Panorama champs team up for concert

Captain of BPTT Renegades Candice Andrews-Brumant, centre, holds up a poster of the upcoming concert between Renegades and CAL Skiffle steel orchestras at City Hall, San Fernando, she is flanked by Skiffle captains Joshua Regrello, left, and Brando Babb.
Captain of BPTT Renegades Candice Andrews-Brumant, centre, holds up a poster of the upcoming concert between Renegades and CAL Skiffle steel orchestras at City Hall, San Fernando, she is flanked by Skiffle captains Joshua Regrello, left, and Brando Babb.

IN a commitment to bring high-class entertainment to San Fernando as well as embark on ventures to make steelbands sustainable, two of the top bands have joined forces for a concert on Republic Day.

National Panorama first and second placed winners, BPTT Renegades, fresh from a European tour, along with CAL Skiffle will present their “A-class” music in a two-hour-long concert scheduled to take place at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (Sapa). Guest artistes are still being finalised.

The event is titled Hello! This is the year for Love, which is a combination of the names of the winning songs the bands played at National Panorama 2018 finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello, under whose support the show is being held, commended both bands for being proactive in doing this show. He said they are planting a seed they hope will grow and spread to the rest of the country.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello, centre, speaking at the press conference on the upcoming concert between BPTT Renegades and CAL Skiffle steelbands, on Monday at City Hall, San Fernando. From left is manager of BPTT Renegades Michael Marcano, captain Candice Andrew-Brumant and Skiffle captains Joshua Regrello and Brando Babb at right.

“To move forward and for bands to become independent, these are the kinds of ventures they have to embark upon for steelbands to remain attractive and to sustain themselves. We cannot put pressure on the state any more,” Regrello said.

At the project launch on Monday morning at City Hall, San Fernando, the captains of both bands, Candice Andrews-Brumant of Renegades and Skiffle’s co-captains, Joshua Regrello and Brandon Babb, said the collaboration augurs well for the future of pan.

Andrews-Brumant observed that usually bands from the same zone team up for a show, but this is the first time, from her knowledge, a band from the north and another from the south are embarking on such a collaboration.

“This is a big leap for us and the brave concept is a positive step for both bands.”

Regrello and Babb also lauded the initiative saying how excited they were about the bridging of the north/south gap. Babb said the bands share some history and predicts the outcome will be epic.

“This venture is one of epic proportions, seeing that there is so much history between both bands. Renegades’ arranger Duvonne Stewart performed with Skiffle at the 2000 World Steelband Festival when we were crowned champion.

“There is already a working relationship with the arranger, so this is not going to be a big challenge as we already have that camaraderie between both bands, and the dynamics and the energy between both bands is going to create an explosive event at Sapa. It’s going to be a night of great music, class and elegance,” Babb promised.

Renegades’ manager Michael Marcano said the concept came about during a discussion at an appreciation celebration at the panyard on March 17 with mayor Regrello.

He said they used the names of the songs they both played at Panorama to title the concert, Hello, This is the Year for Love. Renegades played Voice’s This is the Year for Love, while Skiffle played Kees Dieffenthaller’s Hello.

Touching on the recent tour of France and Switzerland, Andrews-Brumant said Renegades did ten shows and the response was amazing.

“I wish the people of TT could see how people on the outside receive, accept and respect our national instrument. We are more well-received on the outside than in our own country,” she said.

Comments

"Panorama champs team up for concert"

More in this section