Screen grab of a YouTube video of Trinidadian artist Darren Cheewah painting a mural of the late steelpan composer and arranger, Jit Samaroo in the Renegades panyard.
The steel pan is the only surviving instrument to have been invented in the 20th century. Created in the 1930s, it was the result of a unique cross between Trinidad and Tobago's energy industry (the steel drums were originally used to store petroleum) and the strong desire for cultural self-expression — particularly among low-income young men — in the face of societal disapproval.
On Thursday January 7, 2016, the country was plunged into mourning as one of the masters of the steel band movement, Jit Samaroo, passed away after years of suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He was 65 years old.
Samaroo was best known as an arranger for the wildly popular Renegades steel orchestra — a band of musicians all playing different versions of the instrument — as an ensemble, usually accompanied by percussion (called a ‘rhythm section’). He led the band to an astonishing nine Panorama (the illustrious, annual steel band competition that takes place each Carnival) titles during his tenure, winning three of them successively — the only time that feat has been accomplished in the history of the competition.
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