Ode to a Steelband Visionary Anthony Abdul Reid

-

Anthony Abdul Reid

Let us tell them his story, how proud he was of them, and how inspired he was that after fifty (50) years the community steelband model is alive and still bearing new fruit. Know too Bub, that although we never followed through on our promise to parang with our brother for one last time, the times and love we shared were both real and appreciated. Farewell Abdul!!! Love and empathy to all your loved ones and friends.

Read complete story

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aubrey Bryan | MASTER PAN TUNERS' PROFILES | UK Pan Tuners Guild

-
Image
Better known as ‘Maubert the Pan Man’ Aubrey ‘Boss’ Bryan came from Guyana in 1964 and settled in the UK. During his first few months in the UK he worked for Phillips Radio/TV Ltd in Croydon where he experimented with new techniques for heat-treating pans. In the mid 1970s he was invited with Sterling Betancourt OBE to tune some pans for the firm of A Major of Purley Way, which was intending to mass-produce the instruments. They soon realised there was a fault in the preparation of the material. As they could not get the desired tones, the venture never materialised. In 1979, he toured Germany with the British Airways Groovers Steel Orchestra as player and tuner and was invited to produce a complete set of instruments for a high school in West Berlin. This was the first of many such commissions. Around the same time he featured in several short films about the making of pans, started a three year BSc in Social Sciences and invented the ‘Octopan’ - the prototype of which was exhibited i...
Read more

Champion Panorama Drummer - Michael “Toby” Tobas - 1970 - Desperadoes Steel Orchestra

-
Image
Michael “Toby” Tobas Michael “Toby” Tobas with Desperadoes - Panorama 1970 Profile: Calypso / soca drums and percussion player Drummer and percussionist from Trinidad & Tobago. Played with Clive Zanda, Mighty Sparrow, Harry Belafonte. Clarence Curvan Orchestra, Hugh Hendricks & The Buccaneers, The Equitables and  Desperadoes Steel Orchestra Michael “Toby” Tobas Michael “Toby” Tobas is one of the premier percussionists from Trinidad, and from the 1960s onwards, he has led the way in Trinidad in earning a living as a working musician via performances, recordings and touring, and has been at the forefront of major developments in modern Trinidad music. He toured internationally with Harry Belafonte for five years (1972-1977) appearing on two recordings with Belafonte: Turn the World Around and Belafonte Live...
Read more

When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to scholar, educator, exceptional musician and champion Panorama arranger Dr. Ray Holman

-
Image
Ray Holman April 22nd When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to panist Dr. Ray Holman Ray Holman joined Invaders (1957–1962) and learned from the great players in the band. Ellie Mannette was the leader.... Emmanuel “Jack” Riley was  the best player and influenced him greatly - “he was our hero”.... Ray was the first person to introduce his own original composition as the panorama tune for his band...  Robert Greenidge  and  Len “Boogsie” Sharpe  would follow in later years... He caught heat initially but felt the idea was correct. Loves jazz, classical and calypso music.... Listened to the top American composers as a youth... On Panorama -  Anthony Williams  was the first to take legitimate steps showing what could be done with a calypso. He was always more interested in “creating something that will last” than something that would win Panorama... Panorama was initia...
Read more

Remembering the Late Great Karen Codrington Matriarch of the Codrington Pan Family

-
Image
 Karen Codrington matriarch of the Codrington Pan Family “It is very challenging juggling the different roles as a house-wife, mom, and musician. For example, sometimes I might be practicing at the pan yard while at the same time worrying about the pile of dirty clothes at home. Taking care of a family of 8 is no easy task but what makes it easier is the help of the rest of the family.”  -- Karen Codrington She lives it, talks it and walks it full time - 24-7-365. She is one of the world's most successful steelpan parents. A panist and drummer in her own right, she oversees eight accomplished musicians. Share the real life of the matriarch of the Codrington’s Karen Codrington—in her own words—in a When Steel Talks exclusive. See more Relevant Content Meet Karen Codrington of Trinidad & Tobago Saying Goodbye to Karen Codrington of The Codrington Pan Family The Codrington Pan Family Pave the Way at SXSW Interactive
Read more

Kitchener - King of de Road by Garvin Blake (in homage of the Grandmaster’s 100th Birthday)

-
Image
Aldwyn “Kitchener” Roberts April 18th, 2022 marks the centennial of Aldwyn “Kitchener” Roberts’ birth. The Grandmaster in the art of calypso, Kitchener’s music provides unique insights into Trinidadian culture. He was a griot, singing colorful tales about a colorful and complex society. In five verses, Kitch could reveal more about his birthplace than most journalists could reveal in five-thousand words. With thoughtful lyrics, arresting melodies and gorgeous harmonies, he became a pulse of the people, the voice of carnival, bending phrase after phrase. Dance rhythms are ever-present in Kitchener’s music, even when he's chronicling serious topics like the murder trial of Abdul Malik in “One to Hang.” The gentleman’s game gets a spirited bounce in “Cricket Champions”, his reading of the West Indies’ victory over England at Lord's in London. In 1971 he demands fair treatment for Trinidad and Tobago’s marginalized people in his uptempo cry, “...
Read more