Fritz Taylor, representing Eastern Credit Union, won the second Corporate Calypso Monarch Competition hosted by the Vintage Kaiso Brigade at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain, last Sunday.
In offering his selection titled They Gone Where The Money Is, Taylor seemingly benefited from the experience he gained on the cast of the Kaiso Revue tent last Carnival, where he showcased the song nightly, to win the judges' favour and take home the $25,000 first prize. Placing second for a $15,000 prize was the defending champion Kevaughn Medine of National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) with the presentation of a creatively-structured composition titled Day To Day. Third place and $10,000 prize went to Levi Dick of Atlantic LNG for his solid contribution termed The Nation Builders.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), treasurer of the organisation Dennis Cox (Lasana) observed that the special calypso event was being staged on a special day, Father's Day. He said TUCO was supportive of any effort to keep the calypso art form alive, and contended that the Corporate Calypso Monarch Competition could become "the start of a new career for some contestants." Seventeen of 18 corporate competition winners of 2012 (the National Gas Company representative failed to show) delivered their selections before an adjudication panel comprising Diane Marshall-Holdip, Teddy Pinheiro and Canute Spencer, and an almost full house of vociferous patrons, many armed with signs and lighted devices in tangible shows of support for their colleagues. Companies and organisations represented included American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, Queen's Park Cricket Club, Atlantic LNG, Eastern Credit Union, T&TEC, TSTT, Port-of-Spain City Corporation (2), Rhand Credit Union, MTS, Central Bank, Ministry of Works, Angostura Limited, NLCB, Ministry of The Arts and Multiculturalism, and WASA.
Flawless accompaniment for the contestants was provided by an aggregation of top-class musicians led by Brother Superior (Andrew Marcano), head of the Vintage Kaiso Brigade, and inclusive of Michael "Ming" Low Chew Tung, Curtis Lewis, and Michael Germain, among others. As he did last year, show host Mervyn Telfer kept patrons thoroughly entertained and laughing uproariously to a slew of tasteful jokes and incisive comments. Making guest appearances on the programme were Brother Mudada (Alan Fortune), reigning Extempo Champion Lady Africa (Leslie Ann Bristow) and the 2012 National Calypso Monarch Duane O'Connor, who had his ten-year-old son Ta'zyah accompany him on stage to give an awesome presentation of the winning Larry Yearwood-written composition The Hunt Is On. A lucky female patron won the door prize of lunch for two at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre.