1. Trinidad All-Stars
2. Phase II Pan Groove
3. Exodus
3. Renegades
3. Silver Stars
6. Tropical Angel Harps
7. Invaders
8. Desperadoes
9. Fonclaire
10. Skiffle

On June 20th, the Steel Pan Collective will present the 2015 Pan People Music Festival at the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colo. The event is the Steel Pan Collective’s signature event and  is a “celebration of steel pan, its musicians, and its community,” according to the Steel Pan Collective’s website.
The festival will last from 10am to 9pm and feature various outdoor performances from steel bands from across the nation. The event will conclude with a screening of the PAN! Our Music Odyssey, a docu-drama about the history of the steelpan. Admission is paid and includes dinner. For more information, visit the official website at: http://steelpancollective.org/2015-PanPeople-Schedule 

Featuring over 80 players on stage at once, the University of Arizona Steel Band, led by Chris Wabich, was joined by local high schools to create a massive band that dazzled a packed audience on April 30. The group performed a variety of musical styles and was joined by pan virtuoso, Liam Teague.
Aside from the UA Steel Band, the group consisted of a gathering of local steel bands, which included Catalina Foothills High School (led by Tina Walton), Empire High School (led by Gabe Walton) and Tuscon High (led by Khris Dodge). The campus concert hall was filled   with over 300 people, making the event a continued success after being in existence for over seven years.
“The event came together quite nicely. The UA program I run is one of the oldest steel bands in the country,” said Wabich. “The thing I was most impressed by was the level of musicality each band displayed. It was much higher than I’ve seen in past events.”
In addition to the traditional pieces written specifically for pan, the night turned to another style with an all jazz set, featuring Wabich on drums and Teague on lead pan.
Although events like this have been around at different programs for some time, Wabich believes they are a great way to grow the popularity of the instrument for new generations, both for players and listeners alike. But the difficulty lies in bringing awareness to the masses, which is harder given the lack of support some programs have from their administrations.
“The UNLV program has no funding and no class but they were able to put together a successful program playing very difficult arrangements. They played a Narell panorama this year,” said Wabich. “This was one of the first years Liam had to recruit players for his very successful program at NIU [Northern Illinois University]. Programs at the college level need  high school bands feeding into them to continue to thrive. The Waltons and Khris Dodge have done an outstanding job with these groups and I can’t wait to see what we can do next time.”

Dear Friends,

In June of 2014, Pan Magazine (PM) was officially launched in an effort to provide top quality content on the subject of steelpan news and culture. Thanks to the help of a variety of industry professionals, experts, friends and family, the magazine has been a huge success, growing it’s circulation consistently to reach a high of over 1,000 readers per month!
We at PM would like to thank all the professional players, builders, educators, friends and family that helped make this publication what it is today. We look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with you all and seeing just how high we can take this amazing instrument and culture!

sincerely,
Ted Goslin
Editor/Publisher, Pan Magazine

As the very first-ever International Conference and Panorama drew to a close, one band stood tall holding the coveted championship trophy signifying victory: the Trinidad All-Stars, led by Arranger Leon “Smooth” Edwards.
With a total of 24 bands competing, representing nine different countries, the competition lived up to the hype of being one for the ages. Aside from Trinidad All-Stars, the top five scoring bands included Supernovas (2nd), Renegades (3rd), Brooklyn Steel Orchestra (4th), and Phase II Pan Groove (4th).
The complete list of competitors with performance pieces, arrangers and country is below, in order of scoring:

1. Trinidad All-Stars- “Curry Tabanca,” arranged by Leon “Smooth” Edwards, Trinidad & Tobago
2. Supernovas Steel Orchestra- “Dr. Samaroo,” arranged by Amrit Samaroo, Trinidad & Tobago
3. Renegades Steel Orchestra- “Like Ah Boss,” arranged by Duvone Stewart, Trinidad & Tobago
4. Brooklyn Steel Orchestra- “Ah Feeling,” arranged by Odie Franklin, Kendall Williams & Marc Brooks, USA
4. Phase II Pan Groove- “Woman on the Bass,” arranged by Len “Boogie” Sharpe, Trinidad & Tobago
6. Curepe Scherzando- “Bassman,” arranged by Yohan Popwell, Trinidad & Tobago
7. Exodus- “De ‘Puna Band,” arranged by Pelham Goddard, Trinidad & Tobago
8. Buccooneers Steel Orchestra- “Gold,” arranged by Seion Gomez, Trinidad & Tobago
9. Ebony Steelband- “Ah Feeling,” arranged by Duvone Stewart, England
9. Panorama Steel Orchestra- “Dance of Phoenix,” arranged by Yoshihiro Harada, Japan
11. Silver Stars Steel Orchestra- “Edwin’s Legacy,” arranged by Liam Teague, Trinidad & Tobago
12. Steel Xplosion- “Thunder,” arranged by Arddin Herbert, Trinidad & Tobago
12. Pan Elders Steel Orchestra- “Party Time Again,” arranged by Duvone Stewart, Trinidad & Tobago
12. Tropical Angel Harps- “Pan For Beethoven,” arranged by Clarence Morris, Trinidad & Tobago
15. Starlight Steel Orchestra- “Teaser,” arranged by Duvone Stewart, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
16. Pantime Steel Orchestra- “Aunty Pam,” arranged by Amrit Samaroo, St. Lucia
17. Prima Golden Symphony Steel Orchestra- “Ah Feeling,” arranged by Terrance “BJ” Marcelle, Trinidad & Tobago
18. Calypsociation Steelband- “Prophet of Pan,” arranged by Mathieu Borgne and Laurent Lalsingue, France
19. Pan Fantasy- “Lucy,” arranged by Al “Allos” Foster, Canada
20. Mosaic Steel Orchestra- “Pan In a Rage,” arranged by Jit Samaroo, USA
21. UWI Panoridim Steel Orchestra- “Ten Commandments of Pan,” arranged by Orane Shaw, Jamaica
22. Salah’s Steelpan Academy- “Outta De Box,” arranged by Salah Wilson, Canada
23. Pan Coalition- “Outta De Box,” arranged by Nigel Chase, USA
24.  Gunslingers Steel Orchestra- “Pan Revivi,” arranged by Aldric Benjamin, St. Martin

For the 15th time in its 38-year history, Ebony Steelband has won the UK Panorama, besting the second place Real Steel by eight points. Led by famed Trinidadian arranger Duvone Stewart, the band performed the song, “Ah Feeling,” by Leadpipe & Saddis.

Here are the complete results, with scores:

1. Ebony – 280
2. Real Steel – 272
3. Mangrove – 270
4. Metronomes – 259
5. CSI – 248
6. Endurance – 244
7. Croydon – 219

Ebony Steelband performs its winning piece at UK Panorama.

This past July, over 40 pan musicians gathered to attend the Pan Ramajay Summer Steel Band Festival in Denver, Colorado. The week-long event, from July 19-24, featured prominent players/clinicians Jim Munzenreider, Alan Lightner, Ray Holman and festival organizer, Tom Miller.
“There were 40 or so participants this year with the majority being at intermediate and advanced level,” said Miller. “We mixed the smaller beginner level into intermediate on several pieces to give them the experience of playing with a large ensemble as well as push them some.  It seemed to work well, was a lot of fine for them and left no musical casualties.”
The event featured rehearsals for beginning, intermediate and advanced bands, which all performed arrangements that matched their skill levels. “I always enjoy the new original pan music that the faculty guests bring to the event,” said Miller. “The composers have a real natural feel for writing to the different skill levels we have at the festival, so eventually the titles can become a part of the Pan Ramajay Productions sheet music catalog offerings for other programs to utilize.”
Lectures also took place, including one from Holman on his musical influences. “Ray gave a real nice talk as to the prominent musical influences throughout his life, that helped to shape his composing and arranging styles for pan,” said Miller. “It was very interesting for the participants to hear him speak of the wide range of music from classical, jazz, pop and world styles, that Ray was drawn to and then drew upon to create the beautiful pan music that he is known for.”
The final concert took place at the Dazzle Jazz club in Denver, featuring the group Pan Nation and the guest artist faculty. Dazzle is a national Jazz venue that presents touring Jazz headliners as well as local Jazz groups. “We were fortunate that this venue was interested in presenting this concert,” said Miller. “It was a really nice atmosphere for a pan concert and nearly sold out. Future events of this kind from the festival will most likely continue there.”
The goal for the festival, as compared to other events of its kind like the Mannette Festival of Steel, is to provide a place for local players and enthusiasts to gather to celebrate the instrument. But for Miller, there’s also another goal he hopes to hit each year.
“I really feel excited about being a part of building the awareness of and participation in pan throughout the Rocky Mountain West region with the Denver/Boulder community at large. It is a bit more challenging in this region as the major cities have a farther proximity to each other as opposed to the east, midwest and west coast regions, so the awareness may be a bit lower overall,” Miller said. “But great progress is being made not only through this Pan Ramajay Summer Pan Fest but elsewhere in this region. There is a great new non-profit organization based here, the Steel Pan Collective, that sponsors a one-day pan music festival in June of each year, among other projects. Rocky Mountain Steel Bands has really grown into a presence here and there are several other elementary, high school and university programs that are fairly new as well.”
To learn more about the Pan Ramajay Summer Steel Band Festival, visit www.ramajaypanfest.com.

Few musicians in the world can say they’ve had great success as performing and recording artists. Even fewer can claim they’ve made an impact inspiring and training the next generation of musicians. Rafael “Raf” Robertson could do both.

Robertson, passed away on Thursday, December 3, at the age of 63 from myocardial infarction induced by bi-pulmonary pneumonia. He was an internationally recognized pianist, arranger, composer, producer and teacher with over 40 years of experience.

“As far as my career is concerned, I have been very fortunate…I got the experience of being on the cusp of the 1970s music revolution in London, and hearing songs of that time, like Sayamanda (by Andre Tanker),” Robertson said in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian. “If life is a journey, then part of success is knowing when to stay in your lane.”

As a Calypso Jazz artist, Robertson recorded four albums during his career, including Just Teasin’ (1989), Branches (1994—a tribute to Lord Kitchener), Universal Rhythm (2000) and Majesty (2011). He also taught at Birdsong Academy in Tunapuna, Trinidad.

Robertson’s son, Mylz Robertson, found success in his own right as a Grammy Award-winning keyboardist and musical director for singer, Adele.

He has performed all over the world with a variety of well-known artists including saxophonist Branford Marsalis, jazz-fusion saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and world-renowned pannist, Andy Narell, the latter being a close friend of Robertson.

“Raf was one of the most intelligent, perceptive, poetic, and funny people I’ve ever known; a serious jazz musician and teacher, someone who made the daily commitment to being a positive presence in his world; a caring, generous, and humble person. He loved Calypso and had a deep understanding of the work of Lord Kitchener, which he shared with everyone,” Narell said. “He was an astute commentator on music and politics, and would have been on the radio and TV a lot more if he hadn’t been so outspoken and unpredictable. I remember him desperately trying to think of something to say after hearing a Panorama arrangement that he didn’t like at all. He came up with, ‘Well you know, eight minutes is a long time to play.’ I can’t begin to express how much I’ll miss him and I know a lot of people who feel the same.”

Raf Robertson is featured and interviewed on the television show, “Building the Beats”.

After a seemingly endless day of performances, which featured 51 bands in four categories (large, medium, small, single-pan), the top 10 bands for finals have been selected in each category, with a shake-up occurring in at least one group: the large bands.

Unlike past years, the top bands did not include Exodus, but did include, in dramatic fashion, the newly minted large band, Supernovas, led by arranger Amrit Samaroo, son of the legendary Dr. Jit Samaroo. Playing with great enthusiasm and putting in long hours (some say until 5 AM the next day), the Supernovas have been a force to watch ever since their performance at the International Conference and Panorama (ICP Secretariat) in August 2015 where they placed 2nd overall. Another notable addition to the top 10 this year was Redemption Sound Setters, who tied for sixth place with BP Renegades.

With the theme for this year’s Panorama being “excitement and excellence,” the bands worked hard to meet those standards by executing fast and furious arrangements that showcased the virtuosity of the players, as has been a staple of the modern Panorama sound. Perhaps the least complex arrangement managed to take top honors with Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s “Madd Music” taking first place thanks to its catchy hook, syncopated strumming patterns and memorable jam sections, as have become powerful tools in Sharpe’s arsenal.

The Panorama Finals take place on Feb. 4 for small bands and single-pan bands, and Feb. 6 for medium and large bands. See the complete schedule here: http://www.panonthenet.com/tnt/2016/schedule.htm. The finals can be live streamed through www.ctntworld.com.

The complete semi-finals results are below:

LARGE

1. Phase 11 Pan Groove (with HADCO) Madd Music (274 points)

2. Super Novas (with FCB) Breakthrough (272.5 points)

3. Massy Trinidad All Stars Leave We Alone (271 points)

3. Desperadoes Different Me (271 points)

5. Caribbean Airlines Invaders Take Dat (270 points)

6. bptt Renegades Music Inside Meh Head (269 points)

6. RBC Redemption Sound Setters No No We Eh Going Home (269 points)

8. PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars Panoramic (264 points)

8. Skiffle How She Like It (264 points)

10. NLCB Fonclaire Bass On Fire (263 points)

MEDIUM

1.  Pan Elders Me Eh Fighting For No Man (272 points)

2.  Petrotrin Katzenjammers I Don’t Mind (267 points)

3.  NLCB Buccooneers Bass On Fire (263 points)

4.  Curepe Scherzando Madness (262 points)

5.  NGC Steel Xplosion Wanted Dead or Alive (260 points)

5.  Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille The Ganges And The Nile(260 points)

7.  Melodians Fete (259 points)

8.  NGC Couva Joylanders Come With It (258 points)

9.  Carib Dixieland Soca Baptist (256 points)

9.  West Side Symphony Dead Or Alive (256 points)

SMALL

1.  Arima Golden Symphony D’Greatest Invention (267 points)

2.  Laventille Serenaders Pan Jumbie (266 points)

3.  Fascinators Pan Symphony Like Ah Boss (265 points)

3.  Five Rivers Modern Symphony Pan In Danger (265 points)

5.  Pandemonium My House (264.5 points)

6.  Our Boys Gimme More (264 points)

6.  Tornadoes Mash It Up (264 points)

8.  La Horquetta Pan Groove Raising Dust (263 points)

8.  Tamana Pioneers De Mystery Band (263 points)

10  T&TEC New East Side Dimension Both Ah Dem (262  points)

In a shocking, one point victory, Desperadoes have reclaimed the top prize at Panorama, defeating newcomers, Supernovas, 285 to 284, with Phase II Pan Groove and Renegades tying for third.
Pan Elders won the Medium band category, giving arranger Duvone Stewart his second straight Panorama title.

Complete results are below:

Large Bands

10. 266 Skiffle
9. 272 NLCV Fonclaire
8. 276 RBC Redemption Sound Setters
7. 277 PCS Silver Stars
6. 280 Massy Trinidad All-Stars
5. 281 Caribbean Airlines Invaders
3. 283 BPTT Renegades
3. Phase 2 Pan Groove
2. 284 Supernovas
1. 285 Desperadoes

Medium Bands
10. 258 West Side Symphony
9. 261 Carib Dixieland
8. 264 Melodians
6. 265 Curope Scherzando
6. NGC Steel Xplosion
5. 266 NGC Joylanders
3. 270 Cour Sound Specialists
3. Petrotrin Katzenjammers
2. 271 NLCB Bucconeers
1. 275 Pan Elders