UNIVERSITY OF CALYPSO | Transcriptions and song notes by Michael Oliver-Goodwin

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Steel Band Music

This is one of Lord Kitchener's primal steelband anthems, and in addition to the wonderful music it includes a truly noteworthy line about pan: "It's fantastic in every sense / The music you get from these instruments." Kitch was a sophisticated lyricist, as good in his way as Ira Gershwin was in his, and he often managed to be witty and informative at the same time—as here. Sense/Instruments is a great rhyme too! Kitchener also includes an honor roll of steelband leaders, including giants like Ellie Mannette, Neville Jules, and Tony Williams. The steelband backing him up is Andy, who multitracks all the pans.

Footnotes

1 - guitar pan, that is; one of the "middle pans" that strum chords under the lead tenor and seconds

De steelband music is very sweet
You hear de rhythm in every beat
De bass, the scratcher and de oil drum
Will make you jump up and make you hum
It's fantastic in every sense
The music that you get from these instruments
(scat)

(CHORUS)
Yes, the dominant chords from de guitar[1] man
And the prominent notes on de tenor pan
Music in de place
Is like hell to keep up de pace
Wit' de bass
(scat)

An' most important you ought to know
Dey play from classics to calypso
You hear dem practice mos' everywhere
Is like a symphony orchestra in de atmosphere
And as it move on gradually
The music remains in your memory
(scat)

(CHORUS)

We have captains like Philo James and Ellie Mannette
Arthur Byer, Neville Jules and Junior Pouchet
Kenrick George, David Edwards I must mention
And Tony Williams and Michigan
They are giants musically
And dey names ought to go down in history
(scat)