Desperadoes Steel Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, also called Despers, is a Steelband from Laventille
in Trinidad
.
which was shown in Port of Spain
at the time.
Despers were led by Rudolph Charles
since 1961 until his death in 1985. Charles invited several pantuners like Bertie Marshall
and Lincoln Noel to create the best possible orchestral effects.
The orchestra has worldwide appearances and has performed at The Royal Albert Hall in 1972, Carnegie Hall in 1987, and along with the classical singer Luciano Pavarotti in Barbados in 1996.
Mr.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. 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 and China. This Steel Orchestra has won every entered competition and has a total of 24 victories from 1965 to 2011.
Championship of Trinidad and Tobago ten times in their history. The orchestra always takes part in the big band category with a maximum of one hundred musicians.
by Borodin
in 1986, the Marche Slave from Tchaikovsky
in 1988 and the Bartered Bride by Smetana
in 1992. Their classical renditions which 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 redition of Lehar's "Palestra" was arranged and conducted by the late, Mr. Raymond "Artie" Shaw.
Laventille
-Etymology:The name Laventille hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is due to the fact that the northeast trade winds come to this part of the Island of Trinidad before it reached any...
in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
.
Origins and evolution
The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra emerged from the fusion of three different Steelbands from Laventille. The name of the group was chosen from the movie Desperadoes starring Glenn FordGlenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
which was shown in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
at the time.
Despers were led by Rudolph Charles
Rudolph Charles
Rudolph Charles was a musician and instrument maker of the Steelpan. But most notably, he was a pioneer and visionary leader of the steelband movement in Trinidad and Tobago....
since 1961 until his death in 1985. Charles invited several pantuners like Bertie Marshall
Bertie Marshall
Bertie Marshall is a pioneer, musician and music instrument maker of the Steel Pan.-Life and Merits:...
and Lincoln Noel to create the best possible orchestral effects.
The orchestra has worldwide appearances and has performed at The Royal Albert Hall in 1972, Carnegie Hall in 1987, and along with the classical singer Luciano Pavarotti in Barbados in 1996.
Mr.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. 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 and China. This Steel Orchestra has won every entered competition and has a total of 24 victories from 1965 to 2011.
Education
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.Panorama
Despers won the national PanoramaPanorama (music competition)
Panorama is an annual music competition of Steelbands from Trinidad and Tobago.It is usually held around Carnival time.-History:Panorama was first held during Carnival celebrations in 1963. A popular Calypso is arranged into a piece with introductions and variations over the theme.-Past...
Championship of Trinidad and Tobago ten times in their history. The orchestra always takes part in the big band category with a maximum of one hundred musicians.
| Year | Song | Arranger |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Obeah Wedding | Beverly Griffith |
| 1970 | Margie | Clive Bradley Clive Bradley Clive Bradley was a known arranger of steelpan music.-Person:Bradley grew up in Diego Martin, Trinidad where he attended elementary school. He then visited Fatima College... |
| 1976 | Pan in Harmony | Clive Bradley |
| 1977 | Crawford | Clive Bradley |
| 1983 | Rebecca | Clive Bradley |
| 1985 | Pan Night and Day | Beverly Griffith |
| 1991 | Musical Vulcano | Robert Greenidge Robert Greenidge Robert Greenidge is a steelpan player in the United States and a member of popular music singer Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and the instrumental group Club Trini.-Career:... |
| 1994 | Fire Coming Down | Robert Greenidge |
| 1999 | In my House | Clive Bradley |
| 2000 | Picture on my Wall | Clive Bradley |
Music Festival
Desperadoes have won the (Pan Is Beautiful) Steel Orchestra Music Festival of Trinidad and Tobago three times. They played the Polovetsian DancesPolovetsian Dances
The Polovtsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor . They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai...
by Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
in 1986, the Marche Slave from Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
in 1988 and the Bartered Bride by Smetana
Smetana
Smetana is a Slavic loanword in English for a dairy product that is produced by souring heavy cream. Smetana is from Central and Eastern Europe, sometimes perceived to be specifically of Russian origin. It is a soured cream product like crème fraîche , but nowadays mainly sold with 15% to 30%...
in 1992. Their classical renditions which 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 redition of Lehar's "Palestra" was arranged and conducted by the late, Mr. Raymond "Artie" Shaw.
Sources
- Voices from the hills: Despers & Laventille The steelband and its effects on poverty, stigma & violence in a community, by Ancil Anthony Neil, 1987.