
their tunes. Holman bucked the system
and was quickly put under heavy manners.
Calypsonians like Sparrow complained
that Holman was moving away from
tradition. Panjumbies complained that
they did not know the tune so it was
impossible to follow the band. At that
time it was customary for radios to give
daily air play to calypsos from after
Christmas (when new calypsos were
released) to Carnival. That allowed
panjumbies to become acquainted with the
calypso tunes for Panorama. Ray Holman,
with his own composition, brought the
steelband movement into a new era. Even
some of the judges expressed dismay that
a steelband could compose their own tune
for Panorama. Panorama would never be
the same again.
The introduction of steelbands using
their own compositions at Panorama was
the third innovation in the Panorama
competition. The first innovation was
the classical style arranging of
Panorama tunes. That was introduced by
Anthony Williams of North Stars in 1963
with “Dan is the Man” and repeated
in1964 with “Mama dis is Mas”. At the
inception of Panorama, North Stars was
the supreme music festival steelband.
The second innovation to be introduced
was the fast tempo style playing and
large bass sections. That was introduced
in 1964 by Cavaliers from the South
land. Cavaliers, led by Bobby Mohammed
won the 1964 Panorama. Most South bands
continue to this day to emulate
Cavaliers tempo with emphasis on the
large bass sections at the Panorama. But,
a side effect of the Cavaliers win was
the decision of North Stars leader
Anthony Williams, who was displeased
that Cavaliers won, never to enter
Panorama again. The third innovation was
the introduction by Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe
of jazz in his compositions. The last
innovation was the total involvement of
women panists in the Panorama orchestra.
Today, in the Panorama competition most
of the panists in some of the major
steelbands are women.
In 1970, the Black Power movement
demanded that local culture get its
rightful place in the society. As a
result, the PNM government took the
decision to financially support the
steelbands and to encourage various
businesses to sponsor the steelbands. It
was hoped that sponsorship would deter
the steelbands from fighting on the road
for carnival. It worked, because
steelbands believed that fighting would
lead to the loss of their sponsorships.
But, as the fights disappeared a new
generation of panists came on the scene
without the allegiances of the former
generation to the steelbands. No longer
were steelbands getting most of their
panists from the community. Also,
panjumbies from other communities gave
their support to the popular steelbands,
especially those that belonged to the
top winning four steelbands: Renegades,
All Stars, Phase II and Desperadoes. The
end of steelband wars permitted panists
to hire out their skills to any
steelband of their choice. No longer did
younger panists feel obligated to any
steelband. Some even hire their skills
to more than one steelband until
Pantrinbago put a stop to that variety.
Before, panists belonged to a steelband
and stayed with that steelband through
thick and thin, win or loss at Panorama.
Most panists did not even visit other
panyards to hear another steelband that
was participating in the Panorama. At
that time, steelbands were very
exclusive and community oriented. From
1976 till 2000 Desperadoes, All Stars
and Renegades, steelbands with roots
behind the bridge, won the most Panorama
competitions for that period.
In the 1980s, other arrangers started
composing their own tunes for Panorama,
notably Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe from Phase
II, Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore from
Fonclaire and Godwin Bowen from Pamberi.
To this day, Ray Holman and Boogsie
continue going to Panorama with their
own compositions. Other arrangers
sometimes choose a regular calypso.
Panorama became the most important
competition in the steelband movement.
The music festival that stressed
European classical music took a back
seat to the Panorama as the main
steelband competition in Trinbago. Often,
many panjumbies complain that the
Panorama (one tune) has watered down the
steelbands’ repertoire. Steelbands
concentrate and focus on one tune to
prepare for the Panorama competition.
Panjumbies still believe that the
Panorama is killing the steelband
movement because steelbands pull
together all their energies for three or
four months before carnival learning one
tune for Panorama.
I would like to put forward four reasons,
in spite of the old talk, that I believe
why Panorama became the supreme
competition for the steelbands. First,
most of the panists in the major
steelbands are unemployed or poor.
Panorama offers a steelband opportunity
to make more money than the other
steelband competitions. If a steelband
is able to pass the preliminaries, make
it to the semi-finals and get in the
finals it receives cash payment for each
appearance: preliminaries, semi-finals
and finals. In 2007, All Stars won the
Panorama finals and received TT$1million
dollars plus fees for preliminaries,
semi-finals and the finals. A tidy sum
for one steelband. Plus, panists today
are paid for playing in the Panorama.
That was unheard of during the 1960s and
1970s. The status of the music festivals
has diminished over the years,
especially after the Black Power revolt
in 1970. Steelbands joined the new
nationalism in the land by focusing on
the Panorama which is a local musical
affair. All steelbands at the music
festival play foreign classical music.
Boogsie and Jit Samaroo and a few
panists have composed their version of a
classical piece for the competition.
Second, most of the panists are of
African descent. The steelband movement
is one of three social activities that
Africans control in the society, other
than calypso and Mas. They are the best
tuners, arrangers, panists and leaders
of the top steelbands like Desperadoes,
All Stars, Renegades and Phase II. The
majority of the audiences for Panorama
are from the African communities.
Third, under a political party
controlled by an African leadership,
Africans dominate the steelband movement.
Hence, Panorama being the supreme
competition, Africans feel in control.
Africans have achieved social status in
Trinbago through their steelband prowess.
While others may control other aspects
of Trinbago society, the steelbands are
totally controlled by Africans.
Lastly, some people in Trinbago see some
African areas (East-West Corridor) as
the root cause of most of the criminal
problems in the nation, especially the
recent increase in murders, kidnappings
and gang warfare. But, on Panorama night
the nation comes together to support the
steelband movement, in what has become
the national festival. Hence, Africans
attain their societal status through the
Panorama. The Panorama gives every
finalist steelband and arranger an
opportunity to showcase their musical
abilities. Bands from behind the bridge
and the East-West corridor like
Renegades, Desperadoes, All Stars and
Panknights can feel a sense of pride as
they seek supremacy in the national
festival.
Today, steelbands no longer have a space
in the carnival fetes. Fetes now are
show places for singers and DJs. They
are larger and are held at large venues
that can hold a thousand or more people.
The steelbands are no match for singers
and DJs with their amplified sounds. As
the steelbands were left out of fetes
and parties, Panorama became more and
more the country’s national festival.
Most of the young steelband players, who
join the bands to play for Panorama,
have no interest in pan after the
Panorama competition is over. A glance
at the carnival fetes would offer young
panists partying as if Panorama never
happened. As a result, steelbands are
left with few panists to play on the
road for carnival days. On carnival
Monday and Tuesday, few steelbands come
on the road with what could be
considered a combo side with very few
mas players in the band.
Up until 1979, steelbands reigned supreme
on the road on carnival Monday and
Tuesday. It was the steelbands that
determined the road march for carnival
in those times. Today, the road march is
now determined by soca singers like
Machel Montano and others. A curious
panjumbie could count the amount of
steelbands that appear on the road on
one hand. Carnival on the road is now
for mas bands as their membership swell
to thousands of young people. Many
steelbands like Desperadoes, Renegades
and Invaders, except for Phase II, All
Stars and Starlift, can barely get a
hundred mas players in their bands on
carnival days. Phase II, All Stars and
Starlift are lucky to have a large
foreign membership following who lend
financial and physical support to those
bands. For Starlift and All Stars, their
members who live abroad, especially in
Brooklyn, raise money and provide the
mas for the carnival days. On carnival
Monday and Tuesday you can see thousands
of Trinbago panjumbies who reside in
London, Toronto, Montreal, Brooklyn,
Boston and other parts of the United
States reveling in those bands on the
road to the savannah. All are looking
for that nostalgic moment when pan ruled
town.
It is important that panjumbies pay
attention to the class ramifications of
the steelband movement. To do so, helps
one understand the stature of Panorama
for the steelbands. The lower classes
who invented the steelpan have never
received any monetary gains in Trinbago
society. Pioneers like Ellie Mannette,
Neville Jules had to leave Trinbago and
settle in America, the Bonaparte
brothers migrated to another Caribbean
island, Anthony Williams is still alive
but struggling and Philmore ‘Boots’
Davidson left for England where he died.
Most of the panists today are still
unschooled in musical theory. The
majority of panists playing in
steelbands on Panorama night are young
African men and especially young African
women. Other groups do participate but
most of the faces you see are from the
African communities. The elevation of
Panorama to national status gave the
steelbands their only entrance in the
social strata of Trinbago society. It is
for that reason that the steelbands
recognize Panorama as their only true
way of showing Trinbagonians that they
master an instrument which is today an
international instrument played by
non-Trinbagonians throughout the world.
Desperadoes, Renegades and All Stars
(bands from behind the bridge) have
become known for their prowess in the
Panorama. And, African-Trinbagonians
will always believe that they hold the
leadership when it comes to the
steelband movement and Panorama, the
national festival of Trinbago.
In recent years, there were calls from
some leaders of the Indian community
demanding that the instruments brought
to Trinbago by East Indians during their
indenture, be considered national
instruments. And, some even accused the
government of being racist for calling
the steelpan the national instrument.
While I can understand concerns from
other groups for their space in the
national culture, I believe that they
misunderstand what is a national
instrument. The steelpan has legitimate
claims to be called the national
instrument of Trinbago because it was
created in Trinbago. All other
instruments (sitar, guitar and violin)
were brought to Trinbago from other
homelands. The steelpan is indigenous to
Trinbago because Trinbagonians created
it in Trinbago. The Panorama, being
derived from the national instrument is
indeed the national festival of
Trinbago.
Stay Blogged |
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P.S. For any carnival, steelband or local terms
used here, please go to the
Port of Pan ABC,
or you may contact this writer. Thanks for
reading. |
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