Thoughts and ideas relating to the music and culture of Trinidad and Tobago , especially the steelpan and the steelband
Pete De Vlugt and the Dutchy Brothers Band The Dutchy Brothers of San Fernando, Trinidad were the sons of an immigrant from a neighboring Dutch colony (Suriname), a saxophone player called Leonard "Dutchy " De Vlugt. As children, they were musical prodigies, regularly appearing on children musical radio shows (Auntie Kay's show, for example), and … Continue reading The Dutchy Brothers of San Fernando , Trinidad
The first Trinidad music band that I loved as a boy was the Joey Lewis Orchestra.
Fonclaire's performance of "Pan by Storm" at the 1990 Panorama finals was one for the ages. This remains the high point of Ken "Professor" Philmore's career on the Panorama stage, and is definitely Fonclaire's best Panorama outing. As a matter of fact I happen to think that the composition and arrangement were Professor's best Panorama … Continue reading Ken “Professor” Philmore and his masterpiece, “Pan by Storm”.
Monday May 21 , 2018 Neville Jules turned 91 this week. At the Duke Street panyard, even the young players call him Cap. They see him around Hell Yard, a shrine to pan, but can’t fully fathom his weight. Founder of Trinidad All Stars, Jules led the band and arranged its music for 25 years … Continue reading THE PANMAN WHO RELEASED THE “BOMB” TURNS 91 BY DALTON NARINE
A MOTHER & HER SON SHARE A SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY by Dalton Narine USS Cole survivor succumbed to a violent panic attack in bed a week after his 31st birthday, 12 years following a terrorist strike on the guided missile destroyer. A memorial to a Navy son whose special bond between him and his mom comes … Continue reading A MOTHER & HER SON SHARE A SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY
I've been thinking of my most memorable Panorama experiences and the performance by Solo Harmonites in the Panorama preliminaries of 1968 certainly ranks high on that list. The decade of the 1960's saw the greatest advances in the steelband world, and we saw the steelbands grow from the single pan "pan 'round neck" era of … Continue reading A most memorable Panorama event from a bygone era !
The original Hylanders (also known as Highlanders) was founded in the 1950s by Kim Loy Wong who was the band's tuner, arranger, and manager. After Wong left for the the USA in 1959 , the band's leadership was assumed by Bertie Marshall who became the band's leader and tuner . https://youtu.be/FXxQECwMcPw Kim Loy Wong's Highlanders … Continue reading The Hylanders Steel Orchestra, and their legendary leader, Brtram Lloyd “Bertie” Marshall.
A good bomb tune was either a classical piece , a show tune or a pop tune. Not necessarily a popular piece , but a usually familiar tune , with an arrangement that made you jump , but also listen and marvel. The type of tune you would never expect to hear in calypso tempo … Continue reading Examples of a nineteen sixties steel-band “Bomb Tunes” – “Elizabethan Serenade”, “Salut d’Amour” by Silver Stars
The Girl Pat Steel Orchestra was most likely the first all female steel orchestra , since the steelband was formed between the years 1951 - 1952 at the home of Hazel Henley at No 79 Picton Street, Newtown, Trinidad. She was an accomplished musician who played the piano and formed the band with some of … Continue reading The original all female steelband – Girl Pat Steel Orchestra
What can the future hold for the steelbands of Trinidad and Tobago? Where do we go from here? Where we go from here depends on what options we think are available for the Steelband, and most of us are inside a"pan bubble", so we see "through a glass darkly " as the Bible says. For … Continue reading Where does the steelband go from here?
G R JOSEPH 