Ebony Steel Band

Steel band is an ensemble style centered on the steelpan (often called "steel drum"), a tuned idiophone crafted from 55-gallon oil drums. It originated in Trinidad and Tobago and is closely tied to Carnival culture. A typical steel band features sections of different pans fulfilling orchestral roles: tenor/lead pans for melody, double seconds and guitars for harmony and counterlines, cellos for inner voices, and six–ten bass pans for low-end. An "engine room" of brake irons, drum kit, congas, cowbells, and shakers drives the groove. Repertoire spans calypso and soca to classical transcriptions and jazz arrangements, all rendered with the instrument’s bright, bell-like timbre.