The action-packed last weekend has ushered what promises to be a frenetic Christmas and Carnival 2016. There are 27 days left to Christmas Day and exactly 72 days to Carnival Monday on February 8 and the entertainment and social calendar is jammed with activity at virtually the rate of one-a-day.
On Saturday alone there were no fewer than five big events in the North, including Gruff’s Parang Party in Moka, the launch of Newtown Playboys steel orchestra, TriUnity Food, Fashion & Music Festival at Adam Smith Square, Woodbrook, and Parang in a Pot parang competition at St Joseph’s Convent.
There was nary room to stick a pin at the launch of Newtown Playboys, a new and separate entity from the well known Woodbrook Playboyz whose instruments are now housed in St James. The new Newtown band, managed by Port-of-Spain deputy mayor Kerron Valentine, is located at 64 Tragarete Road. Seen were Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee and corporation officers, former mayor Louis Lee Sing, former culture minister Joan Yuille Williams, former national security minister Carl Alfonso and Pelham Goddard.
On Saturday, to facilitate the huge crowd, the band had to use its panyard in addition to the adjoining customer carpark of Shiann’s Restaurant. Supporting the new steelband were executive members of Pan Trinbago Inc, members of several steelbands, and what seemed like hundreds of pan fans from all corners of the country.
Live entertainment was varied and included International and National Panorama champion Massy Trinidad All Stars, Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove, Super Novas and San City steel orchestras, Marilyn Williams, Mucho Tempo parang group and The A Team.
The stellar steelband event this weekend is tomorrow evening’s Pan In D Rosa Christmas Pan Lime 2015 being staged by the Pan in D Rosa Management Committee, with assistance from the ministries of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, and Tourism. Scheduled to begin at 6 pm at Lime Boulevard, Santa Rosa Heights, Arima, the playbill includes Desperadoes, NLCB Fonclaire, bp Renegades, Republic Bank Exodus, PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, Arima Angel Harps, SuperNovas and Melodians; plus DJ Johnny Q Sound Company DJ and Sound System.
Across the waters in Tobago tomorrow, Carib Dixieland Steel Orchestra, in conjunction with the Division of Community Development, will hold a Black History Month celebration. To be held from 5 pm at the Dixieland panyard, on the Carnbee/Mt Pleasant Main Road, the cast will feature CAL Invaders, RBC Redemption Sound Setters, NGC Steel Xplosion along with Baron, Prince Unique, De Original De Fosto Himself and Leslie Ann Ellis.
My weekend actually began on Tuesday when Meukow cognac hosted its Release the Panther product launch at Aria Lounge in Woodbrook. Following speeches by Meukow president Philippe Coste and managing director Sonia Garcia, guests enjoyed a variety of cocktails made with the cognac as well as performances by Teri Lyons, Swappi, College Boi Jesse and Meukow brand ambassador Bunji Garlin.
In other steelband news, the contract between Starlift Steel Orchestra and White Oak Rum expires at the end of this year and the legendary band has a new sponsor and arranger for Panorama 2016. From January 1, 2016, the band will be sponsored by Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd (MHTL) and its arranger will be former Desperadoes arranger Robbie Greenidge.
This evening, Starlift will launch its 2016 mas band—Starlift Through the Years—at the Starlift House of Music, 1 Christopher Samuel Drive, Mucurapo Road Ext, St James, from 7 pm. Expect lots of sweet pan music from Massy Trinidad All Stars, bp Renegades, Sapophonics, Starlift and a disc jockey.
Starlift has been adjudged Band of the Day at the Downtown Carnival Competition held on Carnival Monday on at least 19 occasions, 16 of them consecutively, with presentations of high fashion. The main difference is that the band now caters to a more mature crowd; the teenagers of the seventies have grown up. An interesting offshoot of this revival is that Starlift has successfully resisted the temptation to provide music on Carnival Mondays by DJs and has, in fact, assisted other steelbands by hiring five or six single pan bands to serenade its masqueraders on the road.
International Panorama available on DVD
The long-awaited limited edition DVD recording of the International Panorama is available. Captured “live” from the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, the set comprises the 24 competing steel orchestras on three discs.
Titled Pan On The Rise, the DVD is recorded in HD. Each of the discs is a collection in itself of the high energy performances with eight of the featured steel orchestras as they appeared at the competition.
The DVD set is a collector’s item, one that promises to recreate the excitement and musical rivalry by the participating steelbands. The International Panorama held in Trinidad in August, was produced by Pan Trinbago Inc, and featured 12 local and 12 foreign bands vying for the first prize of US$250,000 and the World Steel Pan Trophy.
At the end of the event, Massy All Stars (Curry Tabanca), SuperNovas (Dr Samaroo) and bp Renegades (Like A Boss) emerged winners. The three-disc set is a production of Pan Trinbago in collaboration with WACK 90.1FM and retails at $350.
International Panorama Pan On The Rise—The DVD will be available at most of the major music stores, including Cleve’s One Stop Music Shop, Frederick Street; Crosby’s Music Centre, Western Main Road, St James; Kam’s Record Store, Long Circular Mall; MM, Piarco International Airport; WACK 90.1FM; Sanch; and at Pan Trinbago Head Office, Park Street, Port-of-Spain.
No mas from Minsh
There was a collective gasp of disappointment this week when masqueraders learned that Peter Minshall will not be presenting a band for Carnival 2016. Expectations were high when the grapevine went ballistic with the gossip that Minshall would be returning to the mas with a presentation that would have been named Trinity. On Monday, people connected to the band said that the extremely short time of the lead-up to the 2016 festival is the main deterrent to the return of the internationally renowned and revered artist/designer.
Fete de Noel
The Coterie of Social Workers, founded in 1921 by the late Audrey Jeffers, is an organisation with branches in Port-of-Spain, Barataria, San Fernando, Siparia, Tacarigua and Tobago, and has been, from inception, committed to assisting the needy and underprivileged nationwide.
Fete de Noel (now a Tea Party) is a tradition of the Coterie—Port-of-Spain branch. It is a fund-raising event which helps host 100 mothers for Mothers’ Day, and which also helps many, many children from various homes on Universal Children’s Day.
The 2015 edition of Fete de Noel will be held on Sunday, December 6, at Audrey Jeffers House 3, Longden Street, Port-of-Spain, from 2:30 pm. Tea will be served from 3 pm to 5 pm. Entertainment and lots of fun will be part of the evening’s offerings.
The Coterie has in the past been responsible for providing breakfast sheds for school children, shelters for senior citizens, a home for the deaf, a hostel for young women, nursery schools for infants, learning centres for adult females, and homework centres for our school children.
For more information, call 621-1060 or 756-1236.