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Desperadoes the finest steel orchestra in the world |
Written by : Mighty Jamma
Location : Trinidad & Tobago
Posted : Jun 21, 2009 : 1:56:36 PM |
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The first time I saw Despers was with my brother Norman, in 1981. They were performing at the Birmingham Odeon, (as part of their UK tour). The whole audience was transfixed; we were amazed with the standard and sound of the music. Robert Greenidge gave a great performance with Taj Mahal. This was the first time I had seen a steelpan soloist in action, and this performance changed my life. I knew there and then that I would become a professional solo steelpan performer.
My brother and I bought the Desperadoes and Taj Mahal albums at the end of the show. Once home, we began to learn the full musical arrangements, including the solos. I recall spending hours upon hours at my parents’ house playing these records over and over, trying to work out Robert Greenidge’s pan solos. We also adapted some of the Clive Bradley arrangements for our own Birmingham based Maestro Steel Band, led by my brother Norman Stewart.
Our passion for the steel pan continued to grow, and we started following the Trinidad steel bands very closely. Though it was difficult to get audio recordings of the bands, we managed to find a few. One of the albums that is still very memorable for me is the great classic, Pan In Honey. The tracks which many remember from this album are Pan In Harmony by Clive Bradley; Despers’ Panorama pieces such as Ah Going and Party Tonight, arranged by the late master arranger Clive Bradley; 1982 (sung by Lord Nelson); the monster winning arrangement of Clive Bradley’s Rebecca (sung by Super Blue), which gained Despers another Panorama victory in 1983 and is most definitely a true masterpiece.
Norman and I first visited Trinidad and Tobago, the land of pan, in 1986. That was a great year, when David Rudder made the hit song, The Hammer (dedicated to the late, great Rudolph Charles, the General of Desperadoes, who sadly had passed away the previous year). Both Desperadoes and Trinidad All Stars played The Hammer that year, but Leon Smooth’s Edward’s arrangement of the song for Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars swept the whole savannah and the judges off their feet - garnering another Panorama victory for Trinidad All Stars.
In 1986, Trinidad All Stars visited England as part of the Caribbean Focus tour. For their Birmingham show, Maestros Steel Band was privileged to be the guest band, and that was how I made contact with world-renowned soloist and arranger Yohan Popwell. On my return visits to Trinidad I stayed with Yohan; this was like paradise for me because Yohan’s house was halfway between both bands, All Stars and Despers. We recall late one night when Norman, Yohan and I were sitting outside talking and could hear three of the top bands in the world, Desperadoes, Trinidad All Stars, and Renegades, practicing - depending on which way the wind was blowing. It was truly amazing: to hear the sound of live pan being blown by the wind. That’s why Trinidad is the home of pan (other than that they invented the instrument), because to have three great bands, with over 120 members per band, rehearsing in the open so close to each other with no complaints from residents - that really IS amazing. The great thing is that steel band accommodates all the generations, from great grandparents to grandchildren. How many opportunities are there these days for intergenerational activities? Where else can young and old learn and create side by side, sharing mutual enjoyment? This provides a positive environment for youngsters, and a common goal for everyone to work towards.
Almost 20 years later, in 2009 I am in Trinidad again, travelling with my brother Norman and friends from the UK. Norman played Double Seconds (a type of pan) with the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra - a long-held dream come true. I spent most of my time with Desperadoes; it seemed that anywhere I went I somehow ended up back with them. Robert Greenidge's arrangement of Pan Redemption was great, and the band was welcoming and full of love; It was a real pleasure to be with them for the whole season. The amount of dedication that is put into perfecting the music can only come from pure love and commitment. Rehearsals started at around 7pm and finished about 3am the following morning - this was the regime every night for the two weeks we were there. Even more amazing, the players are so accustomed to the carnival practice routine that they still got up to go to work and school - and made it in on time!
The panyard vibes were great, and food and drinks were served all night, accompanied of course by sweet, sweet pan music. Every player and section of the band was tested on how well they knew the music, and only the best were chosen for the final night’s performance. The selection was a hard job for the management and section leaders; in total there was about 180 members all working hard to make the final performance, but the band could only have a maximum of 100 players on final night.
The winning band, Silver Stars, is one of the oldest in Trinidad, and gladly claimed their first Panorama victory in 2009, performing First in Line . Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharp’s band, Phase II Pan Grove placed second with Magic Drum, and Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars placed third with Leon Smooth’s arrangement of Pan Rivalry; Robert Greenidge’s arrangement of Pan Redemption place Desperadoes fourth. It was also a great pleasure to witness Yohan Popwell gain another Panorama victory in the ‘Medium’ category with his band, Clico Sforzata.
Jamma & Norman would like to thank the management team and the entire Desperadoes family- and of course not forgetting our wonderful host Yohan Popwell and family - for making their Carnival 2009 such a great experience.
To see more pictures and hear live audio samples please visit www.jammasteelpan.net/trinidad09.htm
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