Pan’s Sterling Betancourt

The Ministry of Education missed an opportunity to have Betancourt, one of the living legends of Pan, lecture to the nation’s schoolchildren on the origins and history of Pan and the struggle to move it out of the limiting culture of the ghetto to Buckingham Palace and international music halls. The other two members of TASPO still alive, Ellie Mannette and Anthony Williams have, as Betancourt has done, advanced the image and greatness of Pan.

Some 58 years ago when TASPO sailed for England on July 6, 1951, by the SS San Mateo, en route to the United Kingdom via France, relatively few outside of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean had either heard of or enjoyed the music of Pan. Yet it was Pan which would revolutionise musical expression, harmony and form and introduce to the world a somewhat different approach to traditional music and become the only new musical invention of the 20th century!

The TASPO team, under Musical Director, Lt Joseph Nathaniel Griffith, of the Police Band, had comprised Betancourt of the Crossfire Steelband, Belgrade Bonaparte of Southern Symphony, Philmore “Boots” Davidson, City Syncopators; Andrew de la Bastide, Hill 60, Orman Haynes, Casablanca; Ellie Mannette, Invaders, Winston “Spree” Simon, Tokyo, Dudley Smith, Rising Sun; Theophilus Stephens, Free French and Anthony “Tony” Williams of North Stars. Betancourt, Davidson, de la Bastide and Mannette were the official tuners.

The late TT singer and actor, Eric Connor, would meet TASPO when it arrived in England. Indeed, Connor performed in TASPO’s first full show there, along with Boscoe Holder’s Caribbean Dancers. TASPO, growing in popularity with each performance, received a tremendous fillip, when at a variety show in October of 1951 it shared the stage with Winnifred Atwell and Hazel Scott. Betancourt would remain on in England when TASPO, its tour ended, returned to Trinidad on December 12. In England, he refused to slip into the humdrum life of a clerk or other eight to four employment. Instead, Betancourt stayed with Pan.

Betancourt has taken Pan to Switzerland, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Casablanca, Indonesia, Germany, Spain, France, Oman, Italy, Sicily, Sweden and Norway, among others, his Press clippings there to assist as he proudly walks down memory lane. Two years ago he received the MBE award at Buckingham Palace from the Queen of England for his contribution to the steelband in England. Other honours included TT’s Scarlet Ibis award and a University of East London Fellowship. Modestly, he views the awards, not in a personal light, but as due recognition of Pan.

London’s Nothing Hill Carnival, the biggest street festival in Europe, founded in 1965 by Betancourt, Russ Henderson and Ralph Cherrie, arose out of an invitation the previous year to the Russ Henderson steelband to perform at a Children’s Community Carnival in Notting Hill. There was also an expressed interest by the Community Carnival organiser for the band members to teach steelband music in schools. Betancourt played the tenor pan and drums; Henderson, the second pan while Cherrie played the bass drum and the double bass. Their Pan music had an impact on the kids and the adults looking on.

The following year – 1965 – the trio moved on their own into the streets of Nothing Hill, playing Pan to the delight of residents, many of whom were Trinidadians and Tobagonians and other Caribbean islanders, who had migrated to England, years earlier. It awakened a feeling of nostalgia in the Trinbagonians many of whom had not jumped on the road to steelband music since leaving home, and they danced and sang behind the pannists as they would have in Trini Carnivals long gone. While here, Betancourt, who turned 79 on Monday, exchanged notes on the latest developments in Pan with noted pan aficionado, Peter Aleong, a businessman, who has played a key role in Phase II for many years.

Betancourt believes that Pan has improved by light years since he first left for England as a member of TASPO in 1951. And his is a valid view. In TASPO’s day Pan was still in its relative infancy. Today, however, it has gone immeasurably further and, as Betancourt insists, you can play everything on Pan as with other musical instruments. For this credit should be given to the tuners such as Betancourt and other pan maestros such as he, and sponsors as well.