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Desperadoes Steel Orchestra | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Dead End, The Desperadoes, The Gay Desperadoes, The Coca-Cola Gay Desperadoes, The WITCO Desperadoes |
| Origin | Laventille, Trinidad |
| Genres | Steelpan Trinidadian Calypso |
| Years active | 1945–present |
The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, also called Despers, are a steelband from Laventille in Trinidad, formed in 1945.
In Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943, some young men who lived in the Laventille community began calling their group the Morocco/Dead End Kids, after some of them had seen a movie entitled "The Desperadoes" at the Royal Cinema on Charlotte Street. The name Desperadoes Steelband first came out at Carnival in 1947. [1] [2] There were several rival steelbands at the time: Sun Valley, Hill Sixty, the Crusaders, and Destination Tokyo. [3] In the early 1950s, Wilfred "Speaker" Harrison and Donald "Jit" Steadman began bringing out the Mas Band. Later, this took a professional focus that saw the band sign a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola in 1962. Thus, the band name changed to the Coca-Cola Gay Desperadoes. [1]
In the 1950s another group of youths from Ovid Alley, Laventille, formed calling themselves Spike Jones. Ovid Alley was changed to Desperslie Crescent in the late 1970's. Then, the founders of Desperadoes said: "there can be only one steelband here", so the young Spike Jones group had no choice but to merge into Desperadoes. Rudolph "Charlo" Charles, who came from Spike Jones was given the captaincy in 1961, and he brought in Mr. Beverly Griffith as an arranger. [2] [1] [4] Mr. Charles managed Desperadoes up to his passing in 1985. They band placed third in the first Panorama competition in 1963, 2nd in 1964. [1] In 1965 the band's sponsor changed to the West Indian Tobacco Company, and they became the WITCO Gay Desperadoes. [1] [2] They won Panorama for the first time the in 1966, with a rendition of Mighty Sparrow's "Obeah Wedding". [1] Charles recruited a few members away from other steelbands and transformed Desperadoes from a steelband into a STEEL ORCHESTRA.[ citation needed ] In later years he invited several pantuners such as Bertie Marshall to join. [2] They dropped 'Gay' from the name in the 1970's. [1] Under Rudolph Charles' leadership, the band won Panorama 6 times and Classical Music Festivals on 2 occasions. [1] As of 2020, Desperadoes has 12 Panorama and 5 Classical victories.
The orchestra has made worldwide appearances and has performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 1972, Carnegie Hall in 1987, [4] and performed with the Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti in Barbados in 1997. [5]
The late Raymond "Artie" Shaw was the first musician to conduct Desperadoes Steel Orchestra at their performance for Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the late, Insp. Anthony Prospect conducted their English tour in 1981. The late Dr. Pat Bishop conducted their performance at Carnegie Hall in NYC. Desperadoes have also toured some of Trinidad & Tobago's motherlands; such as Africa, India, China, England and Grenada. The band has qualified for the most Panorama finals, 53 of 57 with {12} 1st, {6} 2nd and {9} 3rd. Desperadoes was a finalist for 36 consecutive years 1976 through 2011, has a winning average of (1) victory every 4.75 years as of 2020, has won every entered competition, and has a total of 21 combined MAJOR victories and 7 minor wins at various competitions, from 1965 to 2020.
In late May 2017, the band held elections, and Mr. Kenneth Collis was elected the 11th Manager since Mr. Rudolph Charles. [6]
Despers also make an effort to educate their community in Laventille, and has hosted Pan Camps with up to 200 children participating. Besides playing steelpan, the program includes foreign language training, life skills and field trips. [7]
Despers have won the National Steelband Panorama competition of Trinidad and Tobago a total of twelve times in their history. [8] Their most recent win took place in 2020, where they won with a total of 286 points.
The orchestra always takes part in the 'Large Band' category, with a minimum of one hundred musicians.
Maximum players allowed in the 'Large Band' category.
| CATEGORY | PRELIMS/SEMI-FINAL | FINAL |
| Large | 100 | 120 |
| Year | Song | Arranger |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | "Obeah Wedding" | Beverly Griffith |
| 1970 | "Margie" | Clive Bradley |
| 1976 | "Pan in Harmony" | Clive Bradley |
| 1977 | "Crawford" | Clive Bradley |
| 1983 | "Rebecca" | Clive Bradley |
| 1985 | "Pan Night and Day" | B. Griffith & R. Greenidge |
| 1991 | "Musical Volcano" | Robert Greenidge |
| 1994 | "Fire Coming Down" | Robert Greenidge |
| 1999 | "In my House" | Clive Bradley |
| 2000 | "Picture on my Wall" | Clive Bradley |
| 2016 | "Different Me" | Carlton "Zanda" Alexander |
| 2020 | "More Sokah" | Carlton "Zanda" Alexander |
Desperadoes have won the (Pan Is Beautiful) Steel Orchestra Music Festival of Trinidad and Tobago three times. They played the "Polovetsian Dances" by Borodin in 1986, the "Marche Slave" from Tchaikovsky in 1988 and the "Bartered Bride" by Smetana in 1992. Their classical renditions were all arranged and conducted by the late, Dr. Pat Bishop. Desperadoes have also won The Best Village Classical Competition for pan in 1965. They performed "The Marriage of Figaro", which was arranged By Mr. Beverly Griffith. In 1967 they won The Champ of Champs Classical Competition. Their rendition of "Palaestra" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" were arranged and conducted by the late Raymond "Artie" Shaw. Desperadoes Steel Orchestra has never lost a classical competition as a finalist. [9]
"Steel + Brass = Gold" (1968) "Despers Classics Volume #1" (1969)
The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music, chutney music, and steelpan. Calypso's internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.
The steelpan is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists.
Lennox "Boogsie" Sharpe is a successful and popular composer and arranger of steelpan music.
Laventille is a Suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. It is administered by the San Juan–Laventille Regional Corporation.
Ralph Anthony MacDonald was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer.
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Robert Greenidge is a steelpan player. He is a member of popular music singer Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and the instrumental group Club Trini. Greenidge has also collaborated with artists such as Robert Palmer, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Taj Mahal, Ringo Starr, Earth, Wind & Fire and Carly Simon.
Lennox Sylvanus "Bobby" Mohammed was a musician and pannist from Trinidad and Tobago. He was the youngest arranger to win Panorama.
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Bertram Lloyd Marshall ORTT, known as Bertie Marshall, was a pioneer, musician and music instrument maker of the steelpan.
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The Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) was formed to participate in the Festival of Britain in 1951. The group was the first steelband to travel abroad from Trinidad and Tobago, presenting the newly invented steelpan to an international audience.
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Sterling Betancourt MBE, FRSA is a Trinidad-born pioneer, arranger and musician on the steelpan, a major figure in pioneering the Pan in Europe and the UK (1951).
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Rudolph Charles was a musician and instrument maker of the steelpan, but most notably, he was a pioneer and leader of the steelband movement in Trinidad and Tobago. Also known as Charlo, The Hammer and Trail, among other names, he led Desperadoes Steel Orchestra to 10 various victories from 1965 to 1985, including six Panoramas, two Classical Music Festivals, one Best Bomb and one Best Playing Steel Orchestra.
Heavenly Drum is an album released by popular Soca artist Machel Montano from Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. It was first launched at J&R Music World in New York City on June 19, 2009. The album marks Machel Montano's third solo release after rebranding to Machel Montano HD in 2007.
Patricia Alison "Pat" BishopTC was a Trinidadian educator, music director, artist and cultural icon. She was one of the first women to arrange for steelbands and was the recipient of the Trinity Cross, the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago.
Melodians Steel Orchestra UK is a band formed in Harrow in October 1987 by Terrance "Terry" Noel MBE, composed of orchestra members using the steelpan instrument. They have since achieved considerable success in their musical and community endeavours, being well-recognised by various UK Governmental organisations, the Diplomatic Service and NGOs such as PRS for Music. The band has since assumed a status of national importance to modern British culture and has become symbolic of the importance of the relationship between the UK and the Commonwealth, particularly Trinidad and Tobago.
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