What? Thankfully, the art-form of steelpan music is making a comeback in Guyana? Replete with an increasing number of rehabilitated, replenished and brand new steelband and steel orchestras? That’s what I was hearing since the Mashramani 2010 season.
So I set out to investigate this potential good news—or views – which could augur well for our cultural/musical tradition. But before I report on what I discovered, I must hark back, ever so briefly, to the status of Guyana’s steel-band music of by-gone years.
Pan fuh so in
Guyana…
It is recognised that Trinidad and Tobago gave the Caribbean and the wider musical world the art-form of steel pan music. Winston “Spree” Simon and Eli Monette are just two, Trinidadian icons whose bare hands created what was touted as the only new and original musical instrument of the twentieth century – the steelpan.
But, as in calypso, Guyana — the then colony of British Guiana- was never far behind the Trinidadians with respect to the making of musical steelpans, the arranging of steelband music and a profusion of steelbands, the members of which ranged from the masses of working—class folks to Government Civil Servants, to the religious and in-school; youth. Between the late forties and the mid-seventies Guyana boasted numerous steelbands and steel-pannists and technologists who captured the attention of even their friendly rivals – the Trinis.
Lovers of the pan would recall band names such as Pagans, Pelicans, Hell’s Gate, Casablanca, Fascinators, Mutants, Skylark, Sun Valley, Tripoli, Texacans, Ivaders Quo Vadis (Dem Boys), Silvertones, Kaietuckians and Atlantic Symphony – To mention just a few!
Tuners, Arrangers, Players, Leaders of Pan, included such titans as Cedric Williams (Pemya), Dan Sandiford, Frankie Lynch, Philbert Moore – Solomon, Reggie Simpson, Sydney Williams, Winston Benn, Calvin Whyte, Woodman Ellis, Winston Roberts, Marsden “Patsy” Adams, Oswald Phillips, Desmond Fraser, Roy Geddes, Ashton Leo, Aubrey Bryan, Ivan Fung and Fred Massay – To mention just a few!
Then, after the glorious days of Christmas Tramps, Music Festivals, Independence parades and the earliest Republic Anniversary tramps competitions and concerts, things fell apart by the end of the seventies. Steelbands and their music succumbed to the socio-economic and cultural challenges which beset the nation – with some periods of political unrest thrown in for good – really, bad – measure.
CARIFESTA
— Challenge And
Potential Rebirth
If the original Caribbean Festival of the (Creative) Arts in Guyana, in 1972, promoted the Caribbean’s cultural identity and heritage, CARIFESTA Ten’s return to Guyana in 2008 provided an impetus for the renaissance of local steelpan music which was all but buried in the doldrums of migration of skills, lack of the interest, expensive instruments, no significant funding and the proliferation of reggae, soca and other bands.
To his eternal credit, current Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony easily agreed to support a number of measures to resuscitate steelpan music in time for the tenth Caribbean Festival of August 2008. In 2007 he agreed to persuade the Ministry of Finance to purchase a number of brand-new front-line pans from a Trinidad manufacturer – Panland’s Trinidad and Tobago Instruments Limited.
That was a major gesture, to inactive, frustrated pan-players, which also signalled the Culture Ministry’s thrust to establish a National Steelband of between 70 – 100 players; to create six(6) new medium size Community Steelbands; to resuscitate nine (9) selected Steelbands, as well as to employ steel-band tuners and instructors. Most of those plans were implemented. The non-frontline pans were made locally and enthusiasm for pan music was truly re-ignited during and after CARIFESTA 10 in August – September of 2008. Then, again came a lull. But an appropriate corporate citizen stepped in. Fittingly perhaps, the Trinidad and Tobago-based Republic Bank(Guyana) emerged to sponsor the 2009 Mashramani Pan-O-Rama Steelband Competition. The bank’s generosity was as significant as it was all-embracing, in that a comprehensive Workshop for Steelband Arrangers was hosted later that year to improve and sustain the quality of compositions for pan in time for the next Mashramani 2010.
The Republic Bank – sponsored 2010 Mashramani Pan-0-Rama Competition was a heart-warming affair for both steelpan enthusiasts and music lovers generally. The Culture Ministry’s Mashramani Secretariat and Steelband Development Officer Andrew Tyndall succeeded in staging an event which was most competitive, entertaining and inspiring in the context of Guyana’s Steelband music. Though there were just four (4) Small Bands (15-20 members) two(2) School bands and a number of Pan Solo and Duet performers, standards were high, most creative and reminiscent of the quality of by-gone Music Festivals.
The loyal, partisan vocal support for the bands, especially the school band category, was supplanted only by the boisterous general appreciation for the sweet sound of pan, individually and collectively. When the resurgent Police Force band triumphed in the Small Band competition, the celebrations reflected a national urge to sustain the steelpan art-form once again. And forever.
Pan now-and in the
future
But what will it take to continue the sustained renewal of steelpan music here? I found out a lot but I’ll mention just a potent few. For starters, to outfit a brand new steelband, enthusiasts must realise that the average price of producing a single tenor pan is $120,000, a double-pan $160,000. And a six-drum bass set is $180,000. You have to decide on the size of a proper full-fledged band with the requisite number of each type of instrument and the estimated cost of re-tuning say, a 12-14 piece school band is $65,000. Inclusive of skilled, labour and materials.
No wonder there are currently sixteen (16) school bands now dormant. They yearn to be re-activated but the cost of re-tuning and hiring instructors tend to be most challenging, for the “poor” schools. The remedy, of course, is obvious: the emergence of culture-and-pan friendly corporate sponsors like Republic Bank. This writer calls on fuel companies, insurance and airline companies, other banks and, yes, the government to fund and sponsor the establishment of steelbands and the requisite maintenance for a few months thereafter. Don’t allow the present enthusiasm to drown in the sea of frustration born of the turning away from one of our most powerful indigenous musical forms.
Consider too that there are now just seventeen active Steelbands in Guyana when there is potential for at least thirty to be up and running – to recapture the tradition and musical legacy we should not let go.
A parting note: pan is
“technical” too!
In the pioneering days of local pan, the higher-ups and well-to-do of the colonial forties, fifties, sixties looked down on “steel-band people” whom they considered to be raucous, illiterate, ghetto-type trouble-makers. True, the earliest bands originated from the depressed communities in South Georgetown, Bourda and Lacytown. But as stated before, there soon were bands formed by Public Servants, other professionals and companies and which even included a few females. The upper classes and the haughty still generally looked down upon steel-pan players and masqueraders.
How things have changed these days! Reluctantly recognising that many pannists are indeed superb musicians, whether or not they could read or write music like some pianists, society has perhaps grown aware of certain facts that 1 have discovered – which indicate little difference between steelband players, tuners and arrangers and other musicians. Consider the following pan-based realities.
Steelband competition requires a high level of musical scores, accurate execution of those scores, dynamics, interpretation and articulation with judges looking for appropriate introductions, re-harmonisation, melodic and motivic development, texture, tonal quality, among other demanding criteria.
That is why steel-band leaders and managers must employ the [rare] skills of tuners who can “chord” an entire band to get consistent tone and pitch from all pans. Good creative arrangers are also needed to allocate parts of music to sections of a band to produce the most pleasing, finished composition. Yes, pan music is on the level of music played by any other type of orchestra.
To some music enthusiasts it can even be more demanding, given the relative “laziness” today’s electronic musical “instruments” encourage.
The best pan players today should be able to read musical scores and play to them. The best arrangers read and write as they must know how to assign the specific notes to specific instruments. Alas, most pan men cannot read music which is the case with too many of Guyana’s musicians who are great at playing by ear [sound). That’s why we must welcome the Culture Ministry’s Music Development Unit now being constructed on Brickdam, in Georgetown.
Andrew Tyndall is earmarked to be on that staff, which means that steelpan music will benefit from both his responsibilities and representation.
Just “the other day!”
Before I conclude this Brief, 1 must mention the consistent interest and generosity of the Trinidad and Tobago-friendly Republic Bank in Georgetown, manifested “just the other day”.
This time Republic sponsored, again in collaboration with the Culture Ministry’s Music Development Unit, a right start pan minors “Introduction to Steelpan” programme for interested Guyanese youngsters, 10 to 18 years old.
The fantastic programme, spread throughout five Regions, taking in participants from Mabaruma to Linden to New Amsterdam, had targetted some one hundred youths, but easily attracted more than one hundred and fifty! That nearly provided an embarrassing, but welcome challenge for the Music Unit’s organisers. The twelve elementary lessons in Music and Pan Playing were eagerly received by the country’s aspiring pan players from all sections of the society.
The Right Start Minors Course was yet another Ministry-Republic Bank collaboration to promote the longevity of the truly indigenous art-form in Guyana. The exercise cries out for replication and perpetuation and vividly typifies what strategic, creative corporate contributions can do. It is hoped that the 155 youngsters will continue their active interest in their school and community steelbands, as a “right start”.
Finally when on competition night, last Mash, I saw old pan stalwarts like Calvin Whyte, “Grumpus”, Camo Williams, Leon Davis, Godfrey Proctor and a few Silvertones men mixing with the school band pannists and other younger exponents, I felt that, perhaps, pan is really coming back.
That’s why congratulations are in order again for Republic Bank, the Ministry of Culture and all who participated in that Mashramani 2010 Pan-O-Rama. The bands were competent. Let us provide more practical support for the younger pannists who are the future of steel band music in Guyana Michael Smith (jr), Amanda Noel, Jovanka Williams, Tumona Bailey, Akeem Pompey, Desmond Long – and all the other young members of the country’s School and Church Bands.
Long Live Pan!
