More pan and J’Ouvert

Several top steelbands participating in pan-on-the move will stop in front the St James Amphitheatre and Park, St James, to perform a tune of choice before heading east along the Western Main Road. Traditional mas will also be featured in the night’s entertainment which begins at 7 pm.

But before that, from early as 4am, invited J’Ouvert bands will start the revelry along the Western Main Road, from the amphitheatre.

Last Sunday, pan also got top billing via the return of the Pan Explosion event that had been off the WeBeat calendar of events for quite a number of years. And, what a treat it was for pan aficionados.

Held at the amphitheatre the mostly mature patrons, with coolers in hand, settled in a picnic atmosphere and were delighted with what they heard from the bands.

Bp Renegades Youth got the show started with a lovely version of Real Unity (Machel Montano/ Drupartee Ramgoonai), followed by Ella Andal’s Rhythm of a People, after which they had the audience moving to Master Blaster (Stevie Wonder), as the youths ramajayed on their pans.

Their playing of Morning Dance (Spyro Gyra) showed their knowledge of music beyond their years, ramajaying even more, and loving it. The band then switched musical genres and gave the crowd We Jammin (Bob Marley) and Vivir Mi Vida (Marc Anthony) before delivering an entertaining medley of Black Man Feeling To Party (Black Stalin), Fire Fire (Calypso Rose), Dingolay (Shadow), Ben Lion (Andre Tanker) and Calypso (David Rudder).

The Youths closed with Calypso Rose’s award-winning Leave Me Alone, the song with which they won the National Junior Panorama competition, but gave the crowd a lagniappe via Full Extreme (MX Prime and the Ultimate Rejects).

The evergreen Samaroo Jets, celebrating its 50th anniversary, used the opportunity to launch that feat and began their repertoire with Portrait of Trinidad (Sniper). There was a shout of “smooth” at the end of the song.

They continued with truly a smooth version of Begin the Beguine (Cole Porter) followed by the Mighty Sparrow’s Memories, a song that many present thought was most apt given the passing within the last year of their leader Jit Samaroo and also Earl Crosby, to whom tribute is being paid by the WeBeat organisers.

The band featuring Jit’s son Amrit went on to play a Spanish medley – Alma Llanera (Pedro Gutiérrez/Rafael Bolívar) and El Relicario (Jose Padilla), then gave the crowd Meditation (Antônio Carlos Jobim), the popular Bollywood number Didi Tera Devar Deewana (Lata Mangeshkar and S P Balasubrahmanyam), My Way (Frank Sinatra), Money is No Problem (Merchant) and Unforgettable (Nat King Cole).

The Jets closed off their performance with Shadow’s I Come to Play into Bassman, into Dingolay and closed with When the Saints Go Marching Home refrain.

They were well appreciated by the crowd who applauded their effortless style of play.

PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars followed with I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), The Winner Takes It All (Abba), Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton), and Feel So Good (Chuck Mangione).

However, the congas were too loud and drowned out the tenor pans at times. But that aside, the front-line pannists were a joy to look at, with their co-ordinated moves and music.

National Panorama champs Massy All Stars, dressed in the national colours began a champion display of pan-playing starting with a bar of People (Barbara Streisand), then the sound of a siren, they immediately raised the tempo with a Sparrow medley comprising Obeah Wedding, Lizard, Jean and Dinah and Jane, then slowed down the tempo with Paradise Gardens (Shakatak) and Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum), before getting into some Latin sounds with Mas Que Nada (Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66), broke out into a rock and roll beat, then returned to the Latin beat and other selections before their closing number Full Extreme, the song with which they captured their title, brought back sweet memories of the Savannah last February.

Deputy Port-of-Spain Mayor Hillian Morean brought greetings to the proceedings and among those in the crowd were former culture minister Joan Yuille-Williams, MP for the area Marlene McDonald, Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz and president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation, Lutalo Masimba.

Today’s WeBeat events 4am: J’Ouvert along the Western Main Road, from the St James Amphitheatre.

7pm - 2am: Steelband and Traditional Mas Street Parade Participating steelbands: PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, St James Tripolians, Phase II Pan Groove in association with HADCO, Woodbrook Playboyz, CAL Invaders, Scrunters Pan Groove, Harvard Harps, Musical Gems, Newtown Playboys and Brimblers.

Others on the road: Old Tech Steel Orchestra, Blue Diamonds, Pan Jammers and D’Tunapuna Vibrations, La Creole Pan Groove –the lone stationary band, will set up in front of the St James Park and Amphitheatre and will entertain the public pre-parade.

Both Massy Trinidad All Stars and bp Renegades have been invited to participate.