TASPO (steel band)
The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra was a steel band that the then colony of Trinidad and Tobago sent to Great Britain in 1951 to perform at the Festival of Britain across the island and on mainland Europe and to introduce the new musical instrument steel pan .
background
The Steel Pan was developed in the quarters of Port of Spain before and during the Second World War . During the Carnival of 1946, Winston "Spree" Simon played the British national anthem God save the King on a 14-note instrument . The then governor of the colony, Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford, was delighted. As instrument development and improvement progressed, the Steelband Association of Trinidad and Tobago was formed in 1949. Work was done to send a steel band to the Festival of Britain. Since the discoverers and developers of the Steel Pan had no musical education, with a few exceptions, they were not aware that their instruments were not chromatic . However, this fact was corrected with regard to the visit to England. TASPO was the first steel band to play instruments that were all made from old oil barrels.
Effects of TASPO
On July 6, 1951, the orchestra traveled to England on the SS San Mateo. Carlton "Sonny" Roach was left behind in Martinique due to illness . On December 12, 1951, TASPO returned to Trinidad. The only exception was Sterling Betancourt , who stayed in England and later played a decisive role in setting up the Notting Hill Carnival . Philmore "Boots" Davidson also played a major role in the spread of the Steel Pan in England. Elliot "Ellie" Mannette emigrated to the USA and made the Steel Pan known on the North American continent. TASPO and its members made a significant contribution to the worldwide spread of the steel bands.
Management and members
The orchestra was led by Lieutenant Joseph Nathaniel Griffith, a conductor of the Police Band. The members of the TASPO were almost exclusively respected steelpan builders and / or leaders of their respective steel bands.
| player | tape |
|---|---|
| Orman "Patsy" Haynes | Casablanca |
| Elliot "Ellie" Mannette | Invaders |
| Belgrave Bonaparte | Southern Symphony |
| Anthony "Tony" Williams | North Stars |
| Carlton "Sonny" Roach | Sun Valley |
| Philmore "Boots" Davidson | City Syncopators |
| Sterling Betancourt | Crossfire |
| Andrew "Pan" de la Bastide | Chicago |
| Dudley Smith | Rising Sun |
| Winston "Spree" Simon | Fascinators (Tokyo) |
| Theo "Black James" Stevens | Free French |
literature
- Felix IR Blake: The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan. History and Evolution. ISBN 0-9525528-0-9
- The Steelband Movement: The Forging of a National Art in Trinidad and Tobago. By Stephen Stuempfle. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995)
swell
- George Goddard Fourty Years in the Steelbands: 1939-1979