When I arrived at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Sunday evening for the Political Calypso Convention concert, I thought I had walked into a PNM rally. The Grand Stand was filled to capacity by 5 pm when the show began at its advertised starting time—so much so that the gates had to be closed, stranding several patrons outside. Many in the audience wore red attire, with some in balisier shirts and others waving PNM flags.
A delinquent sound system almost ruined the show, causing some audience angst and forcing an early intermission to fix the problem. Cardinal was particularly affected and could only render one of his two planned songs. Emceed by Tommy Joseph, Sprangalang, Peter Joseph and Prince, with musical accompaniment by Vincent Rivers & The Soca Unit, the show flowed smoothly.
Not surprisingly, almost all of the calypsoes performed were anti-PP government. Seventeen calypsonians performed, including reigning Extempore Monarch Lingo and Black Sage. All performers were of good voice and seemed to win the favour of the mammoth audience. King Netfa and Brother Musa opened the show.
Many bards won callbacks. The slew of encores began with former joint national monarch Delamo doing a sample on the melody of the late Mighty Power’s popular Ah Coming, its hook line changed to “we coming,” which received two encores. He also sang Take Dey Money and Vote Dem Out. Devon Seales was encored three times for Go Nah; Mr Shak, former monarch Pink Panther and former Soca Monarch Ronnie McIntosh were also encored.
Perennial favourite Cro Cro was the night’s final artiste. He was particularly bitter in song towards Sugar Aloes doing a sample on the melody of Gypsy’s Sinking Ship. The cast also included Rondell Donawa, Gary Cordner, Bro Mudada, Skatie, Karene Asche, Impulse and reigning National Monarch, Chucky.
The Grand Stand erupted in applause when organisers introduced PNM leader Keith Rowley on stage with a handful of candidates for the September 7 general elections, including Camille Regis-Robinson, Fitzgerald Hinds, Edmund Dillon and Glenda Jennings-Smith. Producers of the Political Calypso Convention plan to perform soon in San Fernando and Tobago, and will be back in Port-of-Spain for a grand finale closer to the election date.
Rum Street in WePan
Thousands lined both sides of the Western Main Road to experience WePan and enjoy the scintillating pan music performed by 18 bands. Among the bands to get my heart a’thumping were Republic Bank Exodus with its outstanding performance of Machel Montano’s Pop ah Bottle, bpRenegades Youth, CAL Invaders and Arima Golden Symphony.
Other bands turning in enjoyable performances were PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, White Oak Starlift, Old Tech and Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove, the final steelband to perform, with an infectious performance of Trouble in Arima and Woman on the Bass.
The 2015 edition of WeBeat St James was one of the most successful in the 15-year staging of this event by the St James Community Improvement Committee. The week’s events were generously funded mainly by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar, the Office of the Prime Minister and Angostura, the latter underwriting and staging the new and innovative Rum Street. Other major sponsors included Rent-a-Amp, Media 21, Royal Bank (St James) and Carib.
With Peter Kanhai representing the Office of the Prime Minister at the major events, there was a notable absence of government or opposition politicians at any of the shows. Seen, though, was former Culture Minister Joan Yuille Williams. This year, Angostura Limited invested a sizable six-figure contribution toward the WeBeat Festival in St James. The rum company sponsored three full nights of entertainment in St James, blocking off part of the road on June 5, 6 and 12.
The firm provided entertainment including singers, magicians and festive characters of moko jumbies, blue devils and limbo dancers. During the week of We Beat, Pulse spoke to Angostura corporate communications manager Giselle La Ronde-West, who said: “Angostura felt the need for WeBeat to bring back the sense of community and excitement that was missing over the years. This sought to do just that.
This is why Rum Street at WeBeat was created. The idea was that people would come out to celebrate WeBeat and have some fun in a closed off area of the Western Main Road in St James.
“Rum specials were also done in all the bars in the vicinity, which provided the opportunity for everyone to partake in the festivity. The concept of WeBeat on Rum Street provided the atmosphere the WeBeat committee members were looking for over the days, other than when the pan parade takes place.”
Rum Street was a success. It culminated on Saturday night, with its exhibition preceding the WePan parade of steelbands. Before the parade’s start, La Creole Pan Groove provided a prelude (including some Carnival characters) for guests in the viewing stand outside the Amphitheatre. The prelude delayed the actual steelband performances until 9.30 pm. This extended the scheduled midnight climax to 2 am.
Lopinot Pan in Countryside promises music, food and fun
The June edition of Pan in De Countryside, staged by Pan Trinbago Inc, promises to surpass all. For starters, it will be held in the small picturesque rural village of Lopinot, home of distinguished steelpan musicians, arrangers and composers Dr Jit Samaroo, Amrit Samaroo and the Samaroo Jets.
In addition to De Countryside Concert, the host Supernovas has included a culinary competition—Pannists Can Cook Too—among the various regions. Members from the Northern, South/Central, Eastern, Tobago and Friends of Pan Trinbago will trade their musical skills for their cooking abilities in what promises to be an exciting twist to the already entertaining event. Cooks will compete in four categories.
All this takes place on June 27 at the Lopinot Settlement and Recreation Grounds. The cook-off commences at noon. At stake will be cash prizes totalling $12,000, sponsored by Carib. Patrons will be able to taste the dishes prepared by the contestants. From 4 pm, the action shifts to the steelband concert. Selected bands are Republic Bank Exodus, Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille, Bon Air Rhythm Rockers, Arima Golden Symphony, Nostrand Steel Orchestra and host Supernovas.
Attendees are invited to walk with their chairs and, for added convenience, transportation is arranged at $150 return. Maxis leave Pan Trinbago’s Head Office Car Park, Park Street, Port-of-Spain at 2 pm. For further information, contact Pan Trinbago (625 3556).
Young ambassadors of pan
Youth continue to be cultural ambassadors as more young pan musicians are touring overseas. Following tours abroad by St Margaret’s Boys’ School and Success Laventille Secondary, two members of south-based youth steel orchestra Golden Hands left Trinidad on June 14 for a two-week programme in Percussion and Steel at the Birch Creek Music Performance Centre, Wisconsin, USA.
This trip was made possible by the Music Literacy Trust of T&T, an organisation which works with the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, UWI, and has been hosting national auditions for the past three years. The young musicians—Joshua Bedeau and Jaron Woodsley—placed first and second respectively in the 2014 auditions and were to have attended the programme last June.
However, they were unable to obtain their visas in time to make this possible. So the trip was deferred to this year. The recipients of the scholarships for 2015 are two young men from PCS Nitrogent Silver Stars steel orchestra. They were also to have attended the programme this year but encountered difficulty in obtaining their visas and, like the recipients of the 2014 awards, had to defer travel plans.
Bedeau is the reigning national Pan is Beautiful (2013) soloist and the Under 15 pan soloist of Music Festival 2012. This young man is an exceptional musician who is gifted with perfect pitch. He is also an accomplished percussionist, specialising in the congas and the drum kit. He has been playing the steel pan (single tenor) since age four and has been a member of Golden Hands since then. This fifth form student of Debe Secondary School has just completed his Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC).
Woodsley is a lower sixth form student at St Benedict’s College and has just completed the Unit I Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) in Business Studies. He joined Golden Hands at the age of seven as a percussionist playing African drums and the tambourine. However in 2011, he turned to the national instrument and has the unique ability of playing all the pans, specialising in the cello and double seconds. Jaron placed second in the Under 19 Pan Solos in the southern Music Festival 2015.
While at Birch Creek the students are required to practice for up to eight hours daily. They must also attend workshops and will perform at public concerts on some evenings. They will be exposed to percussion styles from the Caribbean, Latin and South America, Asia and Africa. One of the highlights of this programme is that one of the visionaries and tutors is our very own Liam Teague. The benefits of such an experience are endless.
Grateful for the opportunity to expand their musical horizons, the students extended special thanks to Jenny Lee of the Music Literacy Trust for the preparation of the paperwork for this trip; Golden Hands founder/director Franka Hills-Headley for the confidence she placed in them by sending them to the auditions; and Vanessa Headley and Daniel Phillip for the hours spent tutoring the boys in pan, drum kit and xylophone musicianship.
Another young pan muscian who’s scheduled to go abroad soon to play is Luke Walker. Having turned 16 last month, Walker, who plays with the St Mary’s College steel orchestra and CAL Invaders, goes to London for summer to perform with the national youth orchestra.
From pan to tassa
Coming closely on the heels of the national instrument being celebrated at the first International Conference & Panorama in August, the International 2015 Tassarama & Classical Championships, produced by the Tassa Association of T&T (TATT), take place on Saturday, August 30, at Ato Bolden Stadium, Arima. Tassa bands from Tobago are automatic finalists.
TATT chief cook and bottlewasher Vijar Ramlal said via press release: “This year this will be a tremendous and bumper event, calling all tassa bands and classical singers. We are once more seeking assistance from generous sponsors and the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism. There should not be any form of discrimination between the national instruments of T&T...”
MORE INFO
Tassa bands and classical singers can contact TATT at 624-1024, or 788-4668 or 377-2211, or email: tassa_association@yahoo.com