Review Details
UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN STEEL PAN ENSEMBLE
Alan Cooper
20 November 2008
CENTRE COURT, ABERDEEN ART GALLERY
The joyful sounds of the University of Aberdeen Steel Pan Ensemble seemed to promise a taste of the sun-drenched golden shores of the Caribbean but unfortunately all that the Centre Court of Aberdeen Art Gallery had to offer was the chilly North-east winter breeze howling through the constantly opening doors behind us. However with just a little bit of mind over matter, Steel Calypso by that most prolific of composers Anon lifted the spirits quite considerably.
The Caribbean Steel Band is an amazing creation of musical ingenuity. It is right at the cutting edge of ecological correctness. Originally at least, it took a toxic waste product (disused oil drums) and turned them into something capable of playing an astounding range of music. I believe that today’s professional groups have the instruments specially made though. At the International Youth Festival I have heard ethnic Caribbean groups play music by Bach and make it sound as if a huge cathedral organ was playing, or a piece of ballet music by Tchaikovsky which seemed to be coming from a symphony orchestra. Aberdeen’s Steel Pans being played by less experienced musicians hardly did that but their selection of music was perhaps closer to what the original steel bands would have been able to play. Many of the arrangements were by the Director of Aberdeen University Steel Pans, Kirsty Robertson and they certainly kept the capacity audience that turned out to hear them in a happy mood.
Under The Sea composed by the Disney Studios composer Alan Menken (b.1949) for the film The Little Mermaid does have the authentic Caribbean rhythm about it while Hot Hot Hot by Alphonsus Cassell did help a little in distracting me from the Cold Cold Cold of the Gallery. Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE was born in Montserrat in the West Indies in 1954. He performs as a calypso and soca musician under the name of Arrow. Soca is an offshoot of calypso which originated in Trinidad and Tobago and is named after their national football team.
The Lion Sleeps Tonight was originally called Mbube and was composed by the South African Zulu musician Solomon Popoli Linda whose music was popularised by the a cappella ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo who have sung in the Music Hall some years ago.
The history of In the Mood is a complex one. It was popularised by Glenn Miller but not composed by him. Originally called Tar Paper Stomp the main theme was composed by jazz trumpeter Wingy Manone who was paid off by Miller so that he would not contest the copyright. The final version was by saxophonist Joe Garland with lyrics by Andy Razaf however the story does not end there because the arrangement that became famous was by jazz guitarist and trombone player Eddie Durham known as “the Master of Swing”.
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA did indeed compose the song Money Money Money but its original title was going to be Gypsy Girl. Inspired by a song of the same title in the musical film Cabaret, they decided to change it and it earned them lots of Money Money Money.
To complete their short recital the Steel Pans reprised their opening number Steel Calypso. Membership of this group is an enjoyable way of teaching students to play together and to take their cues for entry from the other musicians – an indispensable skill.