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    Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival
    Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival
    Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival
    Ebook111 pages1 hour

    Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival

    By Robert Saldenha

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    About this ebook

    This book contains the story of the Evolution of the Steelband from 1936 to present. The second part of the narrative is dedicated to Anthony Williams leader, pan builder, tuner, arranger and composer of the Legendary Pan Am North Stars of St. James, Trinidad, West Indies.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateDec 19, 2019
    ISBN9781543993400
    Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival

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      Book preview

      Innovations of Anthony Williams and how they revolutionize Steelband, the music and Carnival - Robert Saldenha

      ©2020 Robert Saldenha.

      This is the revised work of The Innovations of Anthony Williams and How They Revolutionized the Steelband, Steelband Music, and Carnival.

      All rights reserved to the information in this book

      ISBN: 978-1-54399-339-4 (print)

      ISBN: 978-1-54399-340-0 (ebook)

      "It was ah different kinda man

      Existing in de dregs

      Of dis blood sucking society…………

      Was ah man

      Wid guts of steel

      To survive

      De blows – de blues

      Police brute force

      And dey jail dey tail

      Attitudes of

      A destructive society………..

      Wasted man

      Trying to ease the squeeze

      Wid creative hand

      On wasted pan

      And is tempo in de land……….."

      Bro. Resistance…………Pan Baby

      Contents

      Acknowledgement

      Foreword

      About the Author

      Introduction

      Undisputed Claims

      Disputed Claims

      Definitions

      Methodology

      Constraints

      Origins of the Steelband

      The Evolution of the Steelband

      Alexander Rag Time Band Story

      Winston Spree Simon Story

      Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra—T.A.S.P.O.

      The Spider-Web Ping Pong or Tenor Pan (1953)

      Pan on Stands

      Pan on Wheels

      Big Pans (Jumbo Pans, or 747)

      Note Placement on the Bass

      Musical Arrangement

      Disputed Claims

      Analysis

      Bertie Marshall

      Acceptance

      Conclusion

      Recommendations

      Bibliography

      Notes

      Acknowledgement

      This paper was originally created in 1984, while I was a student at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), with Dr. Selwyn Griffith (deceased) of the Faculty of Agriculture as my mentor.

      When I started to revise this study, three fellow panists—Joe Beetle Jones, Dave Clement, and Wayne Walcott—were always there to encourage me, and would persistently enquire when this work would be completed. On numerous occasions, I restarted the project, but was never able to get going. Dave Clement of birdsong Steel Orchestra from time to time would ask me about the paper I was doing on Anthony Williams, and it would rekindle that fire in me to complete the work. Thanks to the Internet, a whole world on Steelband history is now available, and special credit must be given to Kim Johnson and Keith Smith formerly with the Trinidad Express newspaper for their extensive research on the Steelband. Mention must also be made of the late George Goddard—former President of the National Association of Steelbandsmen for his wonderful book on the origins of the Steelband. Anyone wishing to read about or research the origins of the Steelband should make this book a must-read, and also visit the Pan Trinbago website. Everything, well almost everything, you ever wanted to know is now available.

      Special thanks to John Aghadiuno for his patience and opinions when putting the manuscript together. Thanks also to Nolan Ramdewar, who did the artwork and Marilyn Bruno for the PowerPoint presentations.

      Once again Anthony Williams was very instrumental in filling in the blanks. His unpublished book, History of the Steelband 1945–1962, is a must-read, whenever it becomes available. I am very grateful for the time and effort he made available to me, to complete this paper.

      I am now domiciled in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and any suggestions, criticism, or new facts are welcomed.

      Finally, there are those who have encouraged me in the past, most notably Dr. Selwyn Griffith (deceased), Faculty of Agriculture, University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine (brother of Beverly Griffith), the first Steelband arranger I have known, Knolly Arthur, Andrew Joseph, Richard Ricky Etienne, Ken Jones, Gerald Clark, John Dennis Moffat, Alfredo Fredo Henrique, Selwyn Sankar and the other pan jumbies at Unilever West Indies; Shaka N’Kosi, Rudy Piggott, and CJ (Carolyn Jordan), who assisted me with the first manuscript. To them all my eternal gratitude, for I know they will continue to support me, if not in body, then in spirit.

      Foreword

      While I am writing for an international audience, much of the narrative is directed to the Trinbagonian panists, and as a result I have introduced some Trinbagonian slang, which would make it easier for them to understand. In such instances, an attempt was made to explain the slang to the international audience.

      There are numerous anecdotes about the origin of the Steelband, which at times can be overwhelming. The story of the Alexander Rag Time Band transition from Tamboo-bamboo to Steelband has dominated, and has been accepted as the true origin. However, we still do not know the true story, because Victor Totee Wilson, whom it was alleged was the first person to pick up the tin can and start beating it, confessed that when he did that, bands were already beating tin cans (see George Goddard’s book History of the Steelband). However, what came across to me after reading this book is that Gonzales (in the Belmont region of Port of Spain) was a beehive of Steelband activity in those early days, and more attention and research should be done with this in mind.

      Before he passed away, Cyril Jackson, the first leader of Cross Fire Steel Orchestra of St. James, Trinidad, confided in me that the person who created the first steel pan was a mechanic from Bournes Road in St. James. I was never able to locate the gentleman, and his name now escapes me.

      Nevertheless, the facts that remain constant are:

      Steelband or pan was created in Trinidad.

      The Tamboo-bamboo and the iron bands (bands made up entirely of motor-car brake hubs, chassis, or any form of steel or iron) were the forerunners of the modern Steelband.

      Dustbins, sweet oil cans beaten with sticks, were the first instruments of the Steelband.

      The sound of the pre-1945 Steelbands was not melodious, but rather rhythmical.

      What has been identified as the first Steelbands were not drums or cans beaten with sticks. What should be claimed as the first Steelband should be that band in which a melody was first evident; that is to say, when notes were first introduced on the drums or cans.

      About the Author

      I grew up on Abercromby Street, just above Park Street, and while the name Saldenha is synonymous with production of Carnival bands, I was never interested in creating Carnival costumes, but was more attracted to playing the steel pan. As a matter of fact, most of the friends with whom I grew up were of a similar persuasion.

      In the 1950s, playing with a Steelband was a big NO-NO, but I would sneak away, and at a very young age I learnt to play the doo-dup. I later graduated to double guitar, but this was

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