The Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) was formed to participate in the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

in 1951. The group was the first steelband to travel abroad from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...

, presenting the newly invented

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

to an international audience.

Members

Lieutenant Joseph Nathaniel Griffith was the conductor of the band. Griffith was originally part of the Trinidad Police Band.Taspo
On 6 July 1951, TASPO left

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

on the SS ''San Mateo''. Carlton "Sonny" Roach fell ill and was left behind in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

. The steelband performed at the

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Albert ...

, London, on 26 July 1951, as well as elsewhere in Britain and in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. TASPO returned to Trinidad on 12 December 1951, the only exception being

Sterling Betancourt Sterling Betancourt MBE, FRSA (born 30 March 1930) is a Trinidad-born pioneer, arranger and musician on the steelpan, a major figure in pioneering the Pan in Europe and the UK (1951). In a career spanning more than five decades, he has receive ...

, who stayed in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Betancourt has been vitally involved in building up Notting Hill Carnival.

Readings

* Felix I. R. Blake, ''The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan. History and Evolution''. * Stephen Stuempfle, ''The Steelband Movement: The Forging of a National Art in Trinidad and Tobago'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995).

Notes

References

*{{cite book , author=George Goddard , title=Forty Years in the Steelbands: 1939-1979 , publisher=Karia Press , location=London , date=1991 , isbn=1-85465-034-3

External links

* http://www.bestoftrinidad.com/steelband50s.html "Steelband 1950 - 1959"] * http://www.calypsoworld.org/uk/taspo.htm
YouTube clip from BBC2 documentary "The 1951 Festival of Britain - A Brave New World" (broadcast on Saturday 24 September 2011) with Sterling Betancourt talking about TASPO.
* Terry Joseph
"MBE for pan pioneer Betancourt honoured by Queen"
''Pantrinbago'', 31 December 2001 * http://www.panonthenet.com/upclose/steelbands-of-newyork/orman-patsy-haynes.htm Trinidad and Tobago musical groups Musical groups established in 1951 Steelbands 1951 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago