.. L!....!...!!............................!................................R Grayson Enterprises Ltd. One time rights Exc!usive to your county Page 1 Approximate!y 1,300 words ROLL OUT THE BARRELS THE STEEL DRUM BAND IS COMING TO TOWN CLIFF ALEXIS - STEEL DRUM BAND TUNER Written by June Grayson - Photographed by Richard Grayson Meeô C!ifæ A!exis¬ Americaî Revo!utionary® Hió weapons¿ Á  s!edgå hammer¬ assorteä ma!!ets¬ anä á strobå tuner® Hió goa!¿ Tï makå  thå wor!d safe for stee! drum bands. Actua!!y¬ A!exió ió aî instrumenô tuneò aô Northerî I!linoió  Universitù anä hió goaì ió thå promotioî oæ thå stee¡ drum¬ whicè begaî  anä f!ourished in spite of po!itica! opposition in Trinidad. Hå doesn'ô sounä !ikå á .revo!utionary® Hió speakinç voicå ió  barelù audib!e, with a trace of a Britsh accent because he is a native of Trinidad which is part of the British Commonwea!th. Hió commanä posô ió á sma!¡ rooí behinä á !ockeò areá oî thå  seconä flooò oæ thå musiã #ui|dinç aô NIU® Onå nortè windo÷ anä colä  f!uorescenô !ightó revea¡ thå painteä concretå b!ocë wa!!s¬ barå excepô  foò smudged schematic drawings and scribb!ed handwritten notes. Š.PA Š .. L!.........!..........................................................R . #EL, STB, #age 2 Iô ió herå hå makeó thå steeì drumó ordereä bù percussion  ists throughout the United States. Thå stee¡ druí ió thå on!ù new¬ non-e1ectroniã instrumenô  thå 20tè century has produced. A!exis was present a!most at the creation. Tï understanä whù stee¡ druí pioneeró consideò themse!veó  revolutionaries¬ yoõ havå tï understanä thå co1onialisí ouô oæ whicè  thå stee¡ drum evo!ved in Trinidad. Trinidaä anä itó sisteò is!and¬ Tobago¬ arå thå southernmosô  islands of the Caribbean, just seven mi!es off the coast of South America. A!thougè Trinidaä todaù boastó oæ á cosmopo!itaî anä har  monious ethnic b!end of peoples, it had its growing pains a!ong the way. Discovereä bù Co!umbuó oî hió thirä Americaî voyagå iî 1498¬  Trinidaä waó occupieä bù thå Spanisè durinç theiò searcè foò go!ä iî  thå ne÷ wor!d and then conquered by the British in 1797. B!acë Africaî s!aveó supp!ieä thå !aboò foò itó burgeoninç  economy® Wheî slaverù waó abolisheä iî 1834¬ thï Britisè encoura#eä  Easô lndianó tï emi#ratå tï Trinidaä aó indentureä servantó tï solvå  thå !aboò shortaqe. Thå Africanó anä Indianó shareä á !ovå foò thå druí anä thå  rhytmiã sounds it produced. Tï thå whitå Europeaî governinç c!ass¬ thå sounä oæ thå druí  waó á constanô threat¬ sï officia!ó banneä thå Africaî drum¬ hopinç tï  stamð out quasi-re|igious cu!ts. Š But the underc!ass wou!d not be stopped, deve!oping the .PA Š .. L!........!!............................................................R . GEL, SDB, page 3 Tambour-bamboï bandó tï providå rhythmiã accompanimenô foò festiva¡  processions® Theså "stick-bands¢ useä differenô lengthó anä thicknesseó  oæ bamboï whicè produceä varieä pitcheó wheî thå stickó werå "knocked¢  againsô the pavement. Woulä yoõ wanô throngó oæ peop!å marchinç arounä youò towî  witè musicaì stickó whicè cou!ä doub!å aó dead!ù weapons¿ Predictab!y¬  neitheò diä thå coloniaì governoró whï banneä thå Tambourbamboï bandó iî  1937. Buô nativå ingenuitù conquereä again¡ Reve!eró grabbeä any  thinç metaì - partó oæ olä caró anä emptù tiî canó - tï banç oî foò  theiò roaä marches. Peop!å noticeä thaô denteä p!aceó iî thå meta¡ produceä varieä  pitcheó wheî strucë iî succession® Thå nexô steð waó tï denô thå metaì  purpose!y to play simp!e me!odies. E!!iå Manettå oæ Trinidaä ió crediteä witè beinç thå firsô  persoî tï uså á 5µ galloî oiì drum¬ pushinç thå toð oæ thå druí dowî  intï á concavå shapå sï thaô hå cou!ä arrangå differenô noteó iî á  chromatiã sca!e® C!ifæ Alexió waó á membeò oæ onå oæ Manette'ó firsô  bands¬ the Invaders. Buô associatioî witè thå stee¡ druí banä crowä waó frowneä  upoî bù parentó iî Trinidaä iî thå 1940ó anä 1950s® Hió fami!ù anä thå  Catho!ic nuns at his schoo! warned him to stay away from the stee! drums. Buô theù werå askinç toï mucè oæ Alexis® #Froí thå timå wheî           É first heard the stee! drum when I was Š eight years old, I have never wanted to do anything but p!ay that drum! .PA Š .. L!.........!!..........................................................R . #EL, SDB, page 4 "I was fascinated that you could take a discarded oil barre! .__ and turn it into a beautiful instrument. The rhythm was there, of course, but the sound - that was something tota!!y new!" Iî spitå oæ itó humb!å origin¬ steeì druí banä feveò swepô  Trinidad¬ unti¡ iô waó proc!aimeä Trinidad'ó nationa¡ instrumenô #î thå  1960s. A!exis'ó interesô iî thå steeì druí continued® Hå ditcheä  hió classeó wheneveò hå cou!ä anä refuseä tï !earî anythinç buô ho÷ tï  p!aù the stee! drum. Eventua!lù hió focuó paiä off® A!exió becamå onå oæ thå 4´  memb#ró oæ Trin!dad'ó Nationa¡ Steeì Druí Banä wheî hå waó iî hió 20s®  Thå banä gavå concertó iî #ondoî anä Dakar¬ AFrica¬ anä toureä thå  Uniteä States. A!exió decideä thaô hå wou!ä havå tï movå tï thå Uniteä  Stateó tï gaiî personaì succesó witè thå stee¡ drum® Hå formeä hió owî  trave!inç stee¡ druí banä whicè performeä iî Laó Vegaó anä Renï aó we!ì  aó with the Liberace show. Afteò hió marriagå anä hió threå chi!dreî werå born¬ A!exió  decideä it was time to sett!e dow#. He became a stee! drum band St..pau##Centraì Higè Schoo¡ iî M!nnesota® Hå moveä tï NIÕ  iî 1985. Perhapó acoustica¡ studieó wi!¡ somå daù definå precise!ù ho÷  thå harmonicó oæ thå steeü druí arå produceä sï thaô theù caî bå  manufactureä in quantity. In fact, such research is now underway at NIU. But for now, each drum must be made by hand one at a time. Š.PA Š .. L.....!...!.............................................................R #EL, SDB, page 5 Thå fina¡ qua!itù oæ á druí dependó oî thå abi!itù oæ thå craftsmaî whï makeó it¬ stict!ù witè ski!!ó learneä on-the-job® Trinidadiaî paî tuneró stilì arå reputed.tï producå thå besô drums¬ anä A!exió is considered one of the best in the fie1d. A!exió describeó hió worë aó "tota11ù imprecise"® Hå begin£ bù scoutinç loca¡ oi¡ companieó foò useä barre!s¬ whicè cosô abouô $¶ apiece® Generally¬ á 55-gal!oî oiì barre¡ oæ 18-gaugå thicknesó whicè ió noô too rusty will make the proper sound. Thå 49-yeaò olä A!exió useó á s!edgehammeò tï sinë iî thå Hå       nexô builds a sma!l bonfire right in front of NIU's music building® Likå á #ooä cooë whï knowó instinctivelù wheî á disè ió ready¬ hå heats the drum just until the paint burns Off. Oiì barreló arå mosô uncooperative® "Theù breaë anä sp!iô aó ofteî aó possible® Theî É gï geô crazù angry® É havå tï thro÷ theí awaù anä start a!! over." Hå chiseló iî thå grooveó thaô dividå thå circ!å intï segmentsº arranginç differenô noteó accordinç tï hió schematiã drawings® Thå sizå anä thicknesó oæ thå stee¡ determinå thå pitcè oæ eacè separatå segment® Thå greateò thå concavity¬ thå thinneò thå stee¡ becomeó anä thå higheò thå pitcè oæ thå notes® Thå basó drumó havå rooí foò thå fewesô noteó anä thå soprano drums have the most notes. A!exió alsï makeó thå ma!!etó witè whicè thå drumó arå p!ayed¬ usinç assorteä sizeó oæ woodeî dowe!ó anä rubbeò ba!!ó whicè hå buyó aô Š thå dime store for the tips. Workinç eighô tï twe!vå houró á daù alonå iî hió room¬ A!exió maù takå threå dayó tï makå onå drum¬ whicè se!!ó foò $65° tï $750® Á banä oæ 20 to 100 drums represents a considerab!e investment ' .PA Š .. L.........!..........................................................R for a school. Iô alsï representó á considerab!å investmenô foò A!exis® Hió worë ió slo÷ anä solitary® No÷ thaô hå ió divorceä anä hió childreî grown¬ hå devoteó hió lifå tï thå promotioî oæ thå steeì drum® Hió fooô goeó tï sleeð wheî hå standó toï lonç aô hió work® Thió ió á concerî foò A!exió becauså hå takesî insu!iî twicå á daù anä worrieó about diabetic comp!ications. Wheî thå drumó arå finisheä anä assemb!eä upoî theiò stands¬ a1± oæ thå efforô seemó worthwhi!e® Thougè A!exió ió reserveä wheî speaking¬ hå ió transformeä wheî hå p!ayó thå stee¡ drum® Hå Ietó hió musiã speak for him. Thió yeaò aô NIU¬ iî additioî tï hió worë aó aî instrumenô tuner¬ A!exió directó thå stee¡ druí band® Theså percussioî studentó practicå four days a week and are avai!ab!e for outside engagements. Iî fact¬ iæ A!exió haó hió way¬ I!!inoió maù sooî havå morå stee¡ druí bandó thaî Trinidad® Lesó thaî 1µ col!egeó iî thå Uniteä Stateó havå steeì druí bandó anä fivå oæ theí arå iî I!!inoisº NIÕ aô DeKa!b¬ Westerî Illinoió Universitù aô Macomb¬ Universitù oæ .lllinoió aô Urbana¬ Waubonseå Communitù Co!!egå aô Sugaò Grove¬ anä thå Americaî Conservatorù oæ Musiã iî Chicago® A!exió createä manù oæ theiò instruments. C!ementå Higè Schoo¡ iî Chicagï haó haä itó owî steeì druí banä sincå 1967® Itó studentó maù e!ecô tï fu!fi¡ theiò onå yeaò musiã requiremenô bù studyinç thå stee¡ druí anä abouô 5° á yeaò dï jusô that® The advanced students p!ay together for community appearances. .PA Š .. L!!.........!............................................................R GEL, SDB, page 7 .-- Stee¡ druí banä concertó sucè aó thå pre-Lenteî PANORAMÁ arå á   biç tourisô attractioî iî Trinidad® Iæ yoõ can'ô traveì tï Trinidad¬   checë ouô thå concerô schedu!å oæ thå stee¡ druí banä aô the® schooì   nearesô you. Listen to a Bil!y Ocean recording and hear the steeì druí iî thå background® Visiô thå Wa!ô Disneù Wor!ä Magiã  _King#oí iî F!orida which has featured stee! drum band entertain- ment for the past twe!ve years. Whereveò yoõ arå privi!egeä tï heaò thå begui!inç musiã oæ thå   stee¡ drum¬ jusô remembeò thaô eacè druí ió thå worë oæ onå gifteä paî   tuneò such as Cliff A|exis. ##### .PA Š