myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi Steve, Hi all
- long time no see... and, in this case, also hear
So to my question: The most important thing ich missed to do on Tobago two years ago was to buy a steelpan-CD by Tobagian musicants.
Any idea, where i could get one with "Katzenjammers" & co? (Please no Best of Beatles/Film-Music/Top-of the Pops~Romantic-Songs-Samplers)

Kind regards
Nick from Germany

Hi Nick

Good to hear from you again after so long.

Sorry, but I can't help. To be honest, as much as I would love one I've never yet found a good CD of steel pan music. Somehow it doesn't seem to transfer to record/disk very well - or maybe all those that I've every heard are poorly produced cheap copies.

Maybe somebody else can help.....

Hi,

I'm also interested in obtaining some Steel Pan Music and thought I would pass on an interesting website for PanOnTheWeb(.com). The actual website is http://www.ecaroh.com - which is a very good website for things Caribbean. The Ecaroh Caribbean Emporium they call themselves and are based in the USA.

There are plenty of music examples to hear and try out - guaranteed to have you bopping around the old computer!

This is an ecommerce site and they do ship worldwide. One CD is US$5.95 shipping. I am thinking of ordering "The Panorama Soundstage" which is a double CD of the Steel Orchestras of Trinidad and Tobago. The cost is US$27.90 and with shipping to UK makes a total of US$33.45 - or about £18. Not too bad for a double CD I think.

Will have to let you know what it's like.....

Terry

Nick / Steve,

I think that the Pan music records quite well, but so much of the atmosphere is missing because you are not there, that it does not seem so exciting at home.

It is great at last to hear somebody talking about the Music of the island - for some reason rarely mentioned in the Forum. The word "Parang" has never appeared before on these pages, so since it is the season (Nov 2004 - Jan 2005), I'll mention it now:

Parang is a type of (often religious) folk music. The songs are sung primarily in Spanish and singers are often clad in flowery Spanish garb. The music is fast-paced and sung to the highly danceable rhythms of the shak shak (local name for maracas), cuatro (a small guitar), mandolin, box bass and tambourine.

I have to confess that though I love to listen to Pans and older Ska and Reggae whilst in Tobago and at home, Soca does not do it for me, as it is too energetic for the purposes of my visits! Parang is worth a listen if you are visiting over the Christmas Season, and has a very Latin feel. I always enjoy watching someone play the box bass, which is often just an old box with a wooden pole for a neck and single string. The pole (neck)is just pulled back to increase the pitch, there being no fretboard.

For Pans, I must now look out for Katzenjammers:
http://www.pantrinbago.co.tt/datapages/ ... article=79, who are apparently based in Black Rock!

There are some Pan Albums listed here:
http://www.pantrinbago.co.tt/music/sear ... tegory=All


Steve F Music Lover

Hi all, hi Steve
nothing changed (during my forums-absence) within the forum - if you've got an question, you'll get an answer.... so I'll try to get some steelpan-music for a warmer wintertime
By the way: I was really glad to read that my personal favourites, the Katzenjammers from Black Rock, succeeded in a Panorama! I'm gone wear their Shirt with double-proud!

By the way, two: At black Rock we met a nice guy/pan-musician called "Mice" (or similar) who wone a pan-competition (and therefor a japanese sportscar, too). Someone heard what he is doing today?

Nick