Peter Ray Blood
Published:
Friday, May 8, 2015
Pulse
Reigning National Panorama champion and Band of the Year Massy Trinidad All Stars literally painted the town white on Saturday when the band performed at Pan on De Move, the steelband finale to the week-long Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations.
Following a painted J’Ouvert celebration from four in the morning, the legendary Duke Street orchestra “invaded” the southern borough with a legion of masqueraders in tow in the evening, many of them wearing white t-shirts emblazoned “unquestionable” and “champions,” throwing white powder into the air.
Although All Stars won the favour of the huge crowd, the police poured ice water on the festive mood by ordering the band to curtail its performing outside the Atlantic hospitality and viewing pavilion. As the band was about to commence its playing of Black Stalin’s Black Man Feeling to Party, a police officer brusquely ordered the driver of the trailer to drive off and the band to cease playing.
Although the players and revellers vociferously expressed disappointment, some of them saying the police had “disrespected All Stars and steelband music,” they moved off quietly into the night.
“This was unfair,” said a senior member of All Stars. “It is unfair to have travelled from so far, with our supporters and masqueraders also travelling from far distances just to entertain the people of Point Fortin and to have the police treat us in such a disrespectful manner. The police seemed unaccustomed to this event as it is traditional for All Stars to play at this venue before going on to Frisco Junction.”
All Stars went to Point Fortin well prepared to not just perform as a champion band but also to entertain the spectators who lined the streets in their numbers. The band played some really beautiful music and, like the fabled Pied Piper, had a large following of people chipping along with it.
All Stars’ exhilarating repertoire included Brother Marvin’s Carnival Time Again; Swallow’s Doh Stop Dis Party; Fadda’s Fox’s Ah Feeling; Rikki Jai’s Barman; Mr Dale’s Soca Junkie; Ras Ilie’s Spring Garden; Edwin Yearwood’s What A Feeling; Natasha Wilson’s I’ll Always Be There For You; Merchant’s Be Careful; theme from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly; Fay Ann Lyons’ Raze; Benjai’s Phenomenal; Machel Montano’s Like a Boss; a Sparrow medley; Blue Boy’s Unknown Band; and Unquestionable, the band’s winning 2015 Panorama selection.
Getting the news of the death of past captain Michael Phillip while in Point Fortin on Saturday evening didn’t seem to affect the enthusiasm and energy of Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove’s playing at Pan on De Move. The 2015 National Panorama runner-up thrilled with Black Stalin’s Come With It; Sparrow’s Saltfish, Lyrikal’s Cloud 9; and, the band’s Panorama tune of choice, Happiness, arranged by Len “Boogsie” Sharpe.
Pride of Laventille, Witco Desperadoes (like All Stars) also had a large crowd in tow when the band paraded along the main street and at the three competition venues. With arranger Carlton Alexander present, the band’s selections included Farmer Nappy’s My House, Black Stalin’s Come With It and Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing. Also with large contingents of fans were BP Renegades, Super Novas and CAL Invaders.
Renegades was at its usual best, its repertoire including Stalin’s Bu’n Dem; a Kitchener medley and Carnival Is Over; and Sparrow’s Memories. Considered by many as Renegades’ “sister band” because of the relationship with the band’s arranger, Amrit Samaroo, and Renegades iconic past arranger Jit Samaroo, Super Novas continued to impress with some infectious panmanship, playing a Sparrow medley of 60 Million Frenchmen, Natasha and Statue; Stalin’s We Could Make It If We Try; Ronnie McIntosh’s Shaking It and Panorama tune Dr Samaroo.
Invaders also rocked Point Fortin with a very musical selection of songs including Stalin’s We Could Make It If We Try; Shaking It; Baron’s This Melody Sweet and Tell Me Why; I Am Soca and A Little Wine by Patrice Roberts; Vampire by Blaxx; Nelson’s Mih Lover; Ah Feeling, Ola, Phenomenal; and Bunji Garlin’s Red Light District.
Well organised and tight, despite fielding a young contingent of musicians, was Republic Bank Exodus playing Raze, Come with it, Tambu’s Free Up and Panorama tune Puna Band.
At the market, Point Fortin Mayor Clyde Paul played host to several politicians and dignitaries including Opposition Leader Keith Rowley; Point Fortin PNM candidate Edmund Dillon; MP Paula Gopee Scoon; Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee; his deputy Kerron Valentine; former Point Fortin mayor Francis Bertrand; and, the executive of Pan Trinbago.
Other bands listed to perform on Saturday included PCS Silver Stars, RBC Redemption Sound Setters, SIS Harmonites, T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps, Pan Elders, Tornadoes, NLCB Buccooneers and Starland. Mayor Paul, his burgesses and the organisers of Pan on De Move should take a bow for staging another incident-free and enjoyable edition their annual steelband extravaganza.
Weekend for mothers
It’s Mother’s Day weekend and the period is filled with events catering to pampering moms across the land beginning with tonight’s Bottle & Spoon Jam at the new Kaiso Blues, located on Woodford Street, Newtown. The jam features former calypso king Relator and Roy Cape All Stars frontman Blaxx. One other enjoyable show on this evening is Mahalia: A Gospel Musical, staged by JCS Entertainment at Little Carib Theatre, White and Roberts Streets, Woodbrook, at 8 pm. This musical stars Mandisa Granderson, Conrad Parris and many more talented singers.
The weekend’s most advertised show, specially designed for mothers, is tomorrow’s A Mother’s Love—Enchantment The Concert at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain at 7 pm. The show is headlined by Michael Bolton, Richard Marx, Kes the Band and Karma.
Tomorrow, from 7 am, why not take mom to the Family Fitness Fair at Nelson Mandela Memorial Park, St Clair Avenue, St Clair? This fun event is being held by En To To, in collaboration with Gold Package. In the southland, at Naparima Bowl, All For Mom will be held from 7.30 pm.
Headlined by past Digicel Rising Stars winners Ancil Valley and Kay Alleyne, the duo will perform covers of past hits by Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Roberta Flack, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Bill Withers, Billy Holiday, Al Green, Lou Rawls, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin and the Temptations.
Also on tomorrow evening are Pyar Ka Bandhan (The Bond of Love - Our Mother’s Love), featuring Kumar Sanu, Indar Kanhai, Nirmala Sesnarayan and Satnarine Ragoo, at Centrum Auditorium, Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas and the annual Blink bMobile Mother’s Day Spectacular, at Centre of Excellence, Macoya, headlined by Anil Bheem and Azmat Hussain, Kavita Bissoon Sookoo, Pritivi, Ken Supersad, Sally Sagram and Avinash Maharaj.
On Sunday, Mother’s Day, D’Bocas Restaurant at 68 Independence Square, Port-of-Spain will celebrate its 30th anniversary with Jazz @ Dusk, featuring Ray Holman & Friends, from 4.30 pm. So, who are Holman’s “friends”? They include vocalists Scouting for Talent star Errol Asche, Gerelle Forbes, Ricardo Lucien and Dianne Blackman Simpson.
In fact, Sunday’s event would be the introduction to the club’s R&B/Jazz at Dusk Sundays which will be held on a monthly basis and would feature live performances in the Jazz/R&B genre. D’ Bocas director Judy Agard said this week: “D’Bocas plans to attract music lovers of all ages and so act as a catalyst to rejuvenate the heart of the city of Port-of-Spain by presenting the talented musicians and vocalists of the country. With the recent improvements to the lighting and sound systems and the decor, management hopes to create a relaxing early evening ‘live’ club experience.”
Class Act Promotions is staging its annual I Am Woman, A Tribute to Calypso Rose concert at Queen’s Hall, at 5.30 pm on Sunday. On the playlist are Calypso Rose, Alicia Jaggassar, Neisha Guy, Akeisha Ke Ke Lewis, Judy Davis, Malick Folk Performing dancers, Philomena Alexis, Pedro Lezama and Vince Rivers & D Soca Unit.
lifestyle
Members of the Junior Sammy Skiffle Steel Orchestra perform during Pan on the Parkway at the Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations over the weekend. Photo: TONY HOWELL