Because of rains during the day that
left the Deanery Grounds venue water-logged, organizers
put down crates along paths to assist attendees to their
seats and nearby areas. They also decided to delay
the scheduled start to enable more pan lovers to make
their way to the festival also because of the inclement
weather.
Gemonites Steel Orchestra
opened up the event, performing first for the benefit of
patrons who nonetheless made it to the event on time
(despite the conditions), then launching directly into their
selections intended for the event. It could be noted
here that even with amplification through the sound system, the orchestra sounded the best acoustically for
the night, with minimal distortion. Whether by chance
or design, the sound reaching the ears of the audience was
easy, pleasing, and listenable, and included timeless tunes
like George Benson's Breezin', Tom Jones It's Not
Unusual, No Woman No Cry, and Merchant's
Better Be Careful.
To give
the crowd a great MOP-style send-off, in addition to hosts
Gemonites, also on the bill was Pan
Fantasy from Trinidad & Tobago led by Duvone Stewart, who
took the stage next, with Earth, Wind and Fire's Fantasy as
their opener. While Pan Fantasy was in the spotlight,
the level of sound was discernibly louder, with evident distortion. Nevertheless, the group was well received by
the crowd upon delivery of several 'can't miss' tunes such
as Shurwayne Winchester's Don't Stop, Bob Marley's
I Shot the Sheriff and Third World's Now That We
Found Love. Part of Pan Fantasy's line-up for this
gig was percussionist Gregory Pegus, well known as the
resident drummer for dancehall soca star Bunji Garlin.
November 26,
the date of Moods of Pan's final night, marked the one-year
anniversary of the passing of the late master musician,
arranger and composer
Clive Bradley, who Pegus regards as his mentor. He most closely related to
Bradley when in the mode of Panorama drummer for
New York powerhouse
Pantonic,
Bradley's flagship steel orchestra. To the strains of
the Eagles' classic Hotel California,
Pegus reminded the audience of the significance
of the date and asked the crowd to join him in the memory of
the late master. As they clapped and cheered, to the
surprise of many, Pegus, still seated behind the drums -
launched into the vocals of Hotel California. He stole
the limelight for the next few minutes, the final few notes
culminating with him not on drums, but with sticks in hand - at the front of the stage.
It was the turn of Willard Harris, better known and loved as
the immortal Lord Relator, also from Trinidad, after Pan
Fantasy. With his witty anecdotes in song tailored to
his local audience and accompanied by his
signature guitar, Relator also availed himself of the services
of Pan Fantasy's borrowed percussionist. Son of the
Antiguan soil Herbert 'Happy' Lewis and his Quintet followed
next, with the audience lustily welcoming him back home, in
the company of his group. Lewis has called Guadeloupe
home since 1974. With Raymond Grégo (drums), Max
Fontes (bass), Luther François (saxophone), Dominique Bérose
(piano) and Lewis on trumpet, the Happy Lewis Quintet laid
down several original selections penned by Lewis. On
their musical menu were The Olden Days, Birth of a New
Day, Guazouka, The Source, and Catching the Train.
For their finale, popular pannist Victor 'Babu' Samuel
(one-time Moods Pan Groove musician out of New York)
joined the quintet to end the set on a 'pantastic' note.
Trinidad All Stars had the honor of closing the show, and
took the stage with all the flair of an ultra-confident
group, accustomed, such as they are, to performing around
the world. With their Trini 'posse' in tow and
comfortably settled at the side of the stage - the stageside
orchestra took the audience on a star-studded musical
journey showcasing such 'gems' as a hot delivery of the
Mighty Sparrow's Doh Back Back -then mellowing out
with R. Kelly's I Believe I Could Fly; a
mid-tempo How Great Thou Art / Amen was next.
All Stars' musical standard for 2006, Soca Warrior - which
earned them second place in the
2006 Trinidad and Tobago national
panorama championship - followed, at a noticeably slower
pace than Panorama. Memories, from the musical
CATS and Help Me Make It Through The Night merged
seamlessly into Dancing Queen. Rihanna's
re-current hit Unfaithful received the loudest cheers
and applause in the All Stars repertoire to that point.
War by Bob Marley and Tequila were followed by
a medley of Sparrow's classics (Drunk and Disorderly;
Imelda; Jean and Dinah; Miss Mary), with the orchestra's set
capped off by the late Anita Bostik's All is Yours.
Despite the extreme electronic over-amplification of All
Stars when they played, stressful on the ears especially
during
their more energetic numbers, the audience was pleased,
because the musicality and skills of All Stars were never in
question, notwithstanding that they were at the mercy of the
sound system during their performance. For those who
were present from the beginning when Gemonites performed, to
the time when Trinidad All Stars was in the spotlight, the
comparable difference in audio sensitivity to deafening
sound reproduction, was obvious.
In a way, the group from Trinidad and
Tobago ended a weekend of fabulous steelpan performances
that Sunday evening, in much the same way they could be said
to have kicked it off. Nightly entertainment is part
of the all-inclusive package afforded those staying at the
Jolly Beach Resort, one of the main sponsors of the 2006
Moods of Pan festival, and on Friday, the first evening of
the festival which featured Gospel on Pan,
All Stars had already been in full swing at the resort,
delivering on site to guests, a taste of what was in store
later on that evening at Deanery Grounds, and for the rest
of the festival. With the pan music experience
available at the resort for those guests who may not have
been aware of the happenings at Deanery Grounds, it would be
no surprise that some would mark their calendars to return
specifically for the full festival in 2007. Pan music
connoisseurs who were not even on the island, are advised to
quickly follow suit.
