We play the widest variety and genres of yesteryear and contemporary music; from classical, pop, rhythm & blues, and jazz, to soca/calypso, reggae, gospel, and latin rhythms, etc.  The selections of songs played by the band evolve over time, and eras.

    The musical arrangers of  Panoridim are for the most part home grown and very musically proficient, so the band has never had to depend on outside arrangers for its repertoire However, this is not to say an outsider has never, or never will arrange for us.   

Local Pan Tuners

     The task of making pans is grueling and time-consuming. This, along with the lack of the required supervision, does not allow for members (average life span in the band is 3 years) to become competent or confident enough to tune. Unlike the previous U.C.W.I. [University College of the West Indies] and U.W.I. steel bands, Panoridim is now totally dependent on foreign tuners and pan makers as there is no capable person resident in Jamaica to date. Therefore pans which should under ideal conditions be tuned once per month are tuned twice per year. The last “home” tuner and pan-maker was Trinidadian Peter Gray who left the band in the early 1970’s.  One of our long-term goals is to sponsor the training of a local tuner.

Carnival

   For several years the Steel Orchestra was the only source of music on the Ring Road Jam of  UWI Carnival celebrations. The Band was not only essential to, but was the heart of Carnival. The band saw UWI Carnival as the highlight of their year and for some, the reason for their existence. The decline of UWI Carnival in the late 1980’s therefore had a tremendous effect on the band. The orchestra was forced to change its focus and had to find an event which would generate excitement among members and give them a major goal each year. {UWI Carnival has been revived since the 1990s.}

    Under the captaincy of  Lawrence “Nello” Nelson, the music of the band took a new direction. Simple soca pieces arranged traditionally for Ring Road were made more complex. This change made the music more suitable for formal occasions. Serious jazz pieces were attempted as well as challenging classics. Some of Nello's ideas were at the time unorthodox but successful. These include the novel concept of Pan Dub Poetry, fusing pan with traditional instruments such as flute, and saxophone, and arranging guitar music for pans. After two years of his leadership the band was capable of tackling any form of music successfully. Our latest venture is the establishment of a "Pan Classics Club". This club consists of the senior/more advanced players of the band, and concentrates mainly on challenging classical pieces. 

From Carnival to Concert

    Formal concerts became the main vehicles used to show these new styles and ideas to the public. The idea of pan concerts was by no means new as the early U.C.W.I. bands put on concerts regularly, and Panoridim had had its first formal concert in 1977. However, the difference between those concerts and post-carnival ones was that they were now the highlight of the year and most of the band’s time and efforts were spent in preparation for the concert season. The music of the band today is a bit more diverse than it was then.

Playouts

    The band has music suitable for any kind of occasion. However, due to the fact that the members either work or are students, the time of day the band is available to play is limited. Normally, on a week day we don't accept engagements before 6pm. We are, however, available all day Saturday and Sunday. At least 2 weeks notice is required.