Trinidad and Tobago’s steelpan makes a comeback as a new generation embraces its sound

The steelpan, a percussion instrument created in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939, is making a comeback as a new generation embraces its bright, melodious sound on stage and on the dance floor.

Fans say new technology has made the steelpan more accessible — and affordable — and a growing number of schools in the twin-island nation are introducing students to its bell-like chime.

While its lilting sound brings images of the Caribbean to mind, it was the kind of music that attracted mostly elderly people in Trinidad and Tobago — until recently.

“That has been changing rapidly,” said Amrit Samaroo, son of Jit Samaroo, a legendary steelpan music arranger, player and composer.

The steelpan — or pan, for short — is “sexy again,” he told The Associated Press on a recent afternoon as he sat in the living room of his family’s home surrounded by a piano, a tenor steelpan