When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to arranger and veteran panist Stefon West

-
Stefon West
October 18th

When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to panist Stefon West

Stefon West a Trinidadian national, who grew up in the village of Couva, began his musical journey and professional development by becoming a member of the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra. His passion for music began his drive towards growth and development using the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago as a medium. This self-motivation further lead him to strategically place himself for positions such as section leader, chief skills officer, and music committee member within the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra in which he was successful. Mr. West went on to pursue his grades in music literacy and was able to achieve a merit grade on completion of the Trinity Guildhall Music Literacy Exam. This achievement worked as a stepping stone in his musical life and career after he was accepted into the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) to pursue a certificate in the Sound Recording/Production Program at Pt. Lisas Couva. The knowledge he gained from the program opened a number of doors for him where he began testing his new found skills in arranging music for his orchestra during the carnival season.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Calypso’s “Kitch” of the Day

-
Image
Calypso’s “Kitch” of the Day by Von Martin written for the “WASHINGTON POST” February 20, 2000 published at the request, and with the expressed permission - of the author If Aldwyn Roberts, the calypsonian known as Lord Kitchener, had been born in a metropolitan country instead of the island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, he might have been considered one of the greatest composers of this century.I wrote for the Washington Post commemorating “Lord Kitchener.” This was done in 2000 using material from an interview I did with Kitch in 1988. I think its a doozy. Cheers, Von But then he would not have contributed so much to calypso music. For more than 50 years, Lord Kitchener, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 77, gave calypso some of its wittiest and most infectious musical compositions. Calypso, a genre grounded in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, is both poetry in music and editorial in song. Calypso songs praise or condemn their subjects. The lyrics tell of the life of th...
Read more

The passing of Gary “Soup” Harrigin

-
Image
Gary “Soup”  Harrigin Condolences on the passing of Master Tuner Roland Harrigin’s brother Gary Harrigin  aka  “Soup.” He was one of the brothers who took all of Roland’s pans to Rudolph Charles to hear once completed. Gary Harrigin was also very good in the making of the steelpan instrument as well. May Gary Rest in peace. Submitted by Lyndon Spencer
Read more

When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to scholar and veteran panist Nyana Price

-
Image
Nyana Price  October 14th When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to panist Nyana Price “I remember going to Sesame Flyers’ Saturday program, I was 9 years old. That’s where I met Marc Brooks, K.J., and a few others who are still around now. I started off playing tenor there actually until I started playing with Sonatas. I was too shy to be in the tenor section with people I didn’t know at the time so I went to double tenor with Marc.” -- Nyana Price Although she is young in age she is a veteran panist and represents one of New York’s most talented and finest musicians. In an exclusive interview with When Steel Talks - panist and performing artist Nyana Price shares her reflections, experiences and views on Pan, and the steelpan art form overall. ...
Read more

No respect for national instrument -- TT Unified Teachers Association

-
Image
  “STEEL PAN, oh what an invention./It should be the pride of our nation./Steelband music the world knows about it,/And is we invent it so why should we disregard it?/But what I am seeing lord it have me grieving./Why is the steelband still suffering?” – Merchant. When Merchant sang Pan in Danger he was begging our country to pay respect to the instrument that was born in Trinidad and Tobago – it being the only instrument invented in the 20th century. At that time there was a lot of lip service paid to the steel pan, but nothing changed. In 1998, Ian “Teddy” Belgrave, a teacher at the Arima Senior Comprehensive School, initiated a meeting inviting teachers who were interested in promoting the national instrument as a necessary part of the school’s curriculum. This meeting was held at the office of the and the result was the formation of the Pan in Schools Co-ordinating Council (PSCC). This body immediately decided to host a School Steelband Music Festival in 1999. The idea was ...
Read more

When Steel Talks extends a very special Happy Birthday to administrator & organizer - Clyde Durant, president of Moods Pan Groove

-
Image
Clyde Durant April 10th When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to administrator Clyde Durant Clyde Durant is one of the founding members of Moods Pan Groove New York's Moods Pan Groove performs "Ben Lion" as arranged by the great Robert Greenidge See more   Related content: Moods Pan Groove - A New York Original No Wuk for Carnival - Moods Pan Groove - Robert Greenidge - 1994 Moods Pan Groove - ‘Signal for Lara’ - Len “Boogsie” Sharpe - 1995
Read more

When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to scholar, director, educator, administrator, drummer, and veteran panist - Matthew Phillip

-
Image
    Matthew Phillip with Mangrove Steelband at Moods of Pan May 2nd When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to panist Matthew Phillip Matthew Phillip is the vice chair of CultureMix Arts, director of the Tabernacle at Carnival Village, CEO of London Notting Hill Carnival, and manager of Mangrove Steel Band The arm of Matthew Phillip Relative content Carnevale Network Interviews Matthew Phillip Engine Room Collective Concerts > Mangrove playing their winning performance of Ben Lion at Panorama 2002 in London UK. Boogsie Sharpe arranger and Matthew Phillip on drums Matthew Phillip
Read more

Who is Clive Zanda? Clive Zanda Speaks...

-
Image
Clive Zanda: Clive Zanda Is Here With 'Dat Kinda Ting' -- from back cover notes Professionally, I am an architect planning consultant; but essentially, a composer/improviser. If there is any truth in the statement that 'architecture is frozen music, then these disciplines naturally complement each other.' I was born in Siparia, County of St. Patrick, South Trinidad, on June 15 , 1939, into a musical environment. My father Richard Alexander, is a shoe-maker by trade, a guitarist and choir master by vocation; my mother Louisa, is a gospel singer. We all sang in the church choir, where I played the guitar. Later I was exposed to the piano.The next phase of my musical development started when I began 'liming' with the Bill Ken Thomas Orchestra. Not long after I got an opportunity to play bongos in the Choy Aming Orchestra where I met trumpeter Erroll Ince and we both planned to migrate to the U.K. with a view to furthering our musical careers. During this period (1...
Read more