San Juan East Side Symphony crowned

GARY CARDINEZ

LED onto the court towards their instruments by six-year-old Keana Mohammed (Iron woman), San Juan East Side Symphony would eventually be crowned the new Panorama Single Pan band champions after beating 19 other bands in the final in Arima on Sunday.

Coming out of the semi final round in first place with 274 points and playing in position 16, East Side added nine more points to that total (283) en route to the crown. Their rendition of Carlon Harewood’s arrangement of Kitchener’s 1990 hit Iron Man was a winner from the first note.

The arranger’s introduction utilized Nailah Blackman’s 2019 Iron Love to the Scrap Iron dealer’s “Buying scrap iron, old battery buying”, which sent the sold out audience at the Arima Basketball Court wild.

This was a welcome back to winners’ row for San Juan East Side Symphony as the band won the title on five straight occasions from 2011 to 2015 with Duvone Stewart as arranger. Sunday’s victory was arranger Harewood’s fourth straight but with three different bands.

He won in 2016 with Trinidad East Side Symphony, 2017/2018 with Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony and Sunday with San Juan East Side Symphony. Harewood said he stays humble only trying to create new music with a difference so the layman could understand.

“I make it visual so they can see what I am trying to do with the music, it’s just not my arrangement alone.” He says he got his theatre skills from his time in Best Village with Malick Folk Performers.

As Vice President of Pan Trinbago, Harewood said “Single Pan is coming out of its shell, the young arrangers are doing extreme stuff and the people are supporting them.”

Shades In Steel from Vistabella came in second with their performance of Dante Pantin’s arrangement of Sparrow’s Both ah Dem. They improved on their semi-final score (264) by 16 points (280) and was the only band to get a standing ovation on the night.

Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service’s rendition of BJ Marcelle’s arrangement of Kitchener’s Mystery Band placed them third as they improved their semi-final score by nine points (274).

Defending champions Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony added 22 points to their semi-final score of 251 jumping 13 places in the finals. Director Keron Valentine said he is totally satisfied with the bands placing having moved up so much. “It was not easy playing in the first position but we set the bar high for the others to follow.”

The evening belonged to the late Winston "Shadow" Bailey and Aldwyn "Lord Kitchener" Roberts as five bands played songs by the two calypso greats.

The Results

Place - Band - Tune - Points

1st - San Juan East Side Symphony - Iron Man - 283

2nd - Shades In Steel - Both Ah Dem - 280

3rd - TT Fire Services - Mystery Band - 274

4th - La Creole Pan Groove - Stranger - 273

4th - Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony - No No We Ain’t Going Home - 273

6th - UniStars - Ah Come Out To Play - 272

6th - Trinidad Nostalgic - Crapaud Revolution - 272

8th - Marsicans - Rainorama - 270

8th - Nu Pioneers Pan Groove - Flag Woman - 270

10th - Woodbrook Playboyz - Stranger - 269

10th - Metro Stars - Pan By Storm - 269

12th - New Age Trendsetters - Kaka Roach - 267

13th - Chord Masters - Free Up - 266

14th - San Juan All Stars - Whap Cocoyea - 265

15th - Royal Pan Illusion - Pan By Storm - 263

16th - Brimblers - Ah Going And Party Tonight - 262

17th - La Famille United - Janette - 261

18th - Arima All Stars - Different Me - 260

19th - Blanca 47 - Fantastic Friday - 258

20th - Edinburgh 500 Steel Ensemble - Blue Fever - 257