|
Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan
and Jazz Festival
We decided that a chance to go to a
show at the Queen's Hall was too good an opportunity
to miss. We went with Jesse knowing the theatre had great acoustics and
air-conditioning. A good excuse to see if I could take pictures at a distance,
in half light with no flash. Little did we know what a fabulous night lay ahead.
The festival was over three nights and we went to the final night expecting
something special.
Pan Jazz formerly known as "Pan
Royale", the T&T Steelpan and Jazz Festival has now been established as the
world's premiere music showcase that presents a musical conversation between two
unique artistic expressions that were born and nurtured out of the particular
experiences of African people in two distinct environments of the New World,
that is, North America and the Caribbean Archipelago. The mix of New Orleans and
Cuban Jazz Royalty with the legendary genus of the steelpan and the fusion is
fresh, funky and wonderful.
Blue
Culture
Blue Culture
were our first treat. This young group was made up of: Karl Doyle - Drummer, Jabari Fraser - Bassist, Mikhail Salcedo
- Tenor Pannist, Venezuelan Simon Mendoza - Pianist and Anthony Woodroffe Jr -
Saxophonist and Flautist. On other occasions they are joined by Modupe Onilu -
Percussionist and Timothy Newton - Vocalist. Tonight they had a guest guitarist.
Blue Culture are a local Calypso-Jazz band led by twenty five year
old Karl Doyle, a drummer and former member of the QRC Jazz Band. Formerly known
as Blue Notes, the band has been playing around the popular joints of
Port-of-Spain such as Corner Bar and on the Greens in St Augustine. Doyle says
"Our music evolves; we refer to what we play as a new Caribbean music". We
didn't mind what type the music was called it was really very
good.
Next was Alexis Baro a 2005, 2006 and 2007
nominee for Best Trumpet Player at the National Jazz Awards, co-winner of a Juno
award and recipient of a Gemini Award for a live television performance with the
band Kollage. He has performed with Paquito D’Riviera, David Foster, Andreas
Bocelli, John Secada, The Temptations, Hilario Duran, NOJO, CaneFire, Alex Cuba,
Son Ache, David Rudder, Kollage, Cassava, Ruben Vazquez, The Puentes Brothers
and many more. He is the featured trumpeter on Canadian Idol for the past three
seasons. Most recently he opened for Herbie Hancock at the Ottawa Jazz Festival
and thrilled an audience of over 10,000 on the main stage at the 2008 Montreal
Jazz Festival. “From The Other Side” is the title of his CD. It’s an aural
exploration that takes the listener on a journey that starts in Africa with the
hypnotic spiritual rhythms of the batá drum who’s origin dates back some 500
years ago from the land of Yorùbá in Nigeria. Their messages of inspiration come
alive in Baro’s new modern Cuban-style Latin jazz compositions. The title “From
The Other Side”, refers to his Cuban musical roots and his most recent
influences since living in Canada. Performing and recording in a variety of
styles he has gained an affection for the North American “groove”. The sounds of
Blues, Soul, R&B, and Funk are all paid tribute on his latest offering with
some new original funk-jazz creations.
Aexis
Baro has an amazing talent. "From the other side" will be on
my download list as soon as I get back to Beez.
The keyboard player
had an amazing shock of red hair. The rest of the
band all took solo numbers and were all first class
musicians.
After the tea break came the world famous All Stars we have now seen a few
times. The first piece was taken from the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
accompanied by a full choir. Next a soloist sang Heal
the World. Then they were joined on stage by a dance
troupe.
The All Stars finished with one of their favourites called
Carnival.
The band have toured
Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, China, France, Ghana, Guyana, India,
Jamaica, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Scotland, St Maarten, the UK and the USA. They
have one of the largest repertoires in the land. Also the most played piece of
steelband music in the world today is their "Woman on the Bass" arranged by Leon
"Smooth" Edwards. All Stars is still today not only the oldest but the most
feared band in any competition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ACHIEVEMENTS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1968 |
|
Steelband Music Festival – 1st
Place |
|
1970 |
|
BOMB – 1st Place
Tour – Madison Square
Garden in New York |
|
1972 |
|
Steelband Festival – 1st Place
BOMB – 1st
Place
Carifesta tour to Guyana
People’s Choice – Panorama – 1st
Place |
|
1973 |
|
Panorama – 1st Place
Tour – French Riviera -
France |
|
1974 |
|
Classical Jewels I
Tour – Sarasota,
Florida |
|
1977 |
|
Tour - Black Arts Festival – Nigeria,
Africa |
|
1978 |
|
Classical Jewels II |
|
1980 |
|
Panorama – 1st Place
Steelband Festival –
1st Place
World Tour – United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China,
India, France |
|
1981 |
|
Panorama – 1st Place
BOMB – 1st
Place
Classical Jewels III |
|
1982 |
|
Panorama – 2nd Place
Steelband Festival –
2nd Place
Humming Bird Medal (Gold) |
|
1983: |
|
Panorama – 3rd Place
BOMB – 1st
Place
Classical Jewels IV |
|
1984 |
|
Panorama – 2nd Place
Steelband Festival –
1st Place
BOMB – 1st Place |
|
1985 |
|
Panorama – 3rd Place
Classical Jewels
V |
|
1986 |
|
Panorama – 1st Place
Steelband Festival –
2nd Place
Port of Spain City Council Award
Tour to the United
Kingdom (Commonwealth Games) |
|
1987 |
|
Panorama – 4th Place
Classical Jewels
VI |
|
1988 |
|
World Steelband Festival – 3rd
Place |
|
1989 |
|
Tour to Jamaica in aid of University of the
West Indies
Endowment & Development Fund
Classical Jewels
VII |
|
1990 |
|
Tour to the United Kingdom
|
|
1991 |
|
Visit to Puerto Rico for the celebration of the
Official Birthday
of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Classical Jewels
VIII |
|
1992 |
|
Tour to Barbados to raise funds for the
needy |
|
1993 |
|
Panorama – 3rd Place
Completion of Pan
Theatre |
|
1994 |
|
Panorama – 2nd Place
World Steelband
Festival – 1st Place
Voices & Steel – Trinidad All Stars & The
Marionettes Chorale |
|
1995 |
|
Voices & Steel – Trinidad All Sfars &
The Marionettes Chorale |
|
1996 |
|
World Steelband Festival – 1st Place
Pan on
‘D’ Move Competition – 1st Place
Tour to
Barbados |
|
1997 |
|
Tour to Ghana |
|
1998 |
|
Panorama – 3rd Place
Peoples Choice Winner –
Panorama
Pan on De Road Competition – 1st place |
|
1999 |
|
Tour to Jamaica
Sunshine Award (Best
Steelband recording 1998) |
|
2000 |
|
Tour to Barbados |
|
2001 |
|
Panorama North Zone – 1st place
Panorama –
2nd Place
Pan in the 21st Century – 1st place
Tribute to Sparrow –
1st place
Pan on De Road Competition – 1st place
Tour to
Barbados
Tour to Australia |
|
2002 |
|
Panorama– 1st place
Panorama North Zone –
1st place
Pan in the 21st Century – 2nd place
Pan on De Road
Competition – 1st place BOMB & Panorama Tune
Lord Kitchener
Sunshine Award 2002 |
|
2003 |
|
Panorama– 2nd place
Panorama North Zone –
1st place
Pan in the 21st Century – 2nd place
National, Northern
Region and City Hall BOMB competitions – 1st Place |
|
2004 |
|
Panorama– 2nd place
Pan in the 21st Century
– 1st place
Northern Region and NCC J’Ouvert BOMB competitions – 1st
Place
Pan on The Road Competition – 1st place Downtown &
Q.P.S.
Clash of Steel People’s Choice Winner |
|
2005 |
|
Celebration of 70th Anniversary
Tour to Canada |
|
2006 |
|
Trinidad & Tobago Panorama People's
Choice Winner
J’ouvert Bomb Competition Winners
Medium Mas Band of the Day - Carnival
Monday
Steelband of the Day – Downtown & Uptown
Tuesday
Tour to Barbados
Tours (2) to New York, USA
Tour to Antigua |
|
2007 |
|
National Panorama Champions
J'ouvert Bomb Competition Winner
Pan on the Move Winner (Tuesday)
Band of the Day (Monday - Medium) - Downtown
& QPS |
|
2008 |
|
National Panorama 1st Runner
Up
J'ouvert Bomb Competition
Winner (NLCB)
J'ouvert Bomb Competition
Winner Pan Trinbago North Zone)
J'ouvert Bomb Competition
Winner (Frederick St)
Best Playing Steelband
(Tuesday, Piccadilly Greens)
|
ALL IN ALL WHAT A TERRIFIC
NIGHT OUT.
|
