Brass 2 The World launches Monday mas

FROM its inception in 2016, Brass 2 The World music band embarked upon a mission to bring back live brass on the road for Carnival. And that they did last year with K2K Alliance & Partners and was voted the Best Playing Band for Carnival.

However, for Carnival 2019, the band will present its own Monday mas street parade entitled Blow Mano Blow, dedicated to legendary bandleader and musician Michael Mano Marcellin.

Last Friday at Club Fuzion, Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre, St Ann’s, the band launched its simple Carnival Monday T-shirt mas band in fine style.

Before the revealing of the costumes, Brass 2 the World, with frontline singers Russell Cadogan, Heaven Snakey Charles, Ejay Edwin Granger and Keisha Stewart put on a show beginning with the playing of popular soca songs Hello, Splinters, Give It To Ya and Year For Love, before going into a Latin and reggae set. By this time the patrons were in the mood to party and they were soon dancing.

An old-school music session of Pump Me Up, Baila, Meh Lover and Give Me De Ting got more singing and prancing from the largely mature crowd, who also took a particular liking to the recently released song, Funky Business.

The action rose to fever pitch when Brass 2 the World rocked the house with Showtime, In De Festival, Like ah Boss, Full Extreme and Hulk, then came the time for the costume presentation that was done with a whole brass show.Burt Marcellin, leader of Brass 2 the World, and Michelle Marfan left the brass section on stage and came through the crowd playing the F Jam with the masqueraders in tow.

What was clear was the amount of fun they were having and that is what is being promised for Carnival Monday, as well as the bringing back of a sense of nostalgia and excitement.

Michael Marcellin, the iconic musician more popularly known as “Mano,” died last December. He was credited with pioneering the use of electronic music in 1965 on the Port of Spain parade route for Carnival. Instead of walking and playing their instruments, musicians were now amplified and driven along the route. Burt Marcellin, Mano’s son and committee chair, said: “Apart from bringing back brass, we want to pay tribute to Mano through the mas, for his innovativeness and love of the culture. Not only was he an excellent leader, but he was a family man who was well-respected by his band mates and by the community of St Joseph, where he lived.”

Come Carnival Monday, live brass music will be provided exclusively by Brass 2 the World, along with a showcase of 2019 soca recordings performed by leading artistes, in partnership with Kaiso Dredz Productionz, along with a few other surprises.

The mas camp is at 53 Roberts Street, Woodbrook.