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A Special Brew - Steel Orchestras of Trinidad and Tobago
Sanch Electronix
F CD 0101 (72 minutes)

From a discarded 10-gallon oil drum to a 1996 citation by the New York Times as "the most important acoustic instrument developed in the 20th century", the steel pan's evolution is an immense source of pride to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago (T & T), the pan's birthplace. As a means of raising money for a proposed Pan Development Fund, The Steel Band Development Center at the University of the West Indies, Guardian Holding Limited and Sanch Electronix, specialists in recording steel bands, have created the 'Pan Sweet Pan' CD series showcasing the music of Trinidad Carnival's Steel Band competition, Panorama.

A Special Brew is the second release in the 'Pan Sweet Pan' series, distinguished from other Panorama compilations by the relaxed tempo of the Panorama tunes, allowing the listener to savor the musical complexity of each arrangement. The Neal and Massey Trinidad All Stars, under the guidance of ace arranger Leon 'Smooth' Edwards, lavishly extend Calypsonian Super Blue's 'Jump For Joy' into a 12-minute steel symphony. Multiple Panorama winning arranger Clive Bradley brilliantly orchestrates The Harmonites Steel Orchestra's rendition of David Rudder's 'Panama'. Also victorious at several Panoramas,

Ray Holman creates a stellar steel arrangement for his composition 'A Special Brew' (spiritedly played by The Carib Tokyo Steel Orchestra) embellished with layers of harmonies. This album is a delicious concoction and a distinctly Trinidadian celebration in steel.

Patricia Meschino

Review: Songlines, Winter 2001