This is for pan

PAN arranger Duvone Stewart was overcome with emotion on Sunday morning at the National Panorama Finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah as he added the medium and large conventional steelband titles to his previous small conventional band, an historic triple title.

Stewart’s arrangement of Scrunter’s 1982 The Will for Pan Elders led to a powerful performance that had the crowd roaring in appreciation and brought him the medium crown. In the large bands Renegades continued its dominance with its now11th victory and a three-peat of wins since 2017 with Stewart’s arrangement of Darryl “Farmer Nappy” Henry’s Hookin Meh, one of the Carnival’s most popular songs.

Stewart, 42, had his first victory with Defence Force Steel Orchestra which won the small steelband Panorama at Skinner Park, San Fernando, on Thursday night. Asked how he felt about making pan history Stewart said it was an “unforgettable feeling.”

“I am humbly respecting every accolade that comes my way but I don’t take it full heartedly (sic) for me, I take it for pan. Because I represent a fraternity that needs a voice. And if Duvone Stewart is the voice to send music out to the world globally through the national instrument of TT yes I will be the individual to fly that flag and make sure that the instrument is flying nice.”

He continued: “I am happy. I am blessed. Every arranger’s dream is to win this championship, this super bowl, this granted space where we all come together to showcase our skill. Our musical ideology with what we put forward for this event.”

He said winning small, medium and large pan conventional for 2019 “can be equalled and it can be broken but my name is in the history books and I vividly embrace it.”

He expressed hope that young arrangers would respect his win and build from it.

“Because where there is a will there is a way and when God say yes no man could say no. And I humbly accept everything that comes with it.”

He said Pan Elders were now six-time medium band champions and commended them on a great job.

“And to BP Renegades, number 11 victory is for pan. And I thank everybody, all the arrangers, all the pan players. All the stakeholders. Everybody who made this event what it is today. I want to say a special thanks from the bottom of my heart. On behalf of the Pan Trinbago executive, to everybody outside, pan is alive. In pan we trust and pan is the winner.”

Stewart said the new executive of Pan Trinbago was taking pan back to where it is supposed to be. He thanked the president and the executive for running a “loving” Panorama season.

“I want to say a special respect to all who had an involvement in making sure that Panorama 2019 become the successful Panorama (that it was). (It was) the best, the greatest.”

He said everyone wants to win but he was in a zone where he was working with one of the greatest steelbands in TT with BP Renegades. Asked what has given him the edge as an arranger Stewart replied he was not a judge.

“But whenever I put myself in a position to do music I try to make the blind see and make the deaf hear in all the arrangements I have done in my life. And if it (can be) vividly seen by the judges then so be it.” He said there were a lot of arrangers who made him who he was, including Len “Boogise” Sharpe, Leon “Smooth” Edwards and Clive Bradley.

He said arrangers needed to be in a space where they could learn and replicate the work of all those that came before.

“To nurture it and take it to a different zone and a different level. And I am very happy and contented with what my part has been, my dream his been.”

Stewart said he will continue to be the leader for others to follow to make pan become what it is supposed to be. He called for support for the Pan Trinbago executive.“This is for Ellie Manette. Shadow. De Fosto. Renegades for life.” For 2020 Carnival Stewart said once he is alive and well he will continue his work with BP Renegades.

“I will be a force to reckon with.”