Man of steel
The Guardian Weekly|March 03, 2023
Steel pan ace Leon Foster Thomas garnered acclaim for his solo work and has joined the band that inspired him. Now, his new album brings it all home
- Kevin Le Gendre
Man of steel

Laventille, high in the hills above Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, may be a poor part of Trinidad but it has historic cultural riches. Chief among them is Desperadoes Steel Orchestra , a name that speaks of a community battling extreme disadvantage. Active since the mid1940s, the group is known for electrifying performances and the unwavering loyalty of its players. Some sign up for life.

“One of the members just celebrated his 81st birthday, and he’s been in the band since he was a little kid,” Leon Foster Thomas explains. A steel pan player who lives in London, Thomas has been rehearsing with “Despers” for their appearance at the steel band competition Panorama, a key part of Trinidad and Tobago’s annual carnival . “It’s generations and generations of people [in the band]. I’m inside this thing now … It’s kind of surreal. This is heavy, just to get the call to work with them.”

While the chance to temporarily trade winter in Britain for the clear blue skies of the Caribbean would have been enough to tempt Thomas to board the plane, the prospect of working with esteemed arranger Carlton “Zanda” Alexander also made the trip worthwhile. But the opportunity came due to the stature Thomas has gained .

この蚘事は The Guardian Weekly の March 03, 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は The Guardian Weekly の March 03, 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Life in motion
The Guardian Weekly

Life in motion

After the Oscar success of a little-known Latvian animation called Flow, are the artform's budget film-makers on the brink of new recognition?

time-read
6 分  |
March 14, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

'Ceasefire' is a hollow word - the killings and denial of aid continue

It has been nearly two months since a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, and it's clear that it would more accurately be called a \"reduce\" fire, rather than a cessation.

time-read
3 分  |
March 14, 2025
Policy jolts Businesses blindsided by Trump tariff uncertainty
The Guardian Weekly

Policy jolts Businesses blindsided by Trump tariff uncertainty

Donald Trump declared there to be \"no room left\" for a deal with Canada and Mexico last week, launching a trade war against his nation's closest allies that he presented as a bid to protect America's soul. Then he pulled back.

time-read
3 分  |
March 14, 2025
Crap jobs, toxic politics: no wonder happiness evades young people
The Guardian Weekly

Crap jobs, toxic politics: no wonder happiness evades young people

So there are two studies, one commissioned by Weetabix, one by the UN, but we don't need to decide which one is likely to be the more reliable because, praise be, they both say the same thing: 45 is now the age of peak happiness.

time-read
3 分  |
March 14, 2025
Keeping their distance Populists in a tight spot over support for Trump
The Guardian Weekly

Keeping their distance Populists in a tight spot over support for Trump

Europe's rightwing populist parties are split over how far to distance themselves from Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine, with some fearing solidarity with the US president's brand of nationalism will damage their efforts to widen their domestic support.

time-read
2 分  |
March 14, 2025
Evidence of beatings, torture and starvation at RSF base
The Guardian Weekly

Evidence of beatings, torture and starvation at RSF base

Lying between the makeshift graves is a mattress, a large bloodstain visible in the midday sun. A name is scrawled in Arabic on its ragged fabric: Mohammed Adam.

time-read
3 分  |
March 14, 2025
New surgery restores smell for long Covid sufferers
The Guardian Weekly

New surgery restores smell for long Covid sufferers

Doctors in London have successfully restored a sense of smell and taste in patients who lost it due to long Covid with pioneering surgery that expands their nasal airways to kickstart their recovery.

time-read
2 分  |
March 14, 2025
Dark secrets Stargazing heaven put at risk by energy plant
The Guardian Weekly

Dark secrets Stargazing heaven put at risk by energy plant

In the Atacama desert, the driest non-polar region on Earth, the sky shines when the sun sets. Up in the arid hills 130km south of the Chilean city of Antofagasta, comets burn brightly and flawless trails of stars and nebulae streak the night sky.

time-read
3 分  |
March 14, 2025
Find the whey: tempting ideas to make the most of cottage cheese
The Guardian Weekly

Find the whey: tempting ideas to make the most of cottage cheese

Why is everyone talking about cottage cheese, and can you make anything that's actually good with it?

time-read
2 分  |
March 14, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

Recasting India's electoral map risks deepening its north-south divide

When Narendra Modi's alliance won a narrow majority in last year's Indian election, it signalled his waning popularity after a decade in power.

time-read
2 分  |
March 14, 2025