Carnival 2017 began with a blast on Sunday when Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (Tuco) staged Start de Carnival at The Courtyard of the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. Attended by a small but lively and energetic crowd, patrons were treated to some good music, beginning with Point Fortin Iron Giants rhythm section.
Newtown Playboyz upped the tempo with an infectious session, performing a set which included a number of popular vintage selections.
They were followed by the evening’s surprise pick, the T&T Prisons Services Band. This aggregation can hold its own in the company of established carnival fete bands.
Lead singer Marlon Jack is a new find and belted out a mix of soca ditties. His other singing comrades, Edwin Granger, Darren Greenidge, Jenelle Beach and Nicola Goodridge, also kept patrons on their feet, many of them flocking to the apron of the stage.
Prison Officer II Ricardo Hassanali is the band’s director and he told Pulse that the band has been in existence since 1978. He said: “Our repertoire covers a wide range of genres and we have played at all major national events, as well as all tattoos, military and conventional.
The band has performed in England and Barbados and we are the only prison servives band in the Western Hemisphere and in the Commonwealth.”
Allowed to perform publicly, upon permission from the Prison Commissioner, this band is excellent playing any kind of music and got patrons dancing when it played favourites like Joey Lewis’ Bound to Dance.
Between live acts, DJs Mr Desmond and Kabuki kept patrons well entertained with a mix of popular soca items from last year and some new ditties for 2017. By the number of times it was played, Peter Ram’s Good Morning seemed to be the most popular song for the DJs.
This song is said to be one of the popular selections for Panorama 2017 and is expected to be the tune of choice for defending national champion Desperadoes and bpTT Renegades.
Led by Raymond Ramnarine, Dil-e-Nadan continues to show its class as one of the country’s leading crossover bands, as was evident when they performed at Start de Carnival at the Savannah.
Ramnarine’s co-vocalists, former Young Kings Monarch Stephen Marcelle, Tony Prescott and soca newbie Renuka Mahabir, gave patrons much more than the $100 admission fee was worth. Most patrons were pleasantly surprised when Dil-e-Nadan departed from its carnival script to slip into a disco segment.
Marcelle kept folks dancing with his cover of Michael Jackson’s Rock With You, and the band’s Electric Slide was endorsed by full audience participation. Rivalry was keen between Tuco’s North and South Central regions as both mounted well-appointed booths of calypso memorabilia, including jerseys and photos.
The National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Programme (Nadapp) also administered an information booth, the first in a series of exhbitions to heighten awareness to the danger of alcohol and drug abuse over the Carnival season.
As it began at 4 pm on a high note, so did Start de Carnival end at midnight.
Panorama prelims to begin
In other Carnival 2017 news, the National Panorama competition is scheduled to begin next week Wednesday with Pan Trinbago’s Tobago Zone staging its prelimary for Single Pan steel orchestras. Preliminary competition for this category continues nightly until January 17 and shall be conducted at respective panyards.
Pulse has heard a few more Panorama selections and among those to catch my fancy are When Steel Talks and Gee Gee Ree (Crazy); We Are the Conquerors and Pan Kingdom (Anslem Douglas); Asami (Derrick Seales); Rhythm Run Things (Kernal Roberts); and Champion (De Original De Fosto Himself).
Panorama on—with or without Pan Trinbago
As far as Panorama is concerned, despite being mired in controversy, there is some good news. In an interview on Wednesday, the National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Kenny De Silva pledged that the competition will be staged, with or without Pan Trinbago Inc. In an earlier interview with Pulse, De Silva said, “We (NCC) are also cognisant of the fact that the Pan Trinbago organisation (and Panorama) is critical to the landscape of T&T.”
In response to calls to Pan Trinbago Inc president Keith Diaz and his executive to demit office, the organisation is inviting all member bands to an Emergency General Meeting tomorrow, at The Grand Stand, at 1 pm. Discussion will be on this year’s National Panorama competition and a report to membership. Two authorised delegates will allowed to attend and participate at the meeting.
Bands therefore wishing to change their present delegates filed with Pan Trinbago Inc shall be required to do so by filling out the necessary documents indicating the band’s new delegates. Members are asked to make every effort to attend this important meeting at which pertinent issues will be addressed and consensus arrived at on decisions taken.
The meeting will be convened by Richard Forteau, secretary.
Magnificent Glow in Tobago
Apparently less tempestuous, calypso is scheduled to get going on January 21 in Tobago with the opening of Tuco Tobago Zone’s Magnificent Glow calypso tent. Up to press time, however, organisers were yet to identify a location for the tent.
Calypso crosses water the following evening when Tuco North Zone holds a San Fernando premiere of Kaiso House at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (Sapa), located at the corner of Todd Street and Rienzi Kirton Highway, San Fernando.
This year, the home base of Kaiso House will be pitched at a new venue. Housed in the Queen’s Park Savannah for years, the tent will now operate out of Globe Cinema, Park Street, Port-of-Spain. Its cast is again a star-studded one and features a mix of past monarchs and newcomers, including Twiggy, the first ever NWAC Calypso Queen, Duane O’Connor, Karene Asche, Mr Chuck, Singing Sandra and Gypsy. Also on the cast are Poser, Brother Mudada, Explainer, Black Sage, Mistah Shak and Brother Resistance. Kaiso House will have its Port-of-Spain premiere on Wednesday, February 1.
Tuco’s Klassic Ruso, which fields stars like All Rounder, Crazy, Contender, Typher, Lady Wonder and Shirlaine Hendrickson, will open its door at Port-of-Spain City Hall on January 26. Kalypso Revue, headed by Sugar Aloes and including defending National Calypso Monarch Devon Seale, recently crowned Nation Building Calypso Monarch Skatie and Chalkdust, will hold its traditional premiere at Arima Veldrome on Friday, January 27.
So, with most systems in place, Carnival 2017 looks as though it will be a bumper one with thousands of visitors expected to arrive on our shores from as early as the end of this month.