Friday Apr 16, 2021

TLJ 11: Steel Pans of Canto Bight (Minutes 51-55 with Tyler Hunt)

We haven't heard steel pan drums in a Star War since "Cantina Band" in 1977! What vibe was John Williams going for here? Percussionist Tyler Hunt, the steel pan drummer from the soundtrack, is here to give us the scoop.

Discussion topics/Highlights:

  • The fascinating history of steel pan drums.
  • When Tyler got the call...
  • How steel pan drums fit into the music of Star Wars.
  • What the "Canto Bight" recording sessions were like, how they differed from the regular scoring sessions, what the various instruments were, how much was written down vs. improvised.
  • The collaborative nature of this track. John Williams brought in some percussion legends to help with the groove.
  • Why John Williams didn't like Tyler's steel pan drums and asked him to borrow a different instrument.
  • Comparisons between "Canto Bight" and "Cantina Band."
  • A basic overview of the styles heard in the "Canto Bight" track.

Themes (in order of appearance): end of Force theme, Rey's theme, Kylo Ren (Aggressive), Tension motif, Kylo Ren (Tentative, then Aggressive)

Soundtrack: We are on track 9. Canto Bight

Links Mentioned: Pan groove steel orchestra: https://youtu.be/hnHl74M5Wg8

Tyler Hunt:

Connect with Star Wars Music Minute:

If you're super nerdy about this stuff, check out Chrysanthe's Patreon for weekly practice/composing/music analysis livestreams.

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