Pan and powder took over the streets of Scarborough on October 25 and part of Tobago carnival festivities.
Performing bands included Hope Pan Groovers, Plymouth Bethesda Steel Sensations, T&TEC New East Side Dimension, Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, RBC Redemption Sound Setters, Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra, Steel Xplosion Steel Orchestra, NLCB Buccooneers Steel Orchestra and bp Renegades Steel Orchestra.
Newsday photographer Alva Viarruel attended the event and captured these images.
T&TEC New Eastside Dimensions entertain pan enthusiasts at Pan and Powder event at Scarborough. Pan lovers follow Katzenjammers along the Calypso Rose Blvd, Scarborough on October 25. Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore shows she’s not afraid of the powder at the Pan and Powder event at Scarborough on October 25 RBC Redemption Sound Setters on the move along Calypso Rose Blvd, Scarborough, on October 25.
SCARBOROUGH’s Market Square came alive on October 18 when Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and Pan Trinbago hosted PanOmega, the official panorama competition for Tobago’s carnival.
Alpha Pan Pioneers at Pan Omega. – Photo by Alva Viarruel
The competition began with the small band category, where seven groups vied to dethrone defending champions T&TEC New East Side Dimension.
New East Side Dimension at Pan Omega – Photo by Alva Viarruel
Competing bands included Alpha Pan Pioneers, Our Boys, C&B Crown Cordaans, Westside Symphony, Plymouth Bethesda Steel Sensations, First Citizens Tobago Panthers, and Uptown Fascinators.
These women of Plymouth Bethesda Steel Sensation brought the energy. – Photo by Alva Viarruel
In the large band category, Dixieland and RBC Redemption Sound Setters challenged reigning champions and hat-trick title holders, Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra.
REIGNING medium conventional band champions Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra will be re-entering the large band category in the Panorama competition for Carnival 2026.
Kadion Moore, vice-president of Pan Trinbago’s Tobago region, made the announcement while delivering welcome remarks at the band’s victory celebration on September 13.
The event, titled Future Forward, was held at the band’s pan theatre, Courland Bypass Road, Black Rock, Tobago.
Katzenjammers secured a hat-trick in this year’s medium conventional band competition at the Parade Ground of the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, playing a Kersh Ramsey arrangement of the Mighty Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco’s) Lying Excuses.
The band had previously participated in the large band category from 2004-2006 before reverting to medium band competition.
Moore told the audience that Katzenjammers’ hat-trick was more than a win.
“It is a statement about our resilience, our talent, our determination to carry forward the proud tradition of pan in Tobago and beyond,” he said.
“But while we look at our successes with pride, we also look ahead with great anticipation. Tonight (September 13), I am excited to share with you that Katzenjammers is preparing to take a bold step in re-entering the large band category of Panorama 2026.
“This is not just a new chapter for our band. It is the beginning of another great adventure, one that we will pursue with the same spirit of discipline, dedication and excellence, which are our watchwords that have brought us this far.”
Katzenjammers’ leader Beverly Ramsey-Moore said after the event that Kersh, her nephew, had dreamt of returning to large band competition.
“When Kersh was interviewed after her came out of UTT (University of Trinidad and Tobago), he made the bold statement that his dream and his vision is to work with his home band Katzenjammers and to move them from the medium to the large band category.”
Earlier, in her remarks, Ramsey-Moore gave an overview of the band’s achievements since its inception in 1951.
“Katzenjammers is as old as the steelband movement here in Tobago.”
She added the band, which has performed in hotels and entertainment venues across the island, continues to play an integral role in preserving the steelpan movement’s legacy.
Ramsey-Moore said, “The time has come when the protection of the legacy, which is the God-given gift, must be enforced now more than ever.”
She, who praised the work of drill master Maxson Ramsey, captain Jemma Duke and others, said the steelpan has the potential to unite.
“Look at us in this room, look the Katzenjammers fans and the Katzenjammers supporters who want to wear their jersey, who want to be a part of the celebration.
“When you think about how pan can bring a community together, you know that the Katzenjammers’ story is a real one. You know that the Katzenjammers story is alive and well….. We say pan is spirit. Pan will never die. Pan is community’s soul. Pan is love.”
THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris said her association with Black Rock started two decades ago when she was a youth officer at age 19.
She said over the years, she has experienced the talents and dedication of the area’s steel band players.
“I can argue with anyone, anywhere, that Tobago has produced some of the best steelpan talents in the world. I will fight with anybody where that is concerned,” Burris said.
“When I looked at what Katzenjammers has been able to do over the years, the one thing that stood out for me was the sense of family, from who played pan, to the mothers, to the children, to the supporters who pushing the racks, Katzenjammers had the most close-knit family that I saw.
“You all supported your band, rain, sun, snow, sleet. It didn’t matter who the competition was. It didn’t matter how far you had to go, Katzenjammers supported their people. Black Rock supported Katzenjammers.”
She said Tobago would do well to replicate the band’s commitment and dedication.
“The only way that Tobago can rise is if we can produce more people like Kersh Ramsey. The only way that Tobago can succeed is if we have more organisations like Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra. The only way that Tobago can become the greatest little island on the planet is if communities like Black Rock continues to produce the kind of young people that you have been producing.”
Burris also reflected on Katzenjammer’s decision to re-enter the large band category of Panorama.
“I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that large band eh have nothing on allyuh. We waiting for 2026. We coming with the fire. We making sure to support we boy Kersh Ramsey for Panorama 2026. We making sure that Katzenjammers is bringing home that trophy.”
IN 2023, the UN officially declared August 11 as World Steelpan Day.
It acknowledged that the steelpan promotes inclusive societies, sustainable communities and the creative economy and can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being, gender equality and youth empowerment.
WMN pays tribute to the women pioneers of steelpan as Trinidad and Tobago mark the third World Steelpan Day.
In the early days of the steelpan, between the 1940s and the 1960s, the steelpan culture was dominated by men, particularly young black men at the bottom of TT’s social ladder. As a result, respectable families did not allow their daughters near a panyard, let alone to play pan.
Still, women found ways to represent. Though not visible as performers, they were the lifeblood of steelband culture as flag-wavers, supporters, pushers, cooks at panyards and sometimes peacemakers.
The steelpan’s early days were marked by courageous women who chose to belong in the musical realm controlled by men people at the time would call rogues.
But most notable were women like Daisy James-McClean who was one of the earliest known female pannists. She started playing on her brother’s three-note ping pong pan in 1944, at age six.
She played with the Casablanca band, unbeknownst to her mother, then City Syncopators and the Starlighters steelband. At a time when the mere presence a woman was scandalous in a panyard, James-McClean performed publicly and even played alongside calypsonian Brother Mudada during his Dimanche Gras appearance in 1976, the first woman to ever do so.
In 1999 she founded the Harlem Syncopators to nurture young players and was honoured with the Public Service Medal of Merit (Silver) in 2005.
Daisy James-McClean who was one of the earliest known female pannists. – Photo courtesy When Steel Talks
In 1967, Pat Bishop became the first woman to sing publicly with a steelband, Esso Tripoli Steel Orchestra, as part of a bet that the orchestra could play softly enough to accompany an unamplified female voice. She went on to become one of the first women to arrange steelband music and was awarded the Trinity Cross (now The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).
In 1972, Merle Albino-de Coteau made history by being the first woman to arrange a steelband for Panorama, arranging Mas in May by The Mighty Sparrow for Chase Manhattan Savoy.
She also founded Music Makers, a music school in Laventille, judged competitions across the Caribbean and North America and earned prestigious accolades, including an honorary doctorate from UTT and the Hummingbird Medal in 1993.
Merle Albino-de Coteau, first woman to arrange for Panorama. –
In 2011 Michelle Huggins-Watt became the first female arranger to win a National Panorama competition, winning the Medium Band title with Valley Harps and Do Something For Pan composed by Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and Gregory Valentine. And in 2018, Vanessa Headley became the first female arranger to win in the Small Conventional category with her original composition, Trouble Sans Humanite, played by Golden Hands.
As the steelpan movement matured, so did female representation and institutional support.
In the early 50s, music teacher Hazel Henley founded Girl Pat Steel Orchestra, the first all-female steel orchestra, at her home in Newtown.
With the support of her parents, she gathered schoolgirls to challenge society’s scorn of the steelpan. They had to learn how to play clandestinely because, if found out, they could have been expelled from their schools.
Ellie Mannette, captain and tuner of Invaders Steelband assisted and with the musical assistance of Jocelyn Pierre, the group performed at charity shows, dances, on radio and at bingoes. And when it became more established, the band toured Guyana and Jamaica with the Little Carib Theatre, breaking both class and gender barriers by their presence and formal training.
Women also pioneered steelpan in education. Dr Dawn Batson, initiated the Pan in the Classroom program, helped launch formal associate degree music performance (with steelpan) at Costaatt, and chaired TT’s National Steel Orchestra board.
Later on, organisations like Pan Trinbago introduced school and youth festivals, widening the pipeline for girls to engage with the steelpan.
In Tobago, history was made again when Beverley Ramsey-Moore, manager of the Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, became the first female president of Pan Trinbago in 2018. She not only lead but raised accountability, streamlined finances, secured sponsors and earned the Gold Tobago Medal of Honour in 2023.
Today, women stand with men in bands across the country as musicians, arrangers and leaders, thanks to these early female trailblazers.
Information from When Steel Talks, Pan Trinbago and the National Archives of TT.
THEY promised they would do it, and they delivered.
Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra won a hat-trick in the final of the National Panorama Medium Conventional Band competition at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, on February 23.
Performing in position number two, the band, which scored 281 points, delivered a thrilling performance of the Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) tune Lying Excuses, arranged by Kersh Ramsey.
Katzenjammers players lift arranger Kersh Ramsey in the air as they celebrate victory in the Panorama medium band finals at Parade Grounds, Bacolet, Tobago, February 23.
The young arranger drew loud cheers from the audience when he appeared on stage in a beige slim-fit suit edged with gold trimming and a matching makeshift crown.
In keeping with the song’s theme, Ramsey was accompanied by a young woman while another, playing the role of a jilted lover, accused him of being unfaithful.
San Fernando outfit Pan Elders Steel Orchestra, which placed second, also rocked the audience with an Ojay Richards arrangement of the Lord Nelson (Robert Nelson) classic Mih Lover. The band scored 279 points.
There was a tie for third place between San Juan band Pamberi and NGC Couva Joylanders, which played Voice’s (Aaron St Louis’) Too Own Way and Lennox Picou’s Cut the Bush respectively. The bands, which got 275 points, also delivered enjoyable performances.
Screams of jubilation echoed throughout the stadium’s parade ground as Katzenjammers was announced the winner around 12.15am on February 24. It came after a night of intense competition from the ten bands in the line-up.
An overwhelmed Ramsey accepted the trophy from Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell, Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.
Surrounded by screaming players and supporters, he told reporters, “We did it. We did what we came here to do.”
Pan Elders Steel Orchestra performs Lord Nelson’s Mil Lover at the Panorama Medium Band Finals in Bacolet, Tobago, on February 23. Pan Elders placed second with 279 points.
Ramsey said the road to securing the band’s hat-trick was challenging.
“We know what it takes to win a Panorama, but this one was special. This one was much needed. I love my players and I am feeling to cry, because to bring a hat-trick in Panorama is not something easy to do, and within the process is a lot of sleepless nights, hard work, dedication, 24 hours of music flowing through their brains. It affects your life mentally.”
He is grateful the band was able to keep the title in Tobago, “because we did it in Tobago and I want Tobago to be proud.”
Ramsey also thanked supporters.
“We love you, we love you, we love you. The trophy is ours and we are going to celebrate.”
Augustine said he is very proud of the work being done by Katzenjammers.
San Juan band Pamberi Steel Orchestra performs Voice’s (Aaron St Louis’) Too Own Way at the Panorama Medium Band Finals in Bacolet, Tobago, on February 23.Pamberi scored 275 points to tie for third place with NGC Couva Joylanders.
“The number one and the number two arrangers were both from Tobago, which speaks to the quality of our pan programme on the island. Congratulations to Katzenjammers and all the best to Ojay,” he said.
Augustine said he had felt the winner would be a toss-up between Katzenjammers and Pan Elders.
“So I think my score sheet and my predictions were right, and I am very happy it stayed in Tobago.
“I am also happy that we are hosting the medium band final in Tobago for yet another year. This should become a staple for us.”
Cudjoe-Lewis said she was excited.
“I am happy to see them do this for a third time. Kersh has been doing outstanding work over the years. He has been very diligent at what he has been doing, and tonight is a testimony of all of the hard work he has put in and anybody who says it’s an unfair judgment or anything like that, I think the proof is in the pudding. He has done it for a third time and we are indeed very, very proud,” she said.
Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore, leader of Katzenjammers, said she would encourage some medium bands to become large bands.
“I am well pleased with the performance of all the bands. But I do hope that the encouragement here is that some of these medium bands will now move up into the large band category.
“As a matter of fact, I am going to encourage Katzenjammers to move up into the large band category. They have won this title five times and as such they should go up.”
Describing the event as magnificent, Ramsey-Moore said all of the bands brought their A-game.
She also thanked pan enthusiasts for their support.
“It was amazing. Wow, I am at a loss for words.’
Ramsey-Moore also praised the work of her team.
“When you think about bringing eight bands from Trinidad, the logistic of it…I have a dynamic team and they would have done a fantastic job.”
The event, titled Steel Pan Fuh So, Unleash D’ Power, took place before a large crowd, which included Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and Tobago East MP Ayanna Webster-Roy, PNM senator Laurence Hislop, National Carnival Commission chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters and several THA secretaries and assistant secretaries.
PUT IN BOX
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1. Katzenjammers – 281 points
2. Pan Elders Steel Orchestra – 279 points
3. NGC Couva Joylanders – 275 points
Pamberi Steel Orchestra – 275 points
5. NGC La Brea Nightingales – 272.5 points
6. Arima Angel Harps – Fiery – 269 points
Courts Sound Specialist of Laventille – 269 points
8. Dixieland Steel orchestra – Long Time – 268 points
They promised they would do it. And they did. Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra secured its hattrick in the national médium conventional band competition at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago.
The results were announced around 12.15 am on February 24. Playing in position number two, the band from Black Rock delivered an electrifying performance to the Mighty Sparrow’s Lying Excuses before a capacity audience whichi included Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell, Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe Lewis and Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.
Katzenjammers received 281 points. Pan Elders came in second with 279 points while Pamberi and Couva Joylanders tied for third place with Too Own Way and Cut The Bush respectively. The bands scored 275 points.
Katzenjammers players feeling the music as they perform an arrangement of Sparrow’s Lying Excuses for Panorama medium band finals on February 23 in Bacolet, Tobago. – Photo by Visual Styles
PAN TRINBAGO president Beverly Ramsey-Moore says the stage is set for the fourth edition of the National Panorama Medium Conventional Final on February 23 at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago.
“The venue is all set and ready and things are going pretty well,” she told Newsday.
“Most importantly, we now have the Tobago drag well-paved. So the bands will get it much easier than last year in terms of rolling up their racks on the stage. So I am really, really excited about the event.”
Two-time defending champions Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra is hoping to secure a hattrick with its rendition of the Mighty Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco’s) Lying Excuses.
The band, known as the pride of Black Rock, will come up against nine other bands in what is expected to be a keenly contested competition. Another Tobago band, Carib Dixieland, from Mt Pleasant, is also in the final.
Katzenjammers and Dixieland will perform in positions two and ten, respectively.
Ramsey-Moore said she was pleased with the continued involvement of young people in pan.
“We will always see young people involved in pan because the school’s Panorama is the nursery and then we have the junior bands from most of the major bands.”
A plume of confetti was released as Tobago’s NGC Steel Explosion performed during the National Panorama semifinals in the medium band category at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on February 16. – Photo by Faith Ayoung
She added a lot of the bands also have pan camps during the July-August vacation.
“So pan will never die. It is intergenerational and we just continue to see a large amount of young people.”
Ramsey-Moore said pan music was infectious.
“When young people see their friends on stage really performing and getting on, you want to be there also. So in terms of new participation, they will always be there.”
Ramsey-Moore was re-elected Pan Trinbago president during an election of the central executive officers at Mucurapo Secondary School on October 6, 2025. Her executive will serve a four-year term.
As part of their agenda going forward, she said the organisation will focus on strengthening pan groups regionally and internationally.
“We are going a bit further because we really want to build out the global institutions, where we can strengthen all those groups in the region and in the outer world.
“So we have a lot of steelbands all over but we are now going to formalise relationships with these associations, having them onboard as affiliate members, not only as groups but we will also be looking at individuals, opening up for them to become affiliate members of the organisation.”
Ramsey-Moore said the organisation also will continue to use pan to help transform society.
“We will continue to build out here in Trinidad and Tobago. There is no season for pan and what we have done is to link pan as the vehicle for continued social transformation.
“So that, in itself, is a big thing for us working with both the musical instrument and also all those people that come in the yard. There is something in terms of transforming lives, having our young people lead meaningful lives. So that will continue to be the focus here on the ground.”
Meanwhile, Don Soverall, Dixieland’s captain, said the band was ready. They will be performing Arrow’s (Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell’s) Long Time.
“Playing in the last position, that is a good feeling. The arranger is there doing his thing. So hopefully they will please the judges. That is the most we could do.”
Soverall said he had no qualms about playing last in the competition.
“It is a nice spot. When everybody else finishes we will come from behind and mash up the place. We plan to come from behind and just mash up the thing one time.”
He said the band was also celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
“So we are trying our best to really make a claim this year by achieving something significant.”
Maxson Ramsey, Katzenjammers’ captain, said the band’s arranger, Kersh Ramsey, made some last-minute changes to the song “to add some more niceness.”
He said the players were excited and ready to reclaim their medium band title.
Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra captain Maxson Ramsey is confident the band will secure a hat-trick in the national Panorama medium-band final on February 23 at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago.
The Black Rock outfit will come up against nine other bands in the final.
Katzenjammers, two-time defending champions, placed first in the semi-finals of the competition on February 16 at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. They were also first in the preliminaries.
Another Tobago medium band, Carib Dixieland, came sixth in the semis.
Katzenjammers, which scored 276 points, played the Mighty Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco’s) Lying Excuses. It was arranged by Kersh Ramsey.
Asked how he felt about the band’s placing heading into the weekend’s competition, Maxson Ramsey said, “It is a great feeling, knowing that the finals is in Tobago and knowing that my band is running first in the final as usual.
“And we know that we are going for the hat-trick. So it is a great feeling for the band going to this final because we are going to bring it home, back to Tobago again for the third time.”
He said the arranger chose the song.
“I don’t know how he came about choosing the song but he actually tries to give a storyline. So any song he chooses, you would realise there is a storyline that goes along with the song.
“So that was his instinct when he came to me and said, ‘This is the song I want to do for the band.’ I said, ‘You are the arranger, you know your vibes, that is the song we going with.”
The Digicel Foundation launched the third year of its Technology in Education (TIE) programme on July 4. This year’s initiative returns in partnership with PanTrinbago, focusing on integrating technology into traditional steelpan yards to foster community engagement, preserve cultural traditions, and provide development opportunities.
In a media release, Diana Mathura-Hobson, Digicel Foundation’s project officer said, “The Digicel Foundation is thrilled to partner with PanTrinbago for a second year, and we invite all registered steelbands to apply for a technology centre at their panyard.
CEO of Digicel Trinidad and Tobago and board director of the Digicel Foundation Abraham Smith (on the right), gets a quick pan lesson at Pandemonium Panyard in Belmont at the launch of the Digicel Foundation’s Technology in Education Centres on February 28. –
“The TIE Centre ‘panyard model’ underscores our commitment to enhancing technological access and skills-building opportunities in underserved communities. Following two very successful years, we have seen how this programme not only supports local talent but can also contribute to the cultural and educational development of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The TIE programme was born in 2022 when the Digicel Foundation launched a digital transformation mission to support youth, vulnerable women and underserved communities, in the wake of the covid19 pandemic, the release said.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technology to arm the next generation of the Digital Age, these centres serve as hubs for education, digital literacy and vocational training – empowering members of marginalised communities with essential skills for the future.
A young pannist brings the magic of steelpan to life at Pandemonium panyard in February 28. –
To date, the Digicel Foundation has invested over $730,000 towards establishing 12 TIE centres, with nine of these centres integrated into existing panyards across the nation such as the Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, the Trinidad All-Stars Steel Orchestra and the Tropical Angel Harps Steel Orchestra.
With a dedicated budget of $540,000 for 2024, the Digicel Foundation will establish eight new TIE Centres at panyards this year.
For more info or to submit an application, visit https://www.digicelfoundation.org/tt/en/apply-for-a-grant/apply-for-a-tie-centre.
PAN TRINBAGO president Beverley Ramsey-Moore says she is overwhelmed by the large number of young people participating in this year’s national Panorama competitions, including the Medium Conventional Band final on Sunday at the Parade Ground, Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago.
She said her sentiments were endorsed by a retired permanent secretary who observed large groups of young pannists and supporters on board a ferry to Tobago on Friday.
Ramsey-Moore said the retired PS suggested that she meet with the Prime Minister to discuss strategies to use the steelpan as a deterrent to crime.
“He said to me he was so pleased with what he saw and that this was the answer for crime. He said, ‘Beverly, you have to talk to the Prime Minister,’” she told Sunday Newsday.
Ramsey-Moore said more than 1,000 players were expected to arrive at the Scarborough Port on Saturday.
“We are very happy that we can have young people come on the other side of the country. That is a positive for us so that there can be social interaction and group exchange.
“It is all a part of the developmental process. Even though they are coming here for Panorama it provides an opportunity for them to know the other side of the country, which is the other island and to socialise and to interact with their peers and bond together at the various hotels.
“For many of them, it is the first time they may be staying together as a group. So there is a lot in the process and for me, that is the bigger picture. That is the dynamic of all that is happening.”
Ramsey-Moore said the preparations for the event went smoothly.
“The infrastructure was put in by NCC (National Carnival Commission). I think it is a much better infrastructure than last year.”
She added she is also extremely grateful to the Tobago House of Assembly for refurbishing a road near the venue to facilitate bands coming onto and off the main stage.
“That transition would be much smoother than before.”
Ramsey-Moore said several things have been done to enhance the venue.
Pan Trinbago President Beverly Ramsey-Moore. – File photo by Angelo Marcelle
“All in all I think we will have a well-run and executed event.”
Asked about her expectations of the ten bands in the medium band competition, she said, “I expect them to bring it. From what I am hearing, it will be a fantastic show.
“The bands will not only be playing music but they will be presenting their music to the people using culture, whether it is drama or whatever the dynamic. I cannot wait to see the unfolding of this magnificent event.”
When Sunday Newsday caught up with representatives from the three Tobago bands in tonight’s medium band final – the third to be held on the island – they were fine-tuning their presentations.
Defending champions Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, which placed first in the semifinal, is pulling out all the stops to retain its title in tonight’s show.
The band from Black Rock, performing in position ten, is playing Merchant’s (Dennis Williams Franklyn’s) Rock It.
Arranger Kersh Ramsey said patrons can expect “a movie.”
“The band has been working hard. We won last year so we know the work that we need to put in to win,” he said.
“We just need to brush up on certain parts and just make everything grand. We coming at number ten so we need to bring the curtain down. So people can expect a movie.”
Ramsey said the band will do its best.
“I am confident that we are going to execute. We are going to perform and make Tobago proud.”
Dixieland Steel Orchestra’s manager Keston Duke said the band was modifying its tune to meet the eight-minute criteria for presentations.
“After that, all we can do is leave it to the judges,” he said.
The Mt Pleasant-based band, performing in position number four, will play Baron’s (Timothy Watkins’) This Melody Sweet, arranged by Dante Pantin.
Asked about their tune of choice, Duke said, “We had some music on tape and we have been playing them, looking for the correct tune. But it doh have the perfect tune. All of them sweet. So the arranger, who we are using for the first time, went with this one.”
NGC Steel Xplosion, which placed ninth in the semifinal, is also expected to give a sterling performance. The band will perform Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco’s) Both Ah Them, arranged by Arddin Herbert.
The band, established in 2002, has had much success over the years. It won the medium band category at the 2010 Panorama with Kenneth Salick’s Radica and has been a consistent finalist in the competition for much of that decade.
Steel Xplosion, which will perform in second place, also won the THA Pan Champs title in 2008 and placed second overall in the Panorama competition that same year.
HAVING tasted sweet victory in the 2023 National Panorama Medium Conventional Band title, Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, led by Beverly Ramsey-Moore and captained by Maxson Ramsey, is gearing up for Sunday night.
The band, out of Black Rock, Tobago, will compete alongside nine other bands at the Dwight Yorke Stadium at Parade Grounds in Bacolet for the 2024 leg of the 2024 National Panorama Medium Conventional Band Finals.
Newsday spoke with Ramsey, who is also the band’s drilling master.
“When the results were announced, it was one that I expected because we worked extremely hard towards this level and will continue to work hard towards the finals on Sunday.”
He added: “Well, anytime one hears of the band Katzenjammers, one expects great music, performance and show, and come Sunday, we are going to make the whole of Tobago proud.”
Last Saturday the band topped the semifinals in the medium category. He said this was an accomplished feat.
“Indeed, I am feeling happy, satisfied, well accomplished.”
The band played an up-tempo version of the late Merchant’s Rock It and scored 276 points.
“Rock It was chosen by our arranger (Kersh Ramsey), who gave the suggestion of this song to the band and we had no objections,” he said.
Throughout, he said, he had one piece of advice for his players.
“Maintain a focus, display and put out what was practised – and leave the rest to the judges.”
This is the same advice he offers ahead of Sunday’s performance.
He said with such a short season and hardly any time to practise, preparing for the stage was a challenge.
“I must say it was challenging, but despite all of that we rallied through it, giving our all up to the day of competition.”
He also expressed his gratitude to all those who worked hard to get the band ready for its performances.
“First, we much give credit to our arranger Kersh Ramsey for giving us great music, me as the drill master and of course the entire team of Katzenjammers players.”
SCREAMS of jubilation echoed through the Parade Grounds, Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, early Monday morning as Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra was announced the winner of the National Panorama medium conventional bands competition.
In winning the title, the band from Black Rock, led by Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore, dethroned the 2020 champions, Couva Joylanders, who placed second in the competition. Third place went to Santa Cruz outfit Pamberi.
Katzenjammers, playing Kersh Ramsey’s arrangement of calypsonian Timothy “Baron” Watkins’ Tell Me Why, scored 286 points, while Couva Joylanders’ rendition of The Fete Ent Over Yet and Pamberi’s The People’s Champion, scored 284 and 277 points, respectively.
In claiming the title on home soil, Katzenjammers made it two wins in a row for Tobago, after Uptown Fascinators won the small-band competition on January 15.
Katzenjammers’ flagwoman enjoys the music during their Panorama performance on Sunday. Photo by David Reid
Sunday night’s victory was Katzenjammers’ third win in the competition and first since 2012.
THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine presented the trophy to Katzenjammers’ captain Maxson Ramsey. He was accompanied by Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris.
Ramsey-Moore also celebrated the band’s success but did not want to be interviewed.
An emotional Ramsey was overwhelmed by the success in his first stint arranging for Katzenjammers.
“To be quite honest, it hasn’t even sunk in yet,” he said.
“Right now, I am trying to stop smiling but I can’t. I’m like, wow. We win Panorama and it’s in Tobago. Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, we did it. Thank you, Jesus!”
Arranger Kersh Ramsey directs his Katzenjammers players during their performance of Timothy “Baron” Watkin’ song Tell Me Why, at Panorama medium conventional bands finals on Sunday at Parade Grounds, Bacolet. Photo by David Reid
Saying the band always had the potential to deliver, Ramsey said he always tries to do his best.
“Most times, I do my best. When I am creating music, I go off of my vibe. The secret to winning is just to put down your best music and hope that the band execute it and give the judges what they want.”
He said after the preliminaries, the judges “made certain comments and we went and did our homework.
Couva Joylanders players on the tenors at Panorama medium-band finals at Parade Grounds, Bacolet, Sunday. Photo by David Reid
“So with the finals we just had to perform because we had the home crowd advantage and I put a little jig in the flavour and I think that was the edge we got over the other bands.”Ramsey said he has a busy season juggling commitments to several bands.
“From 2020 I did one band and this season I am doing four bands and I am collaborating with Ojay (Richards) in the large band category, which we have to go and battle for next week.”
Richards produced the winning arrangement for Uptown Fascinators in the small-band category.
Ramsey said he does not pay attention to the naysayers on social media.
Soca superstar Machel Montano waves a flag during the performance of Siparia Deltones in the Panorama medium-band finals at Parade Grounds, Bacolet, Sunday. Photo by David Reid
“We let our music speak for itself. We don’t try to throw no talk for nobody. We just go and do our job and let that speak for itself. The music shall prevail at the end.”
The medium-band competition, which featured 12 finalists, returned to Tobago after an absence of two years owing to covid19. It attracted a sizeable crowd, which included National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Winston Peters and members of the THA.
The bands, many of which were dominated by young players, delivered solid performances, comprising a mixture of contemporary and vintage selections.
Having emerged the winner of the semi-finals of the competition on February 5 at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Katzenjammers, playing in position nine on Sunday, delivered a seamless performance to the Baron classic.
A member of Siparia Deltones during their performance of Machel Montano’s The Meeting Place at Panorama finals on Sunday in Tobago. Photo by David Reid
But even before the band began its set, pan lovers erupted into a frenzy when a recording of the original tune was played.
Minister of Sport and Community Development and Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe and several assemblymen were seen singing along to the lyrics and dancing with patrons.
The excitement grew when Ramsey, dressed in black, appeared on stage in a brief theatrical presentation with a young woman portraying his jilted lover. They later danced a jig to the delight of the crowd.
Couva Joylanders, the third band to appear on stage, also delivered a lively performance to the Sylvester Lockhart (Poser) tune as did Pamberi with Rodney Le Blanc’s (Benjai’s) The People’s Champion. The latter was the final band to grace the stage.
The competition featured three ties: Siparia Deltones and NGC Steel Xplosion (ninth place);
Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille and Sforzata (seventh place); and Pan Elders and Carib Dixieland (fifth place).
Many people, though, appeared disappointed with Dixieland’s placing and felt the band could have been in the top three. The band played Winston Henry’s (Explainer’s) Lorraine, arranged by Richards.
Earlier, Peters, speaking on behalf of the NCC and Minister of Culture Randall Mitchell, assured Tobago it will again be transformed for the 2023 October carnival.
“You will have more pan, more mas, my brothers and sisters, and more economic value for your money,” he said.
Peters also applauded the work of the Ramsey-Moore-led Pan Trinbago, which he described as visionary planning.
“Hadn’t it been for her, all of this would not be taking place the way that it has taken place from 2020 and indeed, tonight.”
Augustine said Pan Trinbago was able to do culturally what TT has been struggling to do politically – have pan in all parts of the country.
Ramsey-Moore said pan must be celebrated throughout the country.
“We have been to all the regions and as such Tobago plays a very important role. It is Pan Trinbago. I had to make the point, it is not pan Trinidad versus pan Tobago.”
Describing pan as “happy music,” Ramsey-Moore said the instrument carries a unifying element that cannot be disputed.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1. Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra – 286 points
2. NGC Couva Joylanders – 284 points
3. Pamberi – 277 points
4. Curepe Scherzando – 274 points
5. Pan Elders and Carib Dixieland – 273 points
7. Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille and Sforzata – 272 points
9. Siparia Deltones and NGC Steel Xplosion – 271 points
SCREAMS of jubilation echoed through the Parade Grounds, Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, on Monday morning as Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra was announced the winner of the National Panorama medium conventional band competition.
In winning the title, the band from Black Rock, led by Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore, dethroned the 2020 winner, Couva Joylanders, which placed second in the competition. Third place went to Santa Cruz outfit Pamberi.
Katzenjammers, which played a Kersh Ramsey arrangement, Timothy Watkins (Baron’s) Tell Me Why, scored 286 points, while Couva Joylanders and Pamberi scored 284 and 277 points, respectively.
The medium-band competition returned to Tobago on Sunday after an absence of two years owing to covid19. The event attracted a sizeable crowd, which included National Carnival Commission chairman Winston Peters, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and members of the THA.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1 Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra – 286 points
2 NGC Couva Joylanders – 284 points
3 Pamberi – 277 points
4 Curepe Scherzando – 274 points
5 Pan Elders and Carib Dixieland – 273 points
7 Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille and Sforzata – 272 points
9 Siparia Deltones and NGC Steel Xplosion – 271 points
ALL eyes will be on Tobago’s three medium steel bands on Thursday as judging in the preliminary round of the Panorama competition shifts to the island.
Mt Pleasant-based outfit Carib Dixieland is expected to play for the judges from 7pm at the band’s pan theatre, Mt Pleasant Main Road.
Manager Keston Duke told Newsday the band, which is performing deceased calyposnian Winston “Explainer” Henry’s Lorraine, is confident about moving into the next round of competition.
The piece is being arranged by Ojay Richards, who recently led Scarborough band, Uptown Fascinators, to victory in the small conventional band of the Panorama competition.
“We are feeling pretty good. We are very much confident,” he said.
“The band members are excited. We cannot wait to leggo.”
Duke said the band was fine-tuning the piece.
Next up will be NGC Steel Xplosion with Voice’s (Aaron St Louis), Out And Bad.
Manager Iran Anthony said the band, which will perform at the Buccoo Integrated Facility, is pulling out all the stops for this year’s competition.
Steel Xplosion has already created history in retaining the services of arranger Vanessa Headley, the first Trinidad woman to arrange for a Tobago band.
He said, “Preparations going good. We have decorated the pans, changed the stickers and put up signs, everything painted. And we are continuing with our nightly practice sessions.”
Bringing up the rear is Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, which is playing Baron’s (Timothy Watkins’) Tell Me Why at the band’s pan theatre, Courland Bye-Pass Road, Black Rock. The piece is being arranged by Kersh Ramsey, nephew of Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore.
On Sunday, Tobago’s two large bands, NLCB Buccooneers and RBC Redemption Soundsetters will face-off for the judges at Chance Street, Buccoo and Montgomery, Bethel, respectively. Actions begins at 7pm.
Many people, though, appeared disappointed with Dixieland’s placing and felt the band could have been in the top three. The band played Winston Henry’s (Explainer’s) Lorraine, arranged by Richards.
