Ancliff "Ansel" Joseph

Date of Birth: November 1, 1942
Place of Birth: Couva, Trinidad, West Indies

Ansel was born in Trinidad in the early 1940’s when the emergence of steel pan was quite evident. He was exposed to the culture of pan at the early age of five. He grew up in an area of the city (Gonzalez) that boasted of having pioneered some of the country’s earliest steel bands.

Ansel’s first knowledge of the steel pan came to him by way of his eldest brother who at the time led his own steel band. By the time Ansel was eight years of age he had attempted to make pans out of milk and juice cans. With his admission to the elementary school system, Ansel teamed up with a few school mates as a member of what was to be Trinidad’s first all-youth steel band called “City Kids” which later provided pan experience for renowned pan virtuoso Robert Greenidge as well.

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In 1958 Ansel graduated from the youth band to an adult steel band, the “Shell Invaders,” led by legendary steel pan innovator Elliot “Ellie” Mannette. It was at this time that Ansel became a protégé of Mr. Mannette learning the principles and techniques of modern building and tuning of the steel pan. This one-on-one training continued for several years and included: sinking the drum, laying out the pattern of notes in the drum, grooving the notes, preparing and tempering the metal, and final tuning of the instrument. In addition, Ansel was trained in the making and playing of all of the different styles of pan that make up a complete band including tenor pan (ping pong or lead) double tenor pan, double second pan, triple guitar pan, cello pan, tenor bass pan, and the bass pan.

In 1960 Ansel was asked to lead a full size steel band from Belmont as tuner and arranger. With this group, called “Satisfiers,” Ansel gained recognition in the annual steel band classical competition. In 1961 he was invited to join the “Merry Makers” steel band, a group well known for representing Trinidad and Tobago on cultural missions. In 1962 “Merry Makers” commissioned Ansel to become their pan builder as well as player and arranger as they embarked upon a European tour. During this six year period they performed in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Spain, Gibraltar and Africa.

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Ansel returned to Trinidad in 1968 for a brief time before leaving for Canada where he continued to develop his craft of building and tuning pans. He also began conducting workshops during this period. In 1980 Ansel was reunited with master steel pan maker Ellie Mannette in the United States, working as Ellie’s assistant making high quality steel pans for schools and professional pan players. It was at this time that Ansel upgraded and updated his pan making skills with the knowledge and application of overtones and the use of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th harmonic tones to create sympathetic vibrations and better tone quality in notes on the pan.

In 1983 Ansel returned to Trinidad and worked blending and tuning pans for his former band, the Invaders. He returned once more in 1984, this time working with Bertie Marshall and Tony Slater in the Desperado panyard. In 1985 Ansel moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in California where he became heavily  involved in working with youth steel pan performance. Ansel continued his work with youth groups through his ten years in California as well as his move to Phoenix, Arizona in 1995. In 1997 Ansel was the recipient of an Artist in Educational Research Grant and once again returned to Trinidad with Dr, Mark Sunkett, ethnomusicologist from Arizona State University. The purpose of this visit was to research the pre-rhythms of the steel pan movement. In 2006, Ansel began an ongoing relationship with the Valley Harps and Merrytones Steel Bands in Diego Martin, Trinidad, as one of their resident tuners.