Young Tobago arranger humbled by success

Growing up in one of Tobago's leading pan-playing families, Kersh Ramsey had no choice but to follow suit.

The nephew of Pan Trinbago president and manager of the island's celebrated Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, Beverly Ramsey-Moore, Kersh, 24, was barely more than a toddler when he first entered the band's panyard in the seaside village of Black Rock.

Today, his childhood passion for the steelpan has enabled him to take his love for the national instrument to another level.

As the arranger for T&TEC New East Side Dimension, which placed second in the small band category in Thursday's National Panorama competition at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Kersh is being hailed as the future of steelpan arranging in Tobago.

Kersh said he was humbled by the view.

Kersh told Sunday Newsday: "I feel good being a young arranger and one of the most talked about arrangers for the Carnival season. It is such a great feeling.

"Everybody talking about East Side and how we not sounding like no small band but a medium band. To be the arranger for that band and to see everybody enjoy the music is such a great, great feeling," he added.

But even before the band's victory in last week Friday's Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Pan Champs at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, there was buzz about Kersh's dynamism and competence as an arranger.

The accomplishment was doubly significant as it was Kersh's first attempt at arranging for a band in a major competition.

On that occasion, the band from Belle Garden delivered a lively, seamless performance to Kes Dieffenthaller's Hello - a feat he repeated on Thursday.

At the event, THA Secretary for Tourism, Culture and Transportation Nadine Stewart-Phillips and Salisha James, chairman, Pan Trinbago, Tobago region, commented on the abundance of young, Tobago talent in this year's competition.

"This year, we have seen our young people in the forefront taking up their rightful place in the pan arena," Stewart-Phillips had told the gathering.

She said she also was pleased with the achievements of Tobago's young arrangers, several of whom were arranging for some of the island's top steelbands.

Stewart-Phillips mentioned Kersh, Ojay Richards and Joshua Jerry, who, at the age of 21, is the youngest pan arranger in Tobago.

Jerry arranged music for Speyside's Steel Sensation but they did not advance to the final of the small, conventional band competition.

Kersh, who also plays with both Katzenjammers and Renegades, lauded the accomplishments of his fellow young arrangers.

"We are all good friends. Ojay and I are classmates at UTT (University of TT) and we lime almost everyday."

At the UTT, Kersh is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the performing and fine arts, which includes music theory and fine arts. He said courses have helped him to be a better arranger.

"Ever since I was small, I was just based at Katzenjammers. I never had the experience to branch off and hear different styles of music. But since I got to UTT, it has expanded my musical knowledge a lot and helped me to understand certain things, how to form arrangements, how to structure the music, how to spread chords."

After being "born and raised" in Katzenjammers, Kersh said he gravitated naturally arranging.

"I played with Katzenjammers stage side where one of my uncles and I did a lot of soloing. So, I had no choice but to be dealing with pan and to be in arranging."

He revealed it was Renegades' ace arranger Duvone Stewart who recommended him to work with New East Side Dimension.

"Duvone and I are close friends. So, he knows what I am capable of. And, right away he recommended me and they called me and I had no qualms about it. I put my best foot forward."

For Belle Garden residents and Tobago's wider pan-loving public, Kersh is responsible for New East Side Dimension's resurgence in pan.

The band, once regarded as one of the island's leading outfits, has had a slump within the last decade.

Of New East Side Dimension's second place finish in Thursday's competition, Kersh told Sunday Newsday: "I felt great. That feeling was out of the world. I was blown away. To come second for my first ever arrangement for a national Panorama was a great feeling."

Kersh said getting players to come out early to practise was his biggest challenge this season – a situation he felt arose because of the non-payment of players' remittances.

"You know Pan Trinbago has there challenges with the money situation. So, players weren't having the vibes to come back out."

Kersh said he persevered despite the odds.

"Sometimes, the arrangers, when they go out to put down music, they need to get that vibes from the players. Some arrangers work on vibes and some arrangers have their music scored out already. So, is just to put down."

He added: "I use the both methods. So I will have my music on paper but I still have to have the vibes from the players when I am putting down music. But basically the challenge was just getting the players out to practice."

Regarding the band's tune of choice, Hello, Kersh said: "That was my decision. I always liked Kes' Hello and I did it for Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra for Jazz Festival and I loved how it sounds and I loved the vibes I was getting from the players also.

"So, I decided I would mention Hello to East Side because they had a couple of options and the manager was like 'Well, is whatever you are comfortable with.' So, we went straight away to Hello."

Looking ahead, Kersh said his goal is to arrange for Katzenjammers, two-time Panorama champions. He also wants to take them to the large band category of the competition.

"I know, next year for sure, there will be a lot of bands that will be calling me for me to arrange.

"But my aim for the future is to arrange for Katzenjammers and take them to the large band category to compete against the big guns like Duvone (Stewart) and Carlton "Zanda" Alexander, (Len) 'Boogsie' Sharpe and Leon "Smooth" Edwards."