Boogsie to win Panorama 2019 for Prof with Pan by Storm

HE never won the coveted National Panorama title in life, but ace pannist Len “Boogsie” Sharpe has promised that in death Ken “Professor” Philmore will finally be given that title which eluded him, by having his band, HADCO Phase II, win the 2019 competition with Philmore’s memorable composition Pan By Storm.

Boogsie made the pledge to sustained applause before the packed Sundarlal Bahora Popo auditorium at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in San Fernando where the funeral was held yesterday. He said it was one of the best pan arrangements he ever heard and vowed to honour Philmore’s memory.

“For next year (Panorama), just for you, my brother, Phase II: Pan by Storm.”

He also urged panmen and women in the audience to honour the wishes of the late steelband genius and vote for Beverley Ramsey-Moore in the October 28 Pan Trinbago elections.

“Woman is boss, woman is boss,” he said to the animated audience.

Philmore, 59, died on September 30 from complications of injuries he suffered in a car accident two weeks ago. He was married to Sophia and was the father of four – Keston, Kendra, Kenedi and Ricardo, and grandfather of Hannah.

Twenty-eight years after Philmore was denied the coveted Panorama title by half a point to then BP Renegades, the claim that the judges “tief” then Vat 19 Fonclaire, which played his arrangement, resonated at the funeral, coming from family members, former President Anthony Carmona and San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello.

In her eulogy, his sister Antoinette Philmore said 1990 was his crowning glory when he took the world by storm. “The arrangement was magical and inspirational.”

She said after Ken and Fonclaire played their arrangement with pizazz and style, it was one of those Panorama seasons “where on Carnival Sunday, kitchen tables and bars across the country lamented how a band could have lost the competition by half a point.”

Pointing out that Pan by Storm helped Skiffle Bunch win the World Steelband Festival in 2000, Regrello said the song is indelibly placed in the records as a winning piece, getting its just and deserving award.

However, he shared the sentiment alluded to by Carmona, that Pan Trinbago should do the right thing to correct this wrong.

“All it takes is for five judges to say we made a mistake,” Regrello said, again to sustained applause from the audience, which included former culture ministers Joan Yuille-Williams, Winston “Gypsy” Peters, UWI principal Prof Brian Copeland, Hazel Manning – the widow of former prime minister Patrick Manning, and calypsonian Designer (Keith Prescott) who was the vocalist on the recording and who flew from New York yesterday morning to be at the funeral.

Carmona, who had a 30-year friendship with Philmore, said it was no secret, Fonclaire won Panorama that year, but never received the trophy or the cheque or the byline Big Band category, Panorama champions.

He said although that loss “mashed him up,” it never broke his spirit or his resolve.

“After that publicly-recognised unfair loss at Panorama with that masterpiece, he commented to Milton “Wire” Austin – the leader of Fonclaire, that maybe he had to move the band to Port of Spain to win, but that never happened. “We were too angry, us from south, when, year after year, wrong was not made right. We never remained bitter, because Pro would come at them year after year, knowing that the door to Panorama glory was ajar and that it was going to happen.

“There was always next year, never giving up, aggrieved as he was and should be, and that demonstrated the calibre of this maestro extraordinaire: not belabouring the hurt of the past, forward ever, backward never, never giving up, and never stop trying. But it is our eternal regret that it is not going to happen. But Pro, the jury is out. You earned it.”