Sweet Pan!

A lot of people think of the music of the steel pan when they think of the Caribbean. The image of some dude wearing a tacky tie dyed shirt is sure to come to mind - and he is playing some cliche song we have all heard over and over, while sipping water from a coconut. That's Hollywood and maybe some lame resort pandering to the equally lame stereotype to win over non-the-wiser tourists.

The steelpan, dear friends, is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago - invented and perfected there and while the entire Caribbean region is associated with it, thought I would just remind you, it's a Trini thing. As Trini as I am. (God. I love being Trini til it hurts).

That out of the way, and with Carnival in full swing back home, I thought I would share "real" pan music. Not the cliche crap you see in movies, or get at some tourist-friendly resort, but the euphoric and energetic sound of the different types of pan (tenor bass, double tenor etc...did not know that, did you? a pan is not a pan is not a pan) in a band of over 100. It's magic. It's Panorama - the annual competition to select the best pan group or pan 'side' in the country. Congrats to the Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars for taking the 2011 title, with their rendition of 'It's Showtime'. Good job guys!