Marsicans surprises in pan semi-final

GARY CARDINEZ

San Juan East Side Symphony tied with Marsicans for the top position in the National Single Pan Panorama competition at last Sunday’s semi-final round at the Arima Basketball Court.

Coming out the winner from the preliminary round with 268 points, the Petit Bourg-based, defending champion San Juan East Side added five points to its total for its rendition of Carlan Harewood’s arrangement of Kitchener’s Guitar Pan.

The surprise of the night came in the form of Marsicans who went into the semis in fourth place tied with two other bands. The Arima band tied with San Juan East Side with a total of 273 points, a jump of 13 points from its preliminary score, for its performance of Marlon White’s arrangement of Johnny.

The TT Police Service came in third with 269 points, a leap of 19 points for its spirited performance of Kern Sumerville’s arrangement of Mystery Band.

Also playing Mystery Band arranged by Renaldo De Peiza, San Juan All Stars jumped 13 points to 266 as it thrilled the audience with its performance for the fourth place.

Playing in position three, Shades of Steel was the early frontrunner on Sunday evening and improved its score by 19 points placing fifth with Golo arranged by Dante Pantin.

Pan Angels, a band of youthful players from Bhadase Trace, Enterprise, was also a talking point among patrons as it delivered Ricardo Dennis’ arrangement of Nadia Batson’s popular song, So Long, which placed them in the final.

Thirty-one bands faced the judges in an eight-hour show which produced a high standard of music and attended by Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Dr Nyan Gadbsy-Dolly, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Carnival Commission Colin Lucas, Mayor of Arima Lisa Morris-Julian, along with Pan Trinbago’s President Beverley Ramsey-Moore and members of the Central Executive.

Twenty-one bands will compete in the final on November 23 at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain in a production entitled Celebrate de pan – National Panorama Single Pan Indigenous Festival.

Here are the results of the semi-final round.

-National Panorama Single Pan semi finals 2020

NAme of band Selection Total placing

Marsicans Johnny 273 1

San Juan East Side Symphony Guitar Pan 273 1

T&T Police Service Mystery Band 269 3

San Juan All Stars Mystery Band 266 4

Shades In Steel Golo 264 5

La Famille United Fiery 263 6

T&T Fire Service Pan in A Minor 261 7

Brimblers Me Eh Fighting No Man 261 7

Gonzales Sheikers Fantastic Friday 259 9

T&T Prison Service Big Belly Man 259 9

Nostrand Symphony Fiery 258 11

Metro Stars Um Ba Ya Oh 258 11

Uni Stars Suck Meh Soucouyant 258 11

Pan Jammers Ah Want It 256 14

Platinum Johnny 255 15

La Creole Pan Groove Say Say 255 15

Royal Pan Illusion This Melody Sweet 255 15

Trinidad Nostalgic Tribute to Spree Simon 252 18

Woodbrook Playboyz Fiery 252 18

Pan Angels So Long 250 20

Chord Masters Jump and Wave 250 20

Nu Pioneers Pan Groove Unknown Band 249 22

Arima All Stars All Dem Tobago Gyal 249 22

Brazil RX4 Party Time 248 24

World Wide Music (Dingolay) 246 25

Stardust Party Time 245 26

New Age Trendsetters Poison 243 27

Pan Stereonetts Love in The Cemetery 243 27

Edinburgh 500 Steel Ensemble Madness 242 29

Pan Elites No No We Eh Going Home 238 30

All Aces Symphony Bounce 237 31