Pan Elders snag quintuple win

JOAN RAMPERSAD

South-based Pan Elders snatched their fifth consecutive win of the National Panorama Medium Band competition, following their outstanding performance of Samuel “Brigo” Abraham’s Limbo Break, arranged by the undisputed ‘King of the Pan Night,’ Duvone Stewart.

Very smartly dressed in silver shirts, white trousers and hat to match, the band was almost flawless as the cellos carried the melody throughout the performance, while the tenors ramajayed.

At one point drummers came to the fore, adding to that mystique of the drama on stage; while there was some limbo dancing at the side. During the jam session, the arranger, in his exuberance, flung stick-high into the air but continued leading the charge to another winning performance. The drum solo towards the end of the performance was the icing on the cake. It was just fantastic.

The band garnered 285 points, eleven points clear of the second-placed band to cop the title.

Speaking during a telephone interview, yesterday, Stewart said: “I just want to enjoy the moment. I feel very happy with the two victories I have achieved with the two bands.”

Stewart was, of course, alluding to the fact that he was also the arranger for winners of the large band category, BPTT Renegades who also destroyed all competitors, becoming the first arranger in the modern history of pan to arrange for the two winning bands on the same final night.

Stewart is also the only arranger to take steelbands to titles in all four categories in the modern era of Panorama.

In the single band category, he did it with La Horquetta Pan Groove for six consecutive years, and San Juan East Side Symphony for five, with small band Merrytones in 2004, with Pan Elders for the last five years and now with Renegades.

Stewart said the double victory of Saturday night at the Queen’s Park Savannah can propel him to be interested in doing more good things for Panorama.

“The whole pan fraternity has a generation of young arrangers that exist such as myself, Ardinn Herbert, Seion Gomez, Marlon Whyte, Carlon Harewood, these are guys who grew up with the Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Leon “Smooth” Edwards, Clive Bradley and Jit Samaroo, listening and trying to learn as much information as possible.

“And now that the guard is changing and the mantle is being passed to take on to the next ten to fifteen years, the gates are open now for new breed arrangers which is good because it will teach the youths now that it can be done and anything is possible. They just have to believe in themselves and put their A game on and the hard work must bring good success, and that is what I have been doing with BPTT Renegades and Pan Elders for the past six years.”

He emphasized: “I am not taking away anything from previous winning arrangers, they were all champions in their own right, they came through an era of the 80s and 90s when they were doing great thing things and young arrangers wanted to be like them. We have to pay tribute to these guys because they have done so much for the young generation of arrangers. Now my name has become a household name locally, regionally and internationally and I am hoping to make a lot of young arrangers believe they can do what I did just through hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.”

Stewart said all the members of Pan Elders went to the Renegades’ Charlotte Street panyard to celebrate and support Duvone Stewart’s double victory. He said: “While they have tasted victory before they were particularly happy that Duvone Stewart achieved what he had always set out to do.

“Because for the last four to five years, they have always been handling their side of the bargain by winning their category but Stewart always coming third. But now that I have placed my foot into the large band category championship ring they now see it as a renewed family coming together.”

He said for the entire season both bands have been supporting each other 100 percent. And after waiting 21 years for the Renegades win, celebrations went till the sun came up yesterday morning, and included the entire community.

Stewart said he will take his time and “enjoy the next 365 days, but knowing that Panorama 2019 is going to be a next challenging one, as a championship arranger defending the title.”

Placing second in the medium band category was Tobago’s Petrotrin Katzenjammers with the piece Lorraine by Winston Henry (Explainer), arranged by Terrence BJ Marcelle.

Band members dressed as customs officers came to life on stage while ‘Lorraine lay sleeping on the ground until she was awakened by her ‘husband’ to tell her he was leaving. But try as she may, in the end, she couldn’t convince him to stay and eventually at the end of the performance he left.

The crowd was surprised by Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille’s third placing with their piece Swing by SuperBlue, arranged by Akiba Joseph.

Many wondered if it was because Pan Trinbago secretary Richard Forteau is a lead man in the band.

NLCB Buccooneers copped fourth place after delivering a lovely version of I love Being Me by Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osouna, arranged by Seion Gomez. The band came on stage in all white but donned blue jackets just before the start of their performance. They also had the services of Sugar Aloes to wave their flag.

Inside the arrangement was a verse of Frank Sinatra’s My Way that had the crowd singing along even when the rains came.

Judges for this category of the competition were Lorna Conyette, Martin Albino, Laurel Brooms-Rogers, Ezra Joseph, Richard Pierre and a Pan Trinbago executive Lambert Phillip.

Full results for the Medium Bands competition are as follows:

Position - Band – Arranger - Points

1. Pan Elders - Limbo Break - Duvone Stewart.- 285

2. Petrotrin Katzenjammers - Lorraine - Terrence BJ Marcelle – 274

3. Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille - Swing - Akiba Joseph – 272

4. NLCB Buccooneers- I love Being - Seion Gomez – 271

5. Petrotrin Siparia Deltones - Leave Me Alone - Carlton “Zanda” Alexander – 268

6. Curepe Scherzando - Buss Head - Yohan Popwell.- 266

NLCB Valley Harps - Sweet Soca Man - Michelle Huggins-Watts – 266

8. Potential Symphony - Government Boots - Akua Leith.- 264

9. Cordettes - Meet SuperBlue - Ken “Professor” Philmore – 263

10. Arima Angel Harps - Pan In A Minor - Ariel Scantlebury - 262