Steelband

The drum arrived in the Caribbean with the enslaved Africans. African drums were banned from the Carnival by the colonial authorities at the turn of the century. The undaunted Carnival musicians formed tamboo bamboo bands. Their instruments consisted of varied cut lengths of bamboo which, when beaten together or stamped on the ground, provided the percussive music for the Carnival. In Trinidad's capital city, Port of Spain, the tamboo bamboo bands were organised around groups of young men in the poor districts to the east and west of the city, an area know collectively in the east as behind-the-bridge and which included Laventille, Hells Kitchen and John John.

During the Second World War Carnival was banned. Complete face masks were worn by masqueraders in that period and Carnival was deemed a security risk. It was an unpopular decision and people continued to play and experiment with Carnival percussion music. A new musical form swept the tamboo bamboo bands - the beating of metal receptacles. These were paint pans, large Bermudez biscuit tins, hub caps, dustbin lids and the cut down 55 gallon oil drums from the US naval base installed on the island during this period. 'Alexander Ragtime Band', a mas band caused a sensation when they used only this metal percussion for their music on the road.

Experimentation carried on at a feverish pace and the top surface of the oil drums was heated, concavely beaten out, scored and tuned so that different tones and musical notes were produced when beaten, like xylophones, with sticks. When VE Day was declared in 1945, the population came out onto the streets to celebrate. The revelling crowds heard the newest musical instrument this century being played - the steelpan. The steel bands now replaced the tamboo bamboo as the percussive and melodic music of the Carnival, interpreting the songs of the calypsonians. The pans developed further until each steel band could produce the same notes as a conventional orchestra and therefore could proudly play classical music like any orchestra.

Today steel bands consist of usually between 10 to 150 players. Their instruments are pans of various depths scored with patterns of notes on their concave surfaces. Each pan or group of pans plays part of the whole chromatic scale. They are divided into front line pans, consisting of tenor, double tenor and seconds, background pans which are guitar, cello and bass pans , a percussion or rhythm section consisting of drum kit, iron beaters and scratchers.

The steel bands, the product of young, unemployed youth gangs from the poor areas of the city were stigmatised, harassed and hounded by the police. They named their bands after the heroic and feared characters from US movies: Red Army, Desperadoes, Renegades, Invaders, Casablanca and Bar 20. They typically consisted of 30 players, followed by 300 masqueraders in military costumes like sailors or soldiers. It was not until the 1951 Festival of Britain that the steelpan was finally recognised as one of the genuine wonders of the world. The best players in Trinidad were able to come together to form a band called TASPO (The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra), which represented Trinidad at the Festival of Britain. Their huge success and high acclaim in Britain gave respectability to steelpan and they returned to Trinidad as heroes. Some players stayed in London or returned later to develop pan and steel orchestras in Britain. People like Sterling Betancourt, 'Boots' Davidson, 'Zigilee' Constantine and Russell Henderson.

Today there are steel bands all over the world. Many pan players can be found in schools in Britain. Gerald Forsyth pioneered the teaching of pan in schools in Britain. Many young people play in the bands who take part in the annual steelpan competition called Panorama, which takes place just before Notting Hill Carnival. The steel orchestras in Britain take their names from their heritage: Ebony, Metronomes, London All Stars, Mangrove, Gilissando, Pantonic, Phase I, Eclipse, etc.

Every Carnival has a Panorama. The competing orchestras play a highly arranged calypso piece. Each piece lasts for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Steel bands in Trinidad are limited to 100 players at Panorama. The supporters of each band help to push the mobile stands that house the pans and players. Each band has a dancer with a flag doing an elaborate flag dance, which is also judged. As Lord Kitchener once sang: 'you cannot have a band without a beautiful flag woman'. Steel bands are like football teams with fiercely loyal fans and supporters. The greatest Panorama takes place in Trinidad and Tobago.