Even though it was after 1 am yesterday when reigning Panorama champion Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra completed its performance at the fourth edition of the 8 of Hearts Steelband Concert at the Laventille Complex on the Angostura Compound, the audience refused to leave the venue until the orchestra played its signature selection Woman On The Bass.
This, despite having sat through six hours of contrasting performances from the top nine bands (there was a tie for the eighth position) emerging from the 2012 National Steelband Panorama Competition. The concert, a production of the Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation, is staged biennially.
This year's participants were NLCB Fonclaire, RBC Redemption Sound Setters, CAL Invaders, Republic Bank Exodus, Solo Harmonites, BP Renegades, PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove and All Stars. The eight-time Panorama champion willingly obliged its fans, and produced another riveting rendition of the calypso sung by Scrunter (Irwin Reyes Johnson) that earned it the title way back in 1980.
Earlier, the orchestra had offered a splendid repertoire of songs that featured the inclusion of vocalist Sheldon Reid to lend voice to Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale, and saxophonist Curtis Lewis to interpret Johann Sebastian Bach's Air On A G String. Opening the playbill was the NLCB Fonclaire doing Ken "Professor" Philmore's Pan By Storm, the selection that won it second place in the 1990 Panorama final.
Lending support to its overall effort was calypsonian Baron (Timothy Watkins) who complemented the band's offerings with a showcase of some of his popular work, inclusive of Feeling It and Tell Me Why. All the bands utilised either singers or musicians to enhance their 45-minute performances.
Exodus had the services of Pelham Goddard and members of Roots, Harmonites brought along saxophonist Anthony Woodruffe Jr, Renegades used singer Dexter Theophile, Silver Stars had Denyse Plummer do an enchanting rendition of One Moment In Time and Phase II brought along the Lydian Singers to assist in glorious presentations of Heal The World and Archbishop Of Pan.
A special presentation was made to "stalwart Laventille resident," musicologist Merle Albino-de Coteau for her contribution to culture in the community. A retired Director of Culture, Albino-de Coteau, a graduate of McGill University, Canada, and the University of the West Indies, is the holder of several awards for contributing to music in Trinidad and Tobago.
She is a recipient of a national award, the Humming Bird Medal (1993) for her contribution to culture, particularly for calypso and steelband activities. Making the presentation was Works Minister and acting Prime Minister Jack Warner. Also present at the event were Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism Winston Peters, Laventille East MP Nileung Hypolite, former minister of culture Joan Yuille-Williams, and president of Pan Trinbago, Keith Diaz.