Arizona Caribbean Cultural Association

08/16/2023

Today’s is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s first female pannists, Daisy James-McClean! A pan pioneer, musician and lecturer, James-McClean made history in 1976 when she became the first woman to accompany a calypsonian—Brother Mudada—on pan for a Dimanche Gras performance, placing second in the event.

A recipient of the 2005 Public Service Medal of Merit, James-McClean has been recognised for her long-standing contributions to the steelband movement in T&T.

As a child, McClean was fascinated by the steelpan. Her two older brothers, Ancil and Fitzroy James, were members of the Casablanca steelband and recognized her interest in the instrument. In 1944, at age 6, she began taking Fitzroy’s three-note ping pong pan and imitating his playing. One day, when their mother was out, her eldest brother Ancil decided to take her to visit the Casablanca panyard, where she started playing the “kettle pan” for visiting tourists.

James-McLean became an occasional member of the Casablanca band, playing for a few hours a day unbeknownst to her mother, who was concerned about the stigma that was associated with panyards and women playing the steelpan. James-McLean persevered, and when her brothers started their own steelpan band a few years later, the City Syncopators, she finally got the chance to showcase her talent.

As a teenager, she also joined an after-school drama group where she played the pan. After seeing her perform, her parents recognized her talent and warmed up to her participation in steelbands.

James-McLean was a member of both the City Syncopators and later, the Starlighters steelband, often playing with them at weekly performances at venues throughout the country, including the Hilton Hotel.

Recognising a lack of support for younger players, she decided to open her own steelband “The Harlem Syncopators” in 1999, which focused on encouraging young pan players. She used her savings to buy the land where the band is now located on Quarry Street in Port of Spain.

This photo showing Daisy James-McClean playing with the City Syncopators steelband is courtesy of the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian Newspaper, published on Jan14th 2018. This newspaper is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago’s Newspaper Collection.

References:

Kong Soo, Charles. “Unsponsored Bands Feel the Pinch.” Trinidad Guardian, 26 Jan. 2019.

Blake, Felix I. R. The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan: History and Evolution. 1995.

Johnson, Kim. The Illustrated Story of Pan. Pangea Ltd., 2021.

Smith, Angela. Steel Drums and Steelbands: a History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

08/16/2023

08/12/2023

08/12/2023

📖 Pioneering in London: The steelpan made its mark in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. musician Russell Henderson MBE is credited with introducing the steelpan to London's Notting Hill Carnival in 1964. This vibrant cultural event played a significant role in popularizing steelpan music and Caribbean culture in the UK.🎶🇬🇧 🇹🇹

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08/08/2023

Today, we celebrate the legendary steelpan pioneer Elliot “Ellie” Mannette, who is known as the co-inventor of the steelpan!

Mannette was the first person to sink the top of an oil drum into a concave surface, thereby changing the structure of the steelpan and how notes were placed upon it.

He was born on November 5th 1927 in Sans Souci, and spent his childhood in Woodbrook. During the 1930s, the use of bamboo for musical instruments gave way to metal instead during the Carnival season, leading to the rise of “steel-bands”. In 1939, Mannette formed his band, The Oval Boys Steelband, which later became Invaders Steel Orchestra.

After Winston “Spree” Simon discovered that creating dome-like sections in the surface of his “kettledrum” led to differing notes, Ellie Mannette later reversed this process during the 1940s, sinking the surface of an oil drum and creating the steelpan as we know it today. He also invented the rubber-tipped sticks that are used to play pan, which softens the notes.

Exceptionally skilled in tuning, by 1951 Mannette had created the tenor pan, and even taught rival steel bands how to play the instrument. That year, he travelled to the UK with TASPO (Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra) to present the steelpan at the Festival of Britain, accompanied by other pan leaders like, “Spree” Simon and Anthony Williams.

In 1963, Mannette was invited by the US Navy to create the US Navy Steelband. He toured the US for years, educating and creating steel bands throughout the country, and by 1994 headed the steelpan programme at West Virginia University. US President Clinton bestowed upon him the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honour in traditional arts.

Mannette has been highly awarded, receiving the 1969 Hummingbird Silver Medal, an Honorary Doctorate from UWI in 2000, and was admitted to the United States Hall of Fame of the Percussive Arts Society in 2003. The Ellie Mannette Park was named in his honour in Port of Spain in 2001. Sadly, on August 29th, 2018 he passed away in West Virginia.

This photo showing Ellie Mannette tuning a tenor pan is courtesy of the Trinidad Express Newspaper, 29 August 2018. This newspaper is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.

References: Bastien, Elliot, and Sandra Bernard-Bastien. World Class Trinidad & Tobago: An Area of Abundance: Profiles of Performance. Sekani Publications, 2006.

R., Blake Felix I. The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan: History and Evolution. Grafiques 85, 1995.

Smith, Angela. Steel Drums and Steelbands: A History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

“Ellie Mannette Has Died.” Trinidad Express Newspaper, 29 Aug. 2018.