Music from behind the Bridge Steelband Aesthetics and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago

by Dudley, Shannon

• ISBN13: 9780195175479
• ISBN10: 0195175476
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-03
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

A symbol of Trinidadian culture, the steelband has made an extraordinary transformation since its origins-from junk metal to steel orchestra, and from disparaged underclass pastime to Trinidad and Tobago's national instrument. Now, Shannon Dudley gives the first discerning look at the musical thinking that ignited this transformation, and the way it articulates with Afro-Trinidadian tradition, carnival, colonial authority, and nationalist politics. Music from behind the Bridge tells the story of the steelband from the point of view of musicians who overcame disadvantages of poverty and prejudice with their extraordinary ambition. Literally referring to the poor neighborhoods nestled in the hills bordering Port of Spain to the East, "Behind the Bridge" is also a metaphor for conditions of social disadvantage and cultural resistance that shaped the steelband movement in the various Afro-Trinidadian communities where it first took root. The book further explores the implications of the steelband's "nationalization" in post-independence Trinidad and Tobago, and contemporary steelband musicians' preoccupation with the formally adjudicated annual Panorama competition. In discussing the intersection of musical thinking, festivity, and politics, this book connects important questions about the history of the steelband to general questions about the relation between popular culture and nationalism.

Author Biography

Shannon Dudley is Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, and author of several articles and books on the music of Trinidad including Carnival Music in Trinidad: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (OUP, 2003). He also researches popular music in Puerto Rico. As a performer on the steel pan, he has played with leading steelbands in both Trinidad and the United States.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	p. xi
Introduction	p. 3
The Steelband Movement and Music	p. 29
An Unlikely Instrument	p. 57
The National Instrument	p. 81
Dropping the Bomb	p. 113
A Showcase for Pan	p. 137
The Rise of the Arranger	p. 151
Community Participation	p. 173
Contest and Control	p. 201
Writing Their Own Tunes	p. 223
From Panman to Pannist	p. 243
Popular Culture and Nationalism	p. 263
Steel Pan Instruments	p. 275
Repertoire	p. 287
Panorama Winners, 1963-2007	p. 291
Bibliography	p. 293
Discography	p. 303
Index	p. 305
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