Pan, Loquan celebrated at NAPA

NATIONAL Gas Company president Mark Loquan showed off his cultural side with a concert at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) which paid tribute to pan and all who contributed to its success as TT's national instrument.

The show was also a celebration of Loquan's 20 years of involvement with pan as a writer, composer and performer.

In a foreword to the show's programme, Loquan said, "After 20 years of contributing music for pan, I am extremely grateful to the pioneers of our national instrument and thank the many composers, writers, arrangers producers, performers, teachers, students and many pan enthusiasts that I have met across the globe along this incredible musical journey."

Loquan also described the founding of the Music Literacy Trust in 2004 and the formation of the first steelband in Western Australia, Perth Pandemix, in 2013 as integral to his musical journey. He hoped the concert and the music literary and education conference which took place on October 12, would "serve as a catalyst to further stimulate thought on developing the potential of the instrument, our music and our people."

Loquan observed that Pan Notation, an online store for pan musical scores, "is one way to connect everyone in the global pan community through technology and I hope this becomes a major platform in the future for sharing knowledge, developing talent with TT showing its full potential."

With the world welcoming pan and TT with steelbands "spreading far and wide to many corners of the pan kingdom," Loquan said, "TT is poised to be part of a new era in a relatively short journey of evolution of musical instruments."

The concert began around 6.30 pm with Loquan playing the guitar on stage and members of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra (NSSO) performing a medley of songs about the early years of pan. After Loquan left the stage, pannist Liam Teague joined the NSSO on stage to perform the Another Time Another Place segment of the concert. The NSSO's female players performed the Woman in Pan segment of the show with a lively version of Denyse Plummer's Woman is Boss.

Vocalist Tanisha Guerra, the Lydians Choir and the NSSO teamed up to perform more Plummer songs in a Denyse Plummer medley.

The concert also featured the world premiere of Loquan's new song My Home which highlights all the small things citizens can do to help each other and improve life in TT. The song was performed by the NSSO, pianist Johanna Chuckaree and other artistes. Composer and arranger Len "Boogsie" Sharpe and Rachel "Shanaqua" Fortune joined the NSSO in performing Passion for Pan.

The concert also featured a tribute to pannist/arranger Ken "Professor" Philmore, who died last September, with performances by Teague, Sharpe, Roger Salloum and the UTT Jazz Ensemble.