LOCAL T&T STEELBAND NEWS

FRONT   Page EVENTS 2000   Page

AFTER generally lack-lustre performances from local bands at the preliminaries of the World Steelband Music Festival, the home team finally turned up the heat at Tuesday's first semi-final round.

The very small audience roared approvingly at the end of BWIA Invaders performance of Kitchener's Toco Band, which offered a basket of musical goodies of both the rhythmic and melodic varieties.

Prior to the delivery of that selection, the band had impressed judges and patrons with Dvorak's Carnival Overture, which had been modified since the preliminary stage.

Led by conductor Dr Jeannine Remy, the musicians of Invaders sailed through their opening classical piece with ease.
  The softer regions of Carnival Overture were treated with caressing, brush-like strokes on the steel, as the players seemed drawn in by the music they were performing.
  Quite a few patrons were sitting at the edge of their seats, as though wanting to catch each note as it lifted off the chrome.
  As the piece entered the rousing fanfare at the end, Remy and her charges did a bow in sync with the end note. This served to work the audience into a frenzy. This convinced the judges to award the band 263 points.

The band then went into the Len Boogsie Sharpe's arrangement of Toco Band, delivering an interpretation that had folks bouncing along with the pannists.
  Invaders brought out the samba influence within the tune and along with that, threw in other Latin-styled riffs.
  There were more crescendos and changeovers than the last offering and the musicians were much more relaxed this time around, which allowed for a smoother delivery.
  At the end, Invaders was awarded 271 points for their efforts, bringing their overall total to 534, the night's highest score.

Exodus Steel Orchestra was on Tuesday not only knocked out of the position of top local band, but also lost its overall second-place standings.

The BWIA Ebony Steelband of London earned the second spot with an overall score of 527 points.
  A small band in comparison to most others in the festival, Ebony performed first the Von Suppe composition Morning Noon And Night.
  With a percussionist sounding bird calls throughout the opening movements of the piece, the pannists delivered a musical descriptive on a day. For this they were given a score of 258 points.
  Their Calypso of Choice was an Annise Hadeed arrangement of Hollis Wright's Celebrating In Steel. Here the bass pans were allowed to take the lead on a few bars, as the tenors played out a rhythm.
  The mostly teenage[] pannists seemed more interested in having a good time and therefore put forth a liberated rendition of the tune. The band was awarded 269 points for that selection.

Exodus slowed down the pace on their Calypso of Choice, Steelband Times, just a bit at Tuesday's semi-final outing. The judges gave them 259 points for this piece.
  The players also seemed to be not as focused as at the preliminary, when they came second to PANch 2000. There were no noticeable changes to their performance of Tchaikovsky's Capricio Italian, for which they received 266 points.
  At the end of Tuesday's first semi-final, Exodus stood at third place with a total of 525 points.

Eight bands were scheduled to perform before the judges – Dr Anne Osbourne, Dr Eugene Novotney and Richard Murphy – in the second semi-final round.

Lined-up to appear were Solo Pan Knights, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, TCL Group Skiffle Bunch, Our Boys Steel Orchestra, Parry's Pan School, PANch 2000, Northern Illinois University and CASYM Steelband of Brooklyn.

Also performing last night were the last two bands in the Single Pan Band category – Marsicans and Scrunters Pan Groove.

On Tuesday, three Single Pan bands performed – Dem Boys, Trinidad Nostalgic and La Romaine Super Vibes Pan Movement – which came out at the top of the standings with a total score of 503 points.

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Tuesday Results [Not shown here.]

RESULTS on Web:
Single Pan Bands Finals-1 - Tuesday October 17th - 2000
Single Pan Bands Finals-2 - Wednesday October 18th - 2000

Orchestras or Steelbands Simi Finals-1 - Tuesday October 17th - 2000
Orchestras or Steelbands Simi Finals-2 - Wednesday October 18th - 2000

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Photo: [Not shown here: View across the front-line players of Exodus in their striped waist-coats.]
Caption:
Exodus Steel Orchestra lost its second place on Wednesday night at the World Steelband Music Festival at the Jean Pierre Complex. They are third with 525 points.
PHOTO By ANDRE ALEXANDER

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Photo: [Not shown here: A mid view, fading to the back, of attentive Ebony players in their red and black patterned shirts.]
Caption:
ENGLISH BAND: BWIA Ebony Steel Orchestra of London plays to earn second spot with a score of 527 points. This was at the semi-final of the World Steelband Music Festival at the Jean Pierre Complex on Wednesday.
PHOTO By [ Un-attributed but probably ANDRE ALEXANDER ]

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AS expected, local bands advancing to the first of two semi-final rounds of competition in the World Steelband Music Festival unleashed some of the ‘performing venom' they withheld during the preliminary stage of the event.

There were visible differences in the approach by all contestants during the first semi-final on Tuesday night. Both joint defending champion Exodus Steel Orchestra and BWIA Ebony of London played their calypso of choice Steelband Times and Celebrating With Steel respectively, much slower [when] compared to the tempo-preliminary, in hope of [] [better] execution; and the members of NCB Angel Harps of Grenada seemed more relaxed, forming a conga line behind their instrument and waving flags of all colours for their calypso of choice Pan Around De World, a medley of songs. Steel Pan Lovers from Finland maintained its usual ‘hopping' excitement in its calypso, Pan In A Minor by the late Lord Kitchener.

But it was the Woodbrook-based BWIA Invaders Steel Orchestra, led by Ricardo Herbert, which stole the show on the night.

They were under the direction of Idaho University based professor of music Dr Jeannine Remy, who like the late Anthony Prospect, took much pleasure in conducting the calypso of choice; Toco Band arranged by Len Boogsie Sharpe. The band also performed Anton Dvorak's Carnival Overture, as it classical tune of choice.

Performing in position number five in the conventional category, the 55 member aggregation of pannists posed an undiluted dose of confidence which flowed evenly from the conductor to the players and back. At the end of the night BWIA Invaders scored 534, taking a seven-point lead over its sister band BWIA Ebony of London nestled comfortably in second place with a score of 527 points. Among its musical items were Morning Noon and Night as it classical tune of choice, and Celebrating With Steel as its calypso.

The distance between joint defending champion Exodus which scored 525, slotted in third position [comparing scores for this evenings performance only], and Steel Pan Lovers the band that placed fourth; [is] a [wide] 19 point margin.

In spite of all the hype given towards the performances by the foreign participants coming out of the Festival preliminaries, patronage to the event appeared slightly lower. Tuesday night's programme moved apace due in part to, the reduction in performing time for each orchestra, together with the timely articulation of scores by the panel of adjudicators.

The first set of Single Pan Bands appeared in their one-off round of competition with La Romain Super Vibes Pan Movement, managed by Urslin Blackett, taking the lead. As part of its two-song presentation, the band delivered Death of Ase as its classical tune of choice, and Tenor Fever as it calypso. The band was followed by Trinidad Nostalgic playing Orpheus In Hades as it classical tune of choice, and Lord Kitchener's Raonorama as the calypso. Dem Boys of Tobago was adjudged only for its calypso, Shadow's (Winston Bailey) I Come Out to Play; since no music score was provided for the tune of choice Smoke Gets In Your Eyes [contrary to the requirements of the rules].

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Tuesday Results [Not shown here.]

RESULTS on Web:
Single Pan Bands Finals-1 - Tuesday October 17th - 2000
Single Pan Bands Finals-2 - Wednesday October 18th - 2000

Orchestras or Steelbands Simi Finals-1 - Tuesday October 17th - 2000
Orchestras or Steelbands Simi Finals-2 - Wednesday October 18th - 2000

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Photo: [Not shown here: Dr Remy, baton twitching and ready to turn the score sheet, parries with a responsive Invaders front line.]
Caption:
UNDER the direction of Dr Jeannine Remy BWIA Invaders delivers Anton Dvorak's Carnival Overture.
PHOTO By SEAN NERO

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Photo: [Not shown here: Relaxed mid section of Ebony performing.]
Caption:
REIGNING CHAMPION pan soloist Brent Holder, (from left), and the Layne sisters Anuska and Niasha all Trinidad natives now based in London England and perform with Ebony Steelband.
PHOTO By SEAN NERO

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UNDER the scorching heat of the noonday sun on Tuesday, members of French steelband, Calypsociation, rehearsed their classical piece ahead of their performance at the first semi-final round of the World Steelband Music Festival.

On Monday they were told they could not rehearse after 9 pm at the Cascadia Hotel, a move which meant a frantic rescheduling of rehearsal time.

Traci Leigh-Scarlett, who plays double second with the band, admitted she would have preferred if their rehearsals could have been accommodated at a panyard.
  She said: "Not only because it would have been easier for the other people who are staying in the hotel, but I think the band is being robbed of the rich cultural experience of being in a panyard."
  "I am very grateful for the comforts we have at Cascadia, but we came here to play pan and to absorb as much of the experience of playing pan in Trinidad as possible."

She added if they were successful in making it to the finals, they would make arrangements to rehearse at a panyard that was willing to accommodate them.

They also have had to borrow instruments from various steelbands, including WITCO Desperadoes, BP AmoCo Renegades and Pamberi.

But Jenny Lee, of Pan European, said they were remaining positive in spite of any adversities coming their way during the festival.

She also said the festival was a learning experience for the Europeans who were used to things in a certain way.

Lee said: "If Calypsociation didn't have to borrow pans, they would have never come into contact with the people from the local bands."
  "The exchanges going on here are phenomenal, even though many of the pannists don't speak the same language."
  "Above all else, we have come to play, participate and have fun, because at the end of the day, it does not matter which country or which band is first, pan will be the winner."

PAN pioneer Ellie Mannette will not be setting up house in Trinidad just yet.

According to his agent, Kathy George, Mannette is simply returning home to receive his Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies (UWI) at its graduation ceremony on Saturday.
  "Ellie is not ready to retire and return home just yet. He has plans, but they are still a ways off. He is coming to Trinidad this weekend for the ceremony and festival," George said.

In celebration of Mannette's first homecoming in 33 years, the Invaders Steel Orchestra Elders Association will host a cocktail reception and award ceremony on Sunday from 4 pm at Invaders Pan Theatre, Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain.

PAN pioneer Elliot Ellie Mannette is expected to arrive at Piarco International tomorrow on flight BW701 at 3.55 pm.

Together with his eleven-member party, Mannette is expected to be welcomed by Culture Minister, Dr Daphne Phillips and Pan Trinbago President, Patrick Arnold at the VIP Lounge.

Exactly one year and twenty days ago Mannette, who [was] receiv[ing] an award from the US National Endowment for the Arts at the Gold Room of the White House from US First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton, promised he was coming home. The artiste-in-residen[ce] [at] Virginia University, received a cheque valued at US$20,000 from the US organisation for his work on the steelband[s] among colleges in the US.

Mannette left Trinidad and Tobago [3]3 years ago in 1967. He will make his historic visit over the period October 20th to November 1st; when he will receive both an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies, and his Chaconia Gold Medal - Silver - which was awarded to him on the nation's 38th anniversary of Independence.

The following day Mannette will attend the finals of the World Steelband Music Festival Currently taking place at the Jean Pierre Complex, Port of Spain, where he is expected to receive a pan award.

He is expected [to] visit his father on the Sunday 22nd; and the pan yard of BWIA Invaders in which he made his mark in the sphere of pan, on Monday 23rd.

The list of activities continues on Tuesday 24th; this time at UWI, St Augustine, where a lecture/performance will take place. Later that evening he will again visit the Invaders pan yard.

On Wednesday 25th; he will be guest of the UWI Campus at a luncheon meeting, after which he will be given a tour of the Campus facilities. The Invaders pan yard will be his final stop of the day.

On the evening of Saturday 28th; there will be at a formal dinner at the UWI, St Augustine, [where] the conferral of [an] Honorary Doctorate [to] Mannette will take place. The following day he will attend another award dinner, this time with the BWIA Invaders.

© 2000: tobagojo@trinidad.net - 20001107 Last Update: 11 November 2000 00:00:00 Processed by: Jeremy G de Barry

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