- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Jul 02:48

Place pan community first

Dara E Healy “It’s like teamwork then…more like a community affair. It’s everybody getting together on one set goal. You would find that after Carnival and Panorama, the unity that the Hill has, it don’t have it after that time, it dissipates and disappears. It’s only one thing that keeps it and holds it together, is Carnival. Carnival is a thing that produce strength from the Hill you see, so it’s good therapy right round.” – Rudolph Charles, pan innovator, tuner and bandleader COMMUNITY. It is embedded in the pan, from the supporters who are drawn to the yard even when no one is playing, to the energy when practice gets serious, to pushing the pans on stage for the performance. As we launch Pan Month today, in the midst of the joy we must reflect on how privileged we are to be gifted with this instrument, the tremendous sacrifices that were made and the protections that are still needed. In the 1950s, pan tentatively stepped from the hills and alleys of Laventille, Belmont and East Dry River into the world. In London, sceptical patrons watched as the newly formed TASPO, the Trinidad All Stars Percussion Orchestra, set up their humble instruments. As Errol Hill writes, “jaws dropped and eyes widened as the first sweet notes were struck and the band swung into Mambo Jambo.” Hill documents that a few years later, Ellie Mannette of Invaders Steelband went to Puerto Rico to teach pan to musicians in the US naval base. Currently, there are hundreds of steelbands across the world and some countries even have steelband associations. We gladly shared our music with the world, but to date we have not adequately pursued acknowledgement for the use of pan in films, our innovations and, least of all, the origins of pan. Indeed, pan is now described as being “integral to the cultural fabric of the Caribbean.” The formal designation of pan as the national instrument, World Steelpan Day and other milestones must therefore serve a deeper purpose and bring greater benefit to our nation. There is a rhythm about pan, elements that many of us take for granted. The raw oil drum had to be sunk and tuned. Someone worked out that fire was the best way to tease out the sweetest notes. We strapped the pan around our necks, then put them on wheels. Eventually, the entire band became mobile. Technology facilitated other innovations; AI will present new opportunities and challenges. Yet, are we establishing our own standards for pan? Have we said to the world that these are the qualities that should be respected by anyone playing our instrument? History has shown us how important this is. After TASPO’s success, a team of recorders offered a chance for exposure in the US market. However, they did not speak to the tuners and innovators from East Port of Spain. Rather, they approached a band from a “more socially acceptable class, with three years experience, who were not even playing the representative music of Trinidad.” There is also a growing debate around how well Panorama is now serving the community. After the euphoria of those early competitions in a newly independent nation, the issue is now one of unfair advantage due to sponsorship. Although the state has made contributions to unsponsored bands, this does not appear to be a lasting solution to an issue that is affecting the fraternity as a whole. Then there is the question of musical knowledge. It is said that Anthony Williams’s 1963 winning arrangement of Mighty Sparrow’s Dan is the Man was influenced in part by Bach, an 18th century German composer. Practitioners strongly advocate that more attention should be paid to the role of the panyard in developing an appreciation of all kinds of music, beyond learning one song for competition. There is no other feeling like being in the middle of a mass of people in a steelband. Whether pushing the pan or simply being present, we claim our space and declare – we band is the best. As we celebrate, let us remember that our pan is an instrument of spirit, with an ancient story of survival and resistance. And as Rudolph Charles pointed out, pan is an instrument of community and therapy. So, when we look to the future, the needs of the community must always come first. Always. Dara E Healy is a performing artist and founder of the Idakeda Group, a cultural organisation dedicated to empowering communities through the arts The post Place pan community first appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.