Revolution, mas and pan

Culture Matters

Power to the People

You hearing pan arranged

Since 1943

But there will be a drastic change

In the 21st century

For if you listen to

This melodious melody

My friend you just have to

Agree undoubtedly

With that kind of a music

You can’t help but jumping

It’s very terrific

It’s tantalising

– extract from Pan in the 21st Century, Lord Kitchener

IT WOULD not be an exaggeration to say that Kitchener’s music ruled the road. Apart from winning the Road March five times in the 1970s, his calypsoes were played by the winning Panorama large bands seven times.

From Margie to Play Mas, Tribute to Spree Simon and Pan in Harmony, Lord Kitchener seemed to be blessed by an unstoppable writing genius. In 1970, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra won Panorama with Kitchener's Margie, arranged by the legendary Clive Bradley.

Indeed, the Despers/Kitchener/Bradley combination proved magical in 1976, 1977 when they were victorious and again in 1978 when they placed second with Kitchener’s Pan in the 21st Century.

In 1977 a seismic shift took place in the industry when Calypso Rose made history as the first woman to win the Road March title with Gimme More Tempo. The following year Rose won the Calypso Queen Competition and forced the national calypso competition to be changed from Calypso King to Calypso Monarch when she was victorious in this as well.

The presence of women in the panyards and on competition stages slowly increased during this period. Pan historian Ian Franklin recalls that in ’73 when All Stars won, only two women were part of the ensemble.

Arranger Michelle Huggins-Watts points out that it “wasn't until the late 1970s or 80s that women even started playing the steel pan. It was a street instrument; it took a while to become respectable.”

In spite of these views, the panyard sustained community life. It was the focal point not just for the music, but also for the mas. “Long time, the mas camp was in the panyard,” remembers Gregory Perrotte, a Despers elder and photographer for the band for many years. “In fact, every yard had its own band.”

Prior to the 1970s, Desperadoes showcased its own Carnival masquerade with portrayals such as the Land of the Zulus and Slave Trade. Tokyo, another Laventille band, from John John, depicted Juju Warrior.

The decade ended as it began, with protest. In the media, it was referred to as the “1979 steelband Panorama boycott.” Pan players crossed performance stages in silence, expressing their discontent over several disturbing trends. Remuneration was one of the issues, but it was not necessarily the main challenge.

Pan players were concerned that masqueraders were showing a preference for brass bands. Additionally, the global prominence of calypso and steelband meant that many talented pan players were leaving TT to pursue financially lucrative careers in the US and elsewhere.

The other reason for the protest action was perhaps the most significant because of its impact on the industry as a whole. Increasingly “the steelband movement was becoming a Carnival organisation, going into virtual hibernation during the rest of the year.”

This meant that players were engaged for the season, but were unable to earn a living beyond the festival. Pan Trinbago, formed in 1972, grappled to find solutions that would satisfy players while serving the needs of the nation.

Eventually, Pan Trinbago did establish a year-round calendar for pan and fees for certain performances were increased. Sadly, the lament of the pan player back then finds echoes in our present time.

Carnival in the yard is very focused on competition, learning that one tune to perfection and perhaps a small repertoire for J’Ouvert and parade days. Players come into the yard from other communities and even other countries to participate in this new type of ritual and then leave.

Today, do enough panyards use their spaces as centres of learning or incubators for creativity? How long before we achieve the vision of Best who saw panyards as centres “of innovation and native entrepreneurship?”

Lord Kitchener also had a vision for pan. In Pan in the 21st Century he predicted, among other innovations, standardised tuning of pans, music sheets, female vocalists and, of course, the flag woman there to guide it all.

However, without a national training institute for pan or proper recognition of what Laventille has given the world, the silence of the pans from 1979 will continue to reverberate, making the vision for pan and mas even more difficult to attain.

Dara E Healy is a performance artist, communications specialist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN