Flaunt Weeekly
JOSHUA REGRELLO’S 31-hour goal to set a Guinness World Record was, first and foremost, an endurance test. The young man pushed himself to play the steelpan for hours with only short breaks.
Beyond that was the musicality of his effort, a casual, almost effortless exploration of his instrument, accompanied by prepared music tracks and occasionally by guest performers.
He wasn’t someone playing simple chords over a long duration but a musician with range, skill, and ability, who could perform, quite literally, for hours on end.
Regrello’s marathon effort is only a part of his approach to his career as a musician.
Before the world-record attempt, he had played on the Great Wall of China. But that brusque summary also misses the point.
He didn’t just play music on the Great Wall.
During his visit, he immersed himself in Chinese culture, recording dozens of video clips posted to Instagram that engaged with the country in often intimate and always interesting ways.
Expect his world record bid to be revisited on his Instagram feed because exploring the event provides content the young performer will be mining.
For traditional pan musicians, Regrello may seem a bit much.
However, establishing character, personality, and engagement with a potential audience is as important for today’s career pannist as the actual skill in playing the instrument.
Regrello’s pan-playing marathon came at an interesting time in the development of being a pannist as a viable career choice.
Adam Bartholomew’s 2023 documentary about Panazz – the band his uncle Finbar Bartholomew played in – reopened a largely forgotten chapter in TT’s musical history.
The small steelpan ensemble, which began in 1992 and included a seven-year-old prodigy on bass, won four consecutive Pan Ramajay titles with an infectious fusion of the percussive instrument and the challenges of a jazz performance.
Panazz played around the world for ten years before dissolving as a unit.
Other musicians have discovered and expanded the potential of the steelpan.
Also by 1992, Andy Narell graduated from playing steelpan in the basement of his father’s house to releasing seven of the 18 albums that comprise his current discography.
Jonathan Scales plays no folk or calypso music on his pans which he abandoned the saxophone for to explore jazz and fusion music across eight albums released since 2007.
Some might dismiss Regrello’s world-record marathon as a stunt, but this young musician seeks an audience in a new era of media consumption and global opportunity.
He plants our flag on important horizons through his consistent efforts to bring his country’s music to a new audience.
