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
Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma
The Guardian Weekly

Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma

The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.

time-read
3 分  |
September 13, 2024
Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom
The Guardian Weekly

Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom

SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.

time-read
3 分  |
September 13, 2024
'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler
The Guardian Weekly

'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler

Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses

time-read
2 分  |
September 13, 2024
Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute
The Guardian Weekly

Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute

Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.

time-read
2 分  |
September 13, 2024
'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading
The Guardian Weekly

'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading

After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"

time-read
2 分  |
September 13, 2024
Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato
The Guardian Weekly

Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato

I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.

time-read
1 min  |
September 13, 2024
Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?
The Guardian Weekly

Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?

Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US

time-read
1 min  |
September 13, 2024
Going underground
The Guardian Weekly

Going underground

A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate

time-read
3 分  |
September 13, 2024
All work and no play
The Guardian Weekly

All work and no play

Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies

time-read
4 分  |
September 13, 2024
What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege
The Guardian Weekly

What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege

It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.

time-read
3 分  |
September 13, 2024