The crowds of the mas bands. First from Tuesday night when Phase II was pushed off the road while 5000 revelers and their trucks passed. Second Tuesday afternoon, one of the mas bands take a short cut through Woodbrook, Port of Spain.
Wednesday, March 4
Newsletter from Trinidad 5
This could be the last newsletter I send this year. I come home on Sunday the 1st. It’s been a long trip and I think I missed my family more this time then the previous trips.
The last letter talked briefly about Panorama and Carnival. I want to try and give a bigger picture of what these things are really like. First, is the sheer numbers of people. I don’t have any official numbers but there are thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of people. Realize, that except for maybe Brazil, this is the largest Carnival celebration in the world. And the lines between participant and spectator are often nonexistent. Though you can pay your money, get a costume and “play mas” with a band (of MASqueraders), many people just go “jump up with a band.” Also the parade route is constantly shifting. There is kind of a counter clockwise loop around the city, with certain places designated as judging points. But bands will often just go a different route, or cut a corner. It’s not unusual for a mas-band of 5000 people with 17 support trucks (including 7 or 8 ear-splitting DJ trucks) to go down a side street to cut a corner. Tuesday night, Phase II was going out on the road to play on their semi trailer sized float. We wanted to head up to another part of town in order to avoid some of the craziness of the big mas-bands. Trouble was, one of the largest mas-bands was coming the other direction and we ended up shoved off the road for an hour while, yes, 17 support trucks and 5000 people passed by.
There is some animosity between the steelbands and the “mas bands.” Many of the big DJ trucks will turn down the volume when a steelband passes but not all of them do. The steelbands just can’t compete with those things. 2 years ago a DJ truck tried to pass us on the narrow road (around a corner too) and then everyone got stuck. There were almost fights breaking out between the 2 factions. Remember, the whole steelband movement grew out of the roughest streets of the area. The panmen were used to fighting. I’ve heard many stories of steelbands fighting against each other.
Panorama can be just as crazy. The steelbands assemble outside the Queens Park Savanna; that’s the central park of Port of Spain. When they start running the tune, crowds start to gather. I expect there are more people outside the grandstands then inside. As the bands push themselves into the Savanna and onto the track that eventually leads to the stage, more crowds gather and pack tight around the band. There is a lot of pushing as people try and get in and be part of the band; not really to play, but to be THERE. As you’re walking with your instruments, in your rack, it’s dark out and there is lots of litter on the ground; lots of beverage bottles and things, things to trip on. On either side of the track are booths selling food, beverages and crafts. People are pushing through the crowd selling nuts, cigarettes and things. It’s all a big carnival.
The show starts about 8 or 8:30 but it can take a half hour for each band or more. The second band in the lineup to play tried to take 140 players onto the stage. The rules this year only allowed 100. The officials had to throw players off the stage or maybe just took the sticks away, and the band was penalized. That’s when we cut all the players from our band.
We get up to the stage and have to push the racks up the ramp. The calypso song your band is to play is pumping out of the PA system over and over as you try and set up the 20 or 30 sets of instrument racks in formation. People in the band are jumping to the music; band leaders and supporters are all shouting out setup directions at once; the crowd that followed the band all along the track is trying to push onto the stage with you; event security is trying to get non-players off the stage; a crew is trying to setup a network of hoses for a fog machine; people all over, band members, supporters and the media are all trying to get pictures. Then when all is about setup, the music stops, the announcers start the introduction and then the lights go up. It’s Showtime! 8 minutes of glory! If you’re near the edge, there’s media people right there flashing pictures and taking video. A lot of players, especially in the front, jump up and put on a show, others like me just play as best we can. When it’s over the cheers and screams start, the band is jumping, hugging and congratulating each other.
We all push the racks off the other side of the stage and take our instruments to the truck. If we don’t do that instruments tend to disappear.
Then we wait around for the results. Of course when they came, there was no great celebration on out part.
As for me, I’m really happy to play and have that experience. There’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world. You can’t get playing like that outside of Trinidad. There are some who say the steel pan artform is dying in Trindad. I don’t know about that. What happens there is truly unique and is growing, living, breathing, and struggling in its own way. What happens anywhere else in the world will, naturally, evolve differently; and I’m sure a lot of people in Trinidad are thinking “the grass is greener on the other side of that fence.” But in Trinidad, it ain’t dead yet!
Since all that, I’ve been over to Tobago, spent some time on one of the nicest beaches there, had a wonderful meal (the nicest I’ve had in T and T) with some good friends from England, said goodbye to my friends in Trinidad and come home. And though it’s sad to say goodbye to people and place, (you never know if and when you’ll be back) I’m so happy to be home with my family!
Thanks to all of you for your support and interest. I would talk about this stuff for as long as people would listen, and then probably a little more too.
Ted
This could be the last newsletter I send this year. I come home on Sunday the 1st. It’s been a long trip and I think I missed my family more this time then the previous trips.
The last letter talked briefly about Panorama and Carnival. I want to try and give a bigger picture of what these things are really like. First, is the sheer numbers of people. I don’t have any official numbers but there are thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of people. Realize, that except for maybe Brazil, this is the largest Carnival celebration in the world. And the lines between participant and spectator are often nonexistent. Though you can pay your money, get a costume and “play mas” with a band (of MASqueraders), many people just go “jump up with a band.” Also the parade route is constantly shifting. There is kind of a counter clockwise loop around the city, with certain places designated as judging points. But bands will often just go a different route, or cut a corner. It’s not unusual for a mas-band of 5000 people with 17 support trucks (including 7 or 8 ear-splitting DJ trucks) to go down a side street to cut a corner. Tuesday night, Phase II was going out on the road to play on their semi trailer sized float. We wanted to head up to another part of town in order to avoid some of the craziness of the big mas-bands. Trouble was, one of the largest mas-bands was coming the other direction and we ended up shoved off the road for an hour while, yes, 17 support trucks and 5000 people passed by.
There is some animosity between the steelbands and the “mas bands.” Many of the big DJ trucks will turn down the volume when a steelband passes but not all of them do. The steelbands just can’t compete with those things. 2 years ago a DJ truck tried to pass us on the narrow road (around a corner too) and then everyone got stuck. There were almost fights breaking out between the 2 factions. Remember, the whole steelband movement grew out of the roughest streets of the area. The panmen were used to fighting. I’ve heard many stories of steelbands fighting against each other.
Panorama can be just as crazy. The steelbands assemble outside the Queens Park Savanna; that’s the central park of Port of Spain. When they start running the tune, crowds start to gather. I expect there are more people outside the grandstands then inside. As the bands push themselves into the Savanna and onto the track that eventually leads to the stage, more crowds gather and pack tight around the band. There is a lot of pushing as people try and get in and be part of the band; not really to play, but to be THERE. As you’re walking with your instruments, in your rack, it’s dark out and there is lots of litter on the ground; lots of beverage bottles and things, things to trip on. On either side of the track are booths selling food, beverages and crafts. People are pushing through the crowd selling nuts, cigarettes and things. It’s all a big carnival.
The show starts about 8 or 8:30 but it can take a half hour for each band or more. The second band in the lineup to play tried to take 140 players onto the stage. The rules this year only allowed 100. The officials had to throw players off the stage or maybe just took the sticks away, and the band was penalized. That’s when we cut all the players from our band.
We get up to the stage and have to push the racks up the ramp. The calypso song your band is to play is pumping out of the PA system over and over as you try and set up the 20 or 30 sets of instrument racks in formation. People in the band are jumping to the music; band leaders and supporters are all shouting out setup directions at once; the crowd that followed the band all along the track is trying to push onto the stage with you; event security is trying to get non-players off the stage; a crew is trying to setup a network of hoses for a fog machine; people all over, band members, supporters and the media are all trying to get pictures. Then when all is about setup, the music stops, the announcers start the introduction and then the lights go up. It’s Showtime! 8 minutes of glory! If you’re near the edge, there’s media people right there flashing pictures and taking video. A lot of players, especially in the front, jump up and put on a show, others like me just play as best we can. When it’s over the cheers and screams start, the band is jumping, hugging and congratulating each other.
We all push the racks off the other side of the stage and take our instruments to the truck. If we don’t do that instruments tend to disappear.
Then we wait around for the results. Of course when they came, there was no great celebration on out part.
As for me, I’m really happy to play and have that experience. There’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world. You can’t get playing like that outside of Trinidad. There are some who say the steel pan artform is dying in Trindad. I don’t know about that. What happens there is truly unique and is growing, living, breathing, and struggling in its own way. What happens anywhere else in the world will, naturally, evolve differently; and I’m sure a lot of people in Trinidad are thinking “the grass is greener on the other side of that fence.” But in Trinidad, it ain’t dead yet!
Since all that, I’ve been over to Tobago, spent some time on one of the nicest beaches there, had a wonderful meal (the nicest I’ve had in T and T) with some good friends from England, said goodbye to my friends in Trinidad and come home. And though it’s sad to say goodbye to people and place, (you never know if and when you’ll be back) I’m so happy to be home with my family!
Thanks to all of you for your support and interest. I would talk about this stuff for as long as people would listen, and then probably a little more too.
Ted
Sunday, March 1
Saturday, February 28
Friday, February 20
Thursday, February 20th. (and some Friday too)
The Panorama finals are this Saturday the 21st. There are 8 finalists in the large band category. Phase II will be playing last that night. That is the best place to play. Phase II has a history of winning when they play last. That was the case when I came here the first time in 2006. Also Ray Holman is drilling (rehearsing) the band. He is an exceptional pannist, composer and arranger too. So far, they’ve won when he works the band.
This year however some rules have changed. Actually they change all too often. But for the finals this year the large bands can only have 100 players. That’s down from 120. In the ‘70s there were as many as 200 players in a band. The problem is that there are about 50 or more people in the band playing the tenor pan. We can take maybe 25 or 30 to the finals. That means 25 or more people will be told they can’t play. I may be one of those dropped. I don’t know when they’ll make the decisions. That could happen late Friday night. It’s a bit scary not knowing, but I’ve learned here that nothing is certain.
I’ve moved into a new place. The one I had been staying in was already booked for Carnival week. I’m staying at the house of one of the members of the band. It’s about a 10 minute ride out of town. It’s very basic; a room with a bed, a bathroom and shower out back, (cold water only) a limited kitchen. My host is real nice, we’re becoming good friends, and the price is good. To find a room at Carnival time is tough and very expensive. I miss the convenience of being able to walk to the panyard.
I’ve been focusing on playing more and more but I do try and get out and see things. I took a boat to a rather deserted corner of the island to a small beach. Very calm and quiet. Otherwise I really cannot travel alone much. Also there is the issue of the rain. The day I took the boat to the beach began with a lot of rain. People had to convince me to go, I was that reluctant. I’m glad I did though, the rain cleared up very nicely. Other events have also been too rainy to go see. At the Junior Panorama, where youth steelbands compete, it was raining all day. At the Single Pan competition, (OK, long parenthesis: Single Pan is what used to be called “Pan round the Neck.” When pan was first developed, people would walk around town with a single pan held by a strap around the back of their neck. If you wanted lower voice instruments, you had to make them from a single pan. Conventional steelbands nowadays for example, use 6 barrels for a bass instrument. Now back to the original sentence) it was also pouring rain. Today, downtown, is the “Old Mas” (that’s the old traditional masquerade styles) but it rained so hard my roof started leaking. If it clears up I’ll try and get there.
Still, it has been difficult to go see things. Mostly, I can travel during the day. I can get a taxi or a “maxi-taxi” to almost anywhere. It’s cheap and I know how to ask where they’re going. But night time is different. Nobody has ever told me it’s OK to travel alone at night. Most people are full of warnings to be cautious. Crime is high and foreigners are targets. I’m not usually one to believe such talk; people so often speak of dangers in other countries. But this definitely is different. I’m mostly at the mercy of others being interested in going somewhere and available to do so.
Wish me luck Saturday.
Ted
The Panorama finals are this Saturday the 21st. There are 8 finalists in the large band category. Phase II will be playing last that night. That is the best place to play. Phase II has a history of winning when they play last. That was the case when I came here the first time in 2006. Also Ray Holman is drilling (rehearsing) the band. He is an exceptional pannist, composer and arranger too. So far, they’ve won when he works the band.
This year however some rules have changed. Actually they change all too often. But for the finals this year the large bands can only have 100 players. That’s down from 120. In the ‘70s there were as many as 200 players in a band. The problem is that there are about 50 or more people in the band playing the tenor pan. We can take maybe 25 or 30 to the finals. That means 25 or more people will be told they can’t play. I may be one of those dropped. I don’t know when they’ll make the decisions. That could happen late Friday night. It’s a bit scary not knowing, but I’ve learned here that nothing is certain.
I’ve moved into a new place. The one I had been staying in was already booked for Carnival week. I’m staying at the house of one of the members of the band. It’s about a 10 minute ride out of town. It’s very basic; a room with a bed, a bathroom and shower out back, (cold water only) a limited kitchen. My host is real nice, we’re becoming good friends, and the price is good. To find a room at Carnival time is tough and very expensive. I miss the convenience of being able to walk to the panyard.
I’ve been focusing on playing more and more but I do try and get out and see things. I took a boat to a rather deserted corner of the island to a small beach. Very calm and quiet. Otherwise I really cannot travel alone much. Also there is the issue of the rain. The day I took the boat to the beach began with a lot of rain. People had to convince me to go, I was that reluctant. I’m glad I did though, the rain cleared up very nicely. Other events have also been too rainy to go see. At the Junior Panorama, where youth steelbands compete, it was raining all day. At the Single Pan competition, (OK, long parenthesis: Single Pan is what used to be called “Pan round the Neck.” When pan was first developed, people would walk around town with a single pan held by a strap around the back of their neck. If you wanted lower voice instruments, you had to make them from a single pan. Conventional steelbands nowadays for example, use 6 barrels for a bass instrument. Now back to the original sentence) it was also pouring rain. Today, downtown, is the “Old Mas” (that’s the old traditional masquerade styles) but it rained so hard my roof started leaking. If it clears up I’ll try and get there.
Still, it has been difficult to go see things. Mostly, I can travel during the day. I can get a taxi or a “maxi-taxi” to almost anywhere. It’s cheap and I know how to ask where they’re going. But night time is different. Nobody has ever told me it’s OK to travel alone at night. Most people are full of warnings to be cautious. Crime is high and foreigners are targets. I’m not usually one to believe such talk; people so often speak of dangers in other countries. But this definitely is different. I’m mostly at the mercy of others being interested in going somewhere and available to do so.
Wish me luck Saturday.
Ted
Saturday, February 14
Here's a long one. This is a sort of newsletter I email to friends about what I'm doing. I put this here for curious strangers.
Feb. “Friday the 13th,” ‘09
Hello all.
Another attempt to keep those interested involved, and those uninvolved interested.
Highlanders steelband did advance through the preliminary rounds. So they are done competing. Though they hope to come out and play for Jouvert. That’s the official opening of Carnival, at 3am Monday. A lot of steelbands get on floats (modified truck beds) and roam the streets playing. Highlanders might play Sting’s “Fragile.” Those of you in my community band will know what I’m talking about.
Phase II came in 1st place in the Panorama Semi Finals. That’s both good and bad. Some say that we work harder when we’re not in first place; and that we might get complacent if we are. We’ll see. Boogsie Sharpe (he’s the composer, arranger and leader of Phase II) came back today (Saturday) to work the band and to try some new parts. Ray Holman (also a top composer and arranger) has also been drilling us.
Some words about Phase II. As I said in the last letter they’ve won the Panorama National Competition 3 times in the last 4 years. The band competes with 120 players. We play an 8 minute (it used to be 10) arrangement of a tune that is required to meet a number of musical criteria; key changes, theme development, etc. However the most notable thing is the style; the type of music, the way it is played, the intensity and energy in the performance. Here’s something I wrote to myself about playing in this band:
There’s just NOTHING like it! When that band gets cookin’ it just takes you by the gut and there’s no stoppin’ it! I’ve never really been one to take my anger and bad feelings out in my music. Not like this at least. I’ve always been a little too cerebral I guess. But here you play as hard as you can, and then some. You pound the crap out of your pan. And getting the “crap” out is exactly right. This is very primal (I usually hate that word) in that it goes right to your gut, your soul. Not your spiritual soul so much as the core of your being. It’s more than just physical. It gets down underneath all the layers of craziness (crap) that we keep covering ourselves with. There’s no halfway, no beating around the bush, no holding back, take no prisoners!
And yet it’s not just loud and fast; it’s very creative music, full of imagery and lyricism. Some bands/arrangers here do the loud, fast exciting music, but to my hearing, they don’t have the depth that this band/arranger has. That’s why I come here!
Weather
I know most of you, especially those of you in the cold north, won’t have much sympathy, but the weather hasn’t been very cooperative. I’ve mentioned before, it rains most days here. It’s not supposed to. It’s the dry season. But things are weird. It limits what I can do. I don’t have a car and have to get around by walking or finding a taxi. It’s wet and it’s hot. Before I came here I was thinking, “Boy, I could use some heat right now.” Now I’m thinking, “Boy, I could use some cold right now.” You have to appreciate what you’ve got!
Feb. “Friday the 13th,” ‘09
Hello all.
Another attempt to keep those interested involved, and those uninvolved interested.
Highlanders steelband did advance through the preliminary rounds. So they are done competing. Though they hope to come out and play for Jouvert. That’s the official opening of Carnival, at 3am Monday. A lot of steelbands get on floats (modified truck beds) and roam the streets playing. Highlanders might play Sting’s “Fragile.” Those of you in my community band will know what I’m talking about.
Phase II came in 1st place in the Panorama Semi Finals. That’s both good and bad. Some say that we work harder when we’re not in first place; and that we might get complacent if we are. We’ll see. Boogsie Sharpe (he’s the composer, arranger and leader of Phase II) came back today (Saturday) to work the band and to try some new parts. Ray Holman (also a top composer and arranger) has also been drilling us.
Some words about Phase II. As I said in the last letter they’ve won the Panorama National Competition 3 times in the last 4 years. The band competes with 120 players. We play an 8 minute (it used to be 10) arrangement of a tune that is required to meet a number of musical criteria; key changes, theme development, etc. However the most notable thing is the style; the type of music, the way it is played, the intensity and energy in the performance. Here’s something I wrote to myself about playing in this band:
There’s just NOTHING like it! When that band gets cookin’ it just takes you by the gut and there’s no stoppin’ it! I’ve never really been one to take my anger and bad feelings out in my music. Not like this at least. I’ve always been a little too cerebral I guess. But here you play as hard as you can, and then some. You pound the crap out of your pan. And getting the “crap” out is exactly right. This is very primal (I usually hate that word) in that it goes right to your gut, your soul. Not your spiritual soul so much as the core of your being. It’s more than just physical. It gets down underneath all the layers of craziness (crap) that we keep covering ourselves with. There’s no halfway, no beating around the bush, no holding back, take no prisoners!
And yet it’s not just loud and fast; it’s very creative music, full of imagery and lyricism. Some bands/arrangers here do the loud, fast exciting music, but to my hearing, they don’t have the depth that this band/arranger has. That’s why I come here!
Weather
I know most of you, especially those of you in the cold north, won’t have much sympathy, but the weather hasn’t been very cooperative. I’ve mentioned before, it rains most days here. It’s not supposed to. It’s the dry season. But things are weird. It limits what I can do. I don’t have a car and have to get around by walking or finding a taxi. It’s wet and it’s hot. Before I came here I was thinking, “Boy, I could use some heat right now.” Now I’m thinking, “Boy, I could use some cold right now.” You have to appreciate what you’ve got!
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