Press Release

Contact: Robin Margetson Phone: (268) 773-3748

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11 AM, November 7, 2003

 

 

MAJOR STEELBAND FESTIVAL SOUNDS OFF NOVEMBER 27^th

 

The fifth annual edition of a major Caribbean steelband festival will sound off in Antigua at month-end with some of the major stars in pan music.

 

The annual Moods of Pan Festival, runs from November 27th to 30th.

 

World-acclaimed pannists, Len "Boogsie" Sharpe, Liam Teague and Robert Greenidge, along with Barbadian jazz saxaphonist Arturo Tappin, join Antigua's national Panorama champions, Gemonites Steel Orchestras, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and the Mighty Sparrow for a weekend celebration of the authentic Caribbean instrument.

 

Top soloists and bands from Antigua will also be part of the four nights of concerts and exciting competitions. Previous festivals have featured such international pan stars as Andy Narell,  Ken 'Professor' Philmore and the Samaroo Jets.

 

Antigua, the home of a rich tradition in steelband dating back to the mid-1940s with the first commercially recorded steel orchestras -- Brute Force and Hells Gate --  is now home to a new tradition of annual celebration of the steelpan -- the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th Century.

 

Organiser of the Moods of Pan Festival is the Gemonites Steel Orchestra, a young and dynamic group that is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding by students of a local secondary school, the Princess Margaret. Gemonites spokesman, arranger and composer Robin "Schwarp" Margetson, says Moods of Pan has become an important event on the regional steelband music calendar.

 

"Moods of pan is one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding steelband festivals not only in Antigua but even the Eastern Caribbean," says Margetson. "It provides the opportunity for Antigua and Barbuda to witness some of the finest local, regional & international musicians."

 

It's Teague's debut at the annual festival. Dubbed the "Paganini of Pan", this virtuoso soloist and composer is Assistant Director of the Northern Illinois University Steelband, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music. 

 

The recipient of several awards in his native Trinidad and Tobago, Teague has mastered not only the steelpan, but the violin and recorder.  He has appeared frequently with the with Chicago Sinfoniett and at the famed Kennedy Center in Washington DC.  He has also performed with the Czech National Symphony, Panama National Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Buffalo Symphony, among several other ensembles.

 

As a recording artist, he has recorded six compact discs, but is perhaps best known for his teaming up with saxaphonist Tappin for "T 'n T (Teague and Tappin) in 2000.

 

Len "Boogsie" Sharpe is making his third appearance at Moods of Pan. He is again expected to play to packed houses along with famed soloist Robert Greenidge who makes his second appearance in Moods of Pan.

 

Sharpe, arguably the world's finest exponent of the instrument, is an illustrious composer, arranger and pan player.

 

Recently, Sharpe joined famed calypso arranger/keyboardist Pelham Goddard to record the CD, "Sticks and Fingers".

 

Greenidge is a master recording artist, arranger and performer with the Desperadoes steel orchestra, whose music has been featured with Carly Simon, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Grover Washington Jr. and Ralph McDonald.

 

The Gemonites orchestra promises steelband lovers will get a treasured, once-a-year chance to experience the birth of many unknown local artistes as well as to compare our music product with the rest of the region.

 

"Through the festival, a new generation of local pannists are getting an idea of exactly how far they can progress in the pan world," Margetson adds. "It helps them to understand and appreciate music at the next level and encourages them to aspire to these heights!"

 

A major highlight of the festival is the five-a-side competition, "Five-Alive". In this contest, groups of no more than five pannists get to interpret their choice of the music of a calypsonian and vie for prizes.

 

Last year, the "Five-Alive" competition featured the work of Antigua's veteran calypso monarch, "Swallow". This year, the world's great exponent of calypso, the Mighty Sparrow is being celebrated.

 

The Gemonites orchestra spokesman promises an "extremely entertaining evening of pan music" with a miniature version of Panorama steelband competition, the Antigua & Barbuda Teacher's Cooperative Credit Union Limited "Keep Pan Alive with Five" contest on Saturday November 29^th on the grounds of the St John's Cathedral Centre.

 

"Also known as 'Five-Alive', it's the most unique pan competition anywhere in the pan world and has tremendous scope and potential for expansion," Margetson says. "Five-Alive is about participating in a competition where the emphasis is on performance and audience enjoyment, both musically and visually! It is a wonderful family event and creates much friendly rivalry and electricity."

 

 

Moods of Pan Festival 2003 opens Thursday November 27^th with "Pan Classics", as the Jolly Beach Resort hosts a VIP night of classical melodies and Caribbean rhythms under the stars. "Pan Classics" features special guests the Migthy Sparrow, a one-night-only appearance by Arturo Tappin with Liam Teague, the Gemonites School of Pan, the AMP Halycon steel orchestra and Miss Trinidad and Tobago 2003, Faye Alibocus.

 

Teague headlines Friday night's concert at the St John's Cathedral Cultural Centre. Also performing will be the Gemonites orchestra, Guadeloupe-based Antiguan soloist Fitzroy Desouza and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra, making its second appearance at "Moods of Pan". 

 

On Sunday night, the Moods of Pan Festival climaxes at the Cathedral Culture Centre with another all-star cast led by Robert Greenidge, Boogsie Sharpe, Pelham Goddard and the Gemonites orchestra. They will be joined by Antiguan pannist Gary Dublin who is based in Florida.  

Contact:

Robin Margetson

Public Relations Officer

Gemonites Steel Orchestra

(268) 773-3748 (mobile)

(268)480-5647 (office)

463-7909 (Antigua only)

 

 

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