Last rites for pan iconBy JOAN RAMPERSAD Saturday, March 1 2008
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At left is Pile in 2006 with Relator and Daisy Mc Clean at the LAV Awards....
STEELBAND PIONEER Oscar Pile, who passed away on Tuesday, is being remembered as one of the great pioneers of the pan.
Among those paying glowing tribute is President of Pan Trinbago, Patrick Arnold, who told Newsday: “If you mentioned pan and do not mention Pile something is wrong. He was an asset in the movement and up to two months ago he would still come here and lime every morning. Also he was very much involved in the documenting of the history of the pan.”
Pile starting to have little problems with his health about a month ago and was admitted to West Shore Medical Centre but was back home within days. When his condition started to worsen, he was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital on Sunday. The next day he went into a coma and died on Tuesday at age 86.
Arnold reminisced: “When I went to St Mary’s, I played in Casablanca (Steelband) and he was the captain. He was a good friend . He will be missed.”
Melville Bryan, consultant and head of Pan Trinbago’s Research, History and Documentation Office said: “Pile was part of the team and an important resource person who worked on authenticating researched material. He also did lectures at home and abroad, including England, and at UWI. He was also a regular visitor to the United States and did lectures when requested. A lot of people benefitted from his knowledge and experience over the years.”
At a time when steelband members were considered outcasts of society, there were the several confrontations between pan men and the police. In the era when violent clashes between steelbands were common, Pile was one of five steelband pioneers who changed this image to create a harmonious relationship among steelbands.
As a member of the fraternity he used his influence to encourage people like Albert Gomes, Canon Farquhar and RA Moze to throw their support behind the steelbandsman. He was known to be so wily that he earned the nickname “The Fox”.
“Bogart’ was another sobriquet which spoke of his style of dress and matter of fact approach to issues.
Oscar Pile, along with the late Sydney Gollop travelled the length and breadth of Trinidad in their bid to assist steelbandsmen who stood before the courts. It was he who organised the transport and with letters from Albert Gomes and RA Moze, they would approach the magistrates.
Casablanca was formed in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, in 1945 under the leadership of Pile. The band was the first steelband to give a classical recital when it performed at Whitehall, St Clair, in 1948. It was also believed to be the first steelband to be recorded when its album Trinidad Steelband was released in 1948.
Casablanca had the sponsorship of the Iron & Steel Company of Trinidad and Tobago (ISCOTT) in the 1970s, but lost it in the late-1980s when the company’s management changed. In 1982, Casablanca received the Humming Bird Medal Gold for music, the same year they won the Steelband Music Festival playing 1812 Overture (Tchaikovsky). In 1983 Pile’s band placed second in Panorama with “Ash Wednesday Jail” by the Mighty Chalkdust and third in 1984 with Kitchener’s “Tourist Elsie”.
Musicologist Merle Albino-de Coteau once wrote that Pile made an important contribution to first all-woman steelband in Trinidad and Tobago. She dropped a bombshell when she revealed that it was not the famous Girl Pat Steel Orchestra, as is widely believed, but White Stars Steel Orchestra, which was formed in 1951. However that pioneering band was not well-known or spoken of much because it was based in a correctional facility for girls. According to Albino-de Coteau, these “awesome musicians” and used pans were provided by then Casablanca captain, Oscar Pile.
In 2006, the Laventille Steelband Festival (LSF) Committee honoured Pile for his contribution to the development of steelband.
On receiving the honour, Pile said: “I am very happy to have witnessed the strides the pan and the people who play the national musical instrument have made. Pan has more places to go in the future.”
The funeral of Oscar Pile takes place on Monday at Clark & Battoo, Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, at 11 am, thence to The Cinerary, St James.
