The steelpan has found new ears in Brazil. From Florianópolis in the south to Canoa Quebrada, Pipa, João Pessoa, Maceió and Salvador, Bahia along the northeast coast, then down to São Paulo in the southeast, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago was shared with new audiences across the South American country. T&T reggae-dub collective Suns of Dub are adamant the Brazil tour was more than another stamp in their passport. It was a statement of ownership, reach and cultural sharing. “For us it’s always
a pleasure and honour to present our work but also to rep T&T,” said group frontman Ras Jammy (Jamal Layne). From the end of March through May, the collective headlined 20 events across Brazil, from large performance spaces to more intimate community settings. The group includes singer and pannist Jah Bami (Marvin Walters), sound engineer CP.U, also known as Captain Urquhart (Raven Urquhart), and singer/DJ Prestar (Prester John). Suns of Dub has previously taken its hybrid sound to the Swiss Alps, across Europe and Asia.
For Ras Jammy, curating their own platforms is an important part of how the group presents its music, message and cultural identity. “It gives us that opportunity to present things the way we want,” Ras Jammy continued. “It’s a huge deal as we do not see many other acts locally being able to accomplish this.” Reflections of T&T Brazil, says Ras Jammy, was both foreign and familiar. “Is like a huge Portuguese T&T, there are so many similarities in what we do and how we
do things—even in infrastructure and the aesthetics,” he said. “Brazil is a very open and welcoming culture, though sometimes difficult to penetrate because it’s such a vast country with so many people living in their own worlds and communities.” The sheer size of the country became one of the tour’s biggest tests. There were long bus rides, flights, shifting schedules, language differences, equipment concerns and accommodations that ranged from seaside villas to favelas. “The biggest challenge was probably the scale of Brazil itself,” Ras Jammy
explained. “On paper, once the shows are booked, it can look straightforward—but Brazil is almost a continent.” Still, he said Suns of Dub had the experience to adjust. By the end, the logistics had turned into opportunities for connection. “What helped us overcome it was the network of people on the ground. The local organisers, artistes, and communities really embraced the project,” he said. “By the end of the tour, what started as a logistical challenge became one of the most rewarding parts of the
experience because it created genuine connections between T&T and Brazil.” Putting pan centre stage Reggae was the common thread between Suns of Dub and the Brazilian audiences, but steelpan became the pleasant surprise of their sets. For Jah Bami, who has been playing pan since childhood, the most memorable moments were the amazed faces when people realised the sound filling the space was coming from the shiny instrument in front of them. “Every time we started playing you could see their reaction change immediately,” Jah
Bami recalled. “There was a genuine sense of curiosity and amazement. Many even came try it! And I gladly gave them a quick lesson.” In smaller and more remote locations, that curiosity carried an added layer of discovery. “People had never seen a steelpan in person before. Some people didn’t even know what the instrument was—they didn’t even know what a Trinidad & Tobago was,” Jah Bami laughed, “—but the moment they heard it, there was an immediate connection.” The instrument did more than entertain.
It created questions. “What stood out to me was the level of curiosity. People wanted to know where it came from, how it was made, and how one instrument could produce such a wide range of sounds. The steelpan became more than part of the performance; it became a conversation,” Jah Bami said. For him, Brazil confirmed something he already knew but felt again in a larger way. “In Brazil, seeing thousands of people connect with an instrument born in Trinidad and Tobago reminded me
how far our culture can travel. It reinforced that the steelpan is not just a national instrument; it’s a world instrument with the ability to connect people regardless of language or background,” Jah Bami said. That was also one of Ras Jammy’s larger lessons from the tour. “In a way, every performance became a cultural lesson,” Ras Jammy said. “Through the music, the steelpan, the stories, and the conversations, we were able to introduce people to our country and show them that despite our small
size, Trinidad has made a huge contribution to global culture.” Poetry from the favela The Brazil connection also deepened through Kazuli, a Portuguese dub poetry EP with Brazilian poet and vocalist Anna Kelli. Kelli described Kazuli as a work born from the meeting between Brazil and the Caribbean, using poetry and ancestral rhythm to move across language and geography. “Kazuli transcends linguistic and geographic barriers to unite past and present in poetry and ancestral rhythms,” Kelli told the Kitcharee on Friday. The project, created in
a favela and featuring composition and mixes by Spain’s Andrea and Nuno of Roots Legacy, carries the lived reality of black Brazilian people into a wider sound system conversation, said Kelli. “The work proves that social chasms disappear when two black people come together for the sake of their communities; planting Suns of Dub’s music in Brazil and amplifying the reality of black Brazilian people around the world,” she said. In São Paulo’s sound system scene, Kelli has been gaining traction through spoken word that
speaks to pain, consciousness, growth and the empowerment of black and marginalised communities. “I continue the path opened by the women who came before me, seeking to connect the roots of reggae music with the experiences of today’s youth, so that both perspectives can come together and create something greater,” she said. Suns of Dub is currently in Panama, having performed in Costa Rica last week. The group heads to Paris, France, later this month for Fête de la Musique and Paris Fashion Week. There,
Suns of Dub will be presented by Jah Jah SoundSystem and Adidas, continuing work connected to the Megaride 2 sneaker project and the meeting point between music, fashion and sound system culture.
Suns of Dub, steelpan, Ras Jammy, Jah Bami, Brazil tour, reggae-dub, Trinidad and Tobago, Anna Kelli, Kazuli, Fête de la Musique, Paris Fashion Week