The History of The Steelband .
A brief journey through the history of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago is the background for this detailed account of the phenomenal development of the steelpan. The steelpan is the only
musical instrument to have been invented in the 20th Century. This book follows its birth in the 1940s, in the back streets of the capital city Port-of-Spain, to today’s world renowned steel orchestras, an essential element of Carnivals and other musical festivals all over the world.

The book is designed in particular for young people and for key stages and 3,with illustrations and photographs. It includes information on the Caribs and Arawaks, the original inhabitants of the island, the Africans brought to the island to work on the plantations as slaves, “Canboulay”,the festival that spawned Carnival and“TambooBamboo”,the bamboo instruments that were the precursors to the steelpan.

It describes the intricacies of how a steelpan is made,and looks at the trials and
tribulations of pan players and the violent rivalries between the steelbands at a time when they wer eviciously treated by the authorities.The book also includes an account of the TASPOtour in Britain in1951. Read first hand accounts from pioneers such as Sterling Betancourt,Winston“Spree”Simon, CarltonForde,tonamebutafew. Essential reading for those keen to learn more about the steelpan.

IncludesCD“LiveNice”,variety of pan pieces performed by Sterling’s Angels SteelBand.
ISBN1-870516-74-5 Published by Tamarind website:www.tamarindbooks.co.uk
Price £12.99 Available at New Beacon Books, London Tel;0207-272-4889