In 1987, two young men met in a pan yard and formed a lasting friendship which led them ultimately to form their own band.  Collins Jackman and Lyndon Spencer were drawn  together by a love of music and a passion for pan.  Throughout the years, this has enabled these very different men to realize some of their aspirations, one of which was to start a steel band.  Jackman and Spencer started playing together in Metro Steel Orchestra and have been together since.
 

Both arrangers are first generation, sons of Trinidadians who, though not born in T & T, carry our Caribbean culture in their hearts and souls.  Their desire to start a band began when they wished to make an attempt to arrange music for pan.  A collaborative effort in 1993 and 1995 with Eddie Quarless gave us Kitchenerıs 'Mystery Band' and 'Signal for Lara'.  The two then broke out on their own and arranged 'Mind Yuh Business' 1996 and earned a respectable 6th place for Metro Steel.  The next year, the two arranged the Kitchener composition 'Guitar Pan' for Mystery Band and came in 7th in the competition.  Nor did the two limit themselves to the NY Panorama competition.  In 1995 they found a home in the Trinidad Nutones Steel Band. Under the tutelage of none other than Clive Bradley, a musical inspiration to both, they further honed their arranging skills.  The closeness of the band in and the love for the group made a significant impact on Spencer, and although a seasoned player for Witco Desperadoes, the victory with Nutones playing David Rudderıs 'High Mas' was one of the sweetest he has ever experienced.
 

It is this kind of band experience that Jackman and Spencer are trying to nourish in the NY Nutones.  It is their intention to develop a band that encourages the arrangers, develops the talents of the younger people in the band, both musically and organizationally, and create an esprit dıcorps and loyalty within the band that would remind some of the older members of an old time band.  With all of this, of course, is the competitive drive.  When the band was initially formed, many well intentioned people in the pan world discouraged the two from entering the competition.  "Why not form  a stage side and leave out this Panorama thing" was probably the most widely held opinion throughout the pan world.  Certainly the bandıs inauspicious beginnings, practicing in a room on Pan Alley at a time when bands the likes of Metro, Rebels, Umoja, and Pantonic were on the same block might have deterred other newcomers, but not these two.

The New York Nutones Steel Orchestra, came on the scene in 1999, founded by the tireless efforts of Jackman and Spencer.  Nutones went from playing in a small room on Pan Alley in 1999, when their arrangement of 'the Executioners' came in 11th with barely 30 players.  'My Time', which the duo arranged in 2000 saw the band out on the street; it had grown out of the small room and showed 9th in the Panorama competition.  Last yearıs USSA competition saw Nutones come in 7th with approximately 65 players. Nutones is indeed pan rising, and as they continue to grow, so they continue to push the envelope and invite new challenges.

Now settled in a yard on Snyder and Bedford, across from Brooklynıs Afrika House, Nutones continues to strive to put new music out there, and make a difference on the pan scene.  In the winter of 1993, Spencer called Jackman on the telephone after undergoing a musical surge resulting in an original melody which compelled the two once again to collaborate.  The two then got together to further develop the melody and harmony of the work.  In 1994, Jackman and Spencer completed 'Pan Man's Cry' their own original composition for the steel band, with Spencer providing the lyrics.  Eddie Quarless was involved in the development and production of the song in a studio in Trinidad, and vocals by singer Marilyn Williams completed the recording.
 

The two are looking forward to introducing their band, the New York Nutones Steel Orchestra playing a Jackman & Spencer original composition - 'Pan Man's Cry' for the 2002 Panorama Competition.

 

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Before there was New York Nutones, there were two youngsters who came and grew together...    An entrepreneurial spirit and bond that's spanned more than 15 years...   The 'Young Blood' flowing through the veins of New York's Pan Scene...   Contact ANGELA HOWARD at 718-773-3550 to hire New York NUTONES, & for possibilities of playing with NY NUTONES

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

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Last modified: August 14, 2002