|
 Laventille, Trinidad -
Laventille was
in the spotlight when it unveiled the 'Eight of Hearts' Steelband
music concert on Sunday September 24. This was the community's unique celebration in honor of Carifesta IX - with
an offering of eight of the
best steel orchestras in Trinidad and Tobago putting on star-studded
performances on the grounds of the Laventille Community Complex.
When Steel Talks
(WST) spoke with Sean Nero, Communications Director,
Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation, who acknowledged
that the show got of the ground a mere five minutes after the 7:00
PM scheduled start.
 The line-up featured the stageside representations of some of the best
known steel orchestras in Trinidad and Tobago, and indeed, the
world.
Redemption Sound Setters hailing from the sister isle of
Tobago, opened up the evening of performances, with arranger Winston
Gordon (pictured right)
directing them. The southland was represented
next with
Skiffle Bunch's talented and world-traveled pan musicians
delivering - like many of the orchestras for the evening - a diverse
repertoire featuring R&B, soca, pop and in their case -
classic selections. Stevie Wonder's timeless Lately met
with crowd approval; so too did a duet, All I Ask of
You, with violinist Anselm Walters
(pictured below).
Pan and culture connoisseurs were treated to their fill of pan music
for just over six hours, before the show came to an end shortly after
1:00 AM. But before the final curtain came down, the spotlight would fall
additionally on the
likes of
Desperadoes, reigning national panorama champions
Phase II
Pan Groove,
Renegades,
Trinidad All Stars,
Starlift and
Exodus.
Starlift
 celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, which was a
comeback period for them during the national panorama competition.
After Starlift alumnus and arranger Ray Holman returned to the band, they
went on to place fourth in the finals, after not getting past
preliminaries in 2005. At the Eight of Hearts concert, for two
of their selections the orchestra combined forces with other
conventional instruments. The St. Augustine Chamber Orchestra
(pictured left)
and bassist Michael Boothman joined Starlift on stage during their
performance.
Exodus Steel Orchestra had just returned from Europe about
twenty-four hours earlier, and showed no signs of jet lag as their
pannists put on performance after performance designed to capture
the crowd. Drummers, limbo dancers
(pictured below)
and a female vocalist (who
is also a pan player in the band)
(pictured right)
were part of the complete show
package presented by Exodus. On hand to witness the event were
band manager Ainsworth Mohammed, and resident arranger Pelham
Goddard.
 |
 |
| Limbo dancers
accompanying Exodus on stage |
Ainsworth Mohammed, above, (in black
pants), with
Pelham Goddard at center |
 Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra won the coveted 'People's Choice'
award for the 2006 panorama season, and took second place in the
competition. At the concert, the stageside's execution
(pictured left)
of
their 2006 panorama selection Soca Warriors, was as
passionate as their panorama night performance. Versatility is
one of the strong points of All Stars' steel orchestra, evident in
the effortless way they incorporated eighteen-year old R&B singing sensation Rhianna's smash Unfaithful in their repertoire.
 With an almost limitless supply of music to choose from over the
years, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra included Picture on My Wall
and Ordinary People, both arranged for them by the late
master musician Clive
Bradley, in their Eight of Hearts concert repertoire. For
those in the crowd who were heard saying - half-wistfully,
half-grudgingly - that Desperadoes did not deliver signature tunes
like Don't Leave Me This Way and this year's So Sick,
they had to keep in mind that there was a finite time for each band
to perform. At right is the band's Assistant Manager, Anthony
McQuilkin.
 |
 |
| Desperadoes on stage |
(Desperadoes
supporters and guitar player relaxing
after the band played, (above)) |
Not to be outdone, Renegades
had the audience under their spell when
they took the stage. A special selection which went down
extremely well with the crowd was their tune of choice for the 2006
Pan In The 21st Century competition - Lionel Richie's All Night Long
- which got them second place honors. On Sunday's show, local
R&B group sensation H2O Phlo
(pictured left)
joined Renegades for a vocal and steel treat.
 Phase II had the honor of closing the show, a position which they
took full advantage of. The musicians here, like the majority
who took part in the concert, enjoyed themselves as they got off to
a very funky start, and proceeded to slam home one tune after
another. Like All Stars before them, Phase II playing their
2006 panorama selection - This One's For U, Bradley - which gave them the championship, was like
going back to that night at the Savannah, even with a significantly
reduced orchestra (from one hundred twenty - to about thirty!!).
And like the other bands before them, the interplay between players on stage was
a sight to behold. Two of Phase II's bass players, and one
tenor player in particular
(pictured right and below-left, respectively), mesmerized onlookers as they themselves
became lost in the music.
 |
 |
| Phase II bass player on stage |
President
Maxwell Richards at the Eight of Hearts concert |
The
President of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Professor Maxwell
Richards, who is also the patron of the Laventille Steelband
Festival Foundation (the organization which produced the Eight of
Hearts concert) was on hand for part of the show, and took his
leave just after Desperadoes' performance. One of the two
emcees for the night - veteran radio personality Phillip Simmons
- thanked the President for his patronage and support as he exited
the event. His Excellency
was additionally applauded by the crowd when Simmons went on to say
that the President never turned down an invitation to visit the
Laventille community whenever he was invited.
 All in all,
and as far as
WST
could discern, the event appeared to be very well put together, and
began within five minutes of the scheduled time. A crowd of a
few hundred was on hand, and really came in after eight.
This may have been due in part to some discrepancy about the
starting time of the concert. Carifesta programs (and some
on-air advertisements) advertised an 8:00 PM beginning, while at
least one print media outlet, like the press release, had a 7:00 PM
showtime. Nevertheless, things at the event itself apparently ran like clockwork,
from the average onlooker's perspective. There was no gap
between band appearances, as two stages were in use. One orchestra set up
behind drawn curtains while another performed. And even though
musicians themselves removed a number of their frontline and middle pans, the organizers should be applauded for having dedicated staff
on hand to take care of the larger instruments, both when bands were
setting up, and finished playing. No dropping of steelpan
instruments here by 'don't give a damn' personnel, as occurred when
Madison Square Garden union workers were responsible for removing
instruments after band performances at the June
2005 World Steelband
Music Festival in New York. The Laventille Steelband Festival
Foundation, responsible for the successful production of a show of this
[Eight of Hearts] magnitude,
must be commended for a professional and courteous presentation for
patrons and invited dignitaries alike.
WST
takes this opportunity to thank the steelband
musicians and band managements in general for their accessibility
during and after their stage appearances.
For those who could not get enough of steelpan music, the Eight of Hearts
concert was the place to be to stem that thirst, albeit temporarily.
But for those who missed out, Carifesta IX features several steel
orchestras from Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean during the
September 22-October 2 event, along with Pan Trinbago's 'Panyard
Sensations' which runs until September 30, 2006.
Eight of Hearts in Pictures
Basement
Press Corp
©2006 When Steel Talks - All Rights Reserved
Join When Steel Talks Mailing List
Find Anything Related to Steelpan Music - WST
Google Search
click for more on>>
Steelpan In New York
From the
News Desk of When Steel Talks
Share
your opinions
Message Board
or
Email:
opinions@panonthenet.com
-From The Opinion Desk of When Steel Talks
Copyright 2006 -
Basement Recordings, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ANY REPRODUCTION,
REPRINTING OR COPYING OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS, OR ANY OTHER MATERIAL
- AUDIO, VISUAL OR TEXT - FROM THE
BASEMENT RECORDINGS/WHEN
STEEL TALKS/PANONTHENET
WEBSITES, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN
PERMISSION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF WHEN STEEL TALKS.
|
Make Sure Your Steelband
Music and Art Collection Is Complete |
|
|
|
