There was an outpouring of warmth and hospitality from Trinis as the visiting international steelbands taking part in the historic International Panorama Competition at Queen's Park Savannah on Sunday received rousing ovations before their performances from a packed Grand Stand, as well as when they ended their selections.
A dozen steelbands from Japan, England, France, the Caribbean and USA were seen getting assistance from locals in moving their pan racks along the Drag at the Savannah and setting up their instruments on stage.Trini hospitality actually began when local steelbands not participating in this historic event accommodated the visiting musicians by availing them use of their panyards.
In the stands, celebrated steel pan innovator Anthony Williams was moved to stand up from his wheelchair and dance to the rendition of Shadow's (Winston Bailey) Bassman played by Curepe Scherzando Steel Orchestra.
The 84-year-old Williams, recognised as one of the inventors of the modern steel pan, was in a front row seat in the Grand Stand with his caregiver when Scherzando, appearing in sixth position among the 24 bands in the contest, offloaded a rhythmic Yohan Popwell arrangement of the 1974 Road March that engendered musical glee among audience members.
It appeared that many did not realise it was the steel pan and Caribbean icon in their presence until a few observant photographers zeroed in for a shot of the dancing octogenarian who in 1953 identified the octave (range of notes) for each fundamental (last note in a harmony) on the steel pan, and after years of study, calculations and experimentation, standardised the layout of the notes in circular chromatic scales in a "cycle of fifths" that resembled a spider's web.
In the new creation, each note was a fourth from its neighbour in a clockwise direction (a fifth from its neighbour anticlockwise) and an octave away from the nearest note in the radial direction. This innovative configuration made the steel pan's arrangement more orderly, more conducive to learning and playing, more attuned to formal musical scores, and allowed for greater ease of tuning, musical interpretation, and harmony.
Williams was the first bandleader to put pans on stands (1954) and later on wheels (1956), which allowed for today's mobile road bands. He was also the first person to create a pan from flat sheet metal as opposed to a drum, and the first to design and make an oversized pan.
Although he spent most of his career in solitary experimentation and research, Williams also tested many of his ideas at the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) in the first scientific study of the instrument in the mid-1970s. He was eventually offered a government job as Steelband Development Officer in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and held this post until his official retirement in 1993.
Williams was the bandleader, pan-tuner and arranger of the Pan Am North Stars Steel Orchestra which won the inaugural local Panorama competition in 1963, and went on to repeat the victory in 1964. He is the recipient of two National Awards–Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1992, and the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in 2008.
Amid loud applause, Williams took his departure from yesterday's event after the Brooklyn Steel Orchestra of the USA had performed in position 15, so did not experience the winning performance of Curry Tabanca by Massy Trinidad All Stars that followed.Sunday's competition, fielding 24 local and foreign steelbands, began at 3.20 pm and lasted nine hours.
(With additional reporting by Peter Ray Blood)
Top five at the International Panorama
1. Massy Trinidad All Stars (T&T) - Curry Tabanca (Leon "Smooth" Edwards)
2. Supernovas Steel Orchestra (T&T) - Dr Samaroo (Amrit Samaroo)
3. bp Renegades (T&T) - Like ah Boss (Duvonne Stewart)
4. Brooklyn Steel Orchestra (USA) - Ah Feeling (Odie Franklin, Kendall Williams and Marc Brooks)
4. Phase II Pan Groove (T&T) - Woman on the Bass (Len "Boogsie" Sharpe)