Pan prelims this week

Posted By: News
Date: Monday, 10 January 2005, at 7:52 p.m.

By Terry Joseph

The first round of adjudication for all but single-pan bands begins Thursday night in panyards nationwide, with the three categories of conventional orchestras (small, medium and large) facing the jury in all four zones.

Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold said a decision was taken last Wednesday pushing back to next week the single-pan preliminaries originally slated to run concurrently with that of the full orchestras, postponement motivated by pleas from steelband captains arguing that many of their players also perform with conventional orchestras, often in different zones, making for a logistical nightmare.

The decision to allow bands a choice of current or dated calypsos in their bid for ascendancy created a minor hubbub at first announcement but among conventional orchestras, ten of 23 registered in the northern region alone have opted for vintage works, capitalising on variation of the rule that hitherto demanded they choose a tune from only those songs released during each year's Carnival season.

In an interview with New York-based website When Steel Talks published Saturday, Arnold as pan lovers would be more familiar with the music.

"Songs expressly written for pan often suffer from lack of airplay, a situation over which we have no control and, as a result, are not always well known," he said.

Describing increases in prize money as a positive development (the first prize for large conventional orchestras has risen to $400,000, Arnold saidit was only now beginning to reflect the cost of readying bands for the event which, he put at some $200,000 each year. "In the sum, Trinbagonians and foreigners alike are in for an unique and enjoyable Panorama competition in 2005, the rule change allowing past musical favourites to be performed is definitely a factor in that regard," Arnold said.

Among the northern region high-profile large bands opting for back-in-time selections, Neal & Massy All Stars will play Leon "Smooth" Edwards' interpretation of Free Up by Chris "Tambu" Herbert, BWIA Invaders is in with Arddin Herbert's work on Baron's Say Say and PCS Starlift, who will render Leston Paul's arrangement of Baron's Melosian Rhapsody.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com

Messages In This Thread

Pan prelims this week
News -- Monday, 10 January 2005, at 7:52 p.m.