Intense musical rivalry expected
Panorama Semi-Finals
Deborah John Features Editor
Thursday, January 28th 2010 (Trinidad Express)

Panorama champion PCS Silver Stars, playing ’Battle Zone’ composed and arranged by Alvin Daniell and Edwin Pouchet, will play in position 13 when the 17 large conventional bands hit the stage Sunday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, for the bmobile National Panorama Semi-Finals.

First runner-up in 2009, Phase II Pan Groove with Len Boogsie Sharpe and Franklyn Olliveire’s ’Pan Army’ will play in position 16. The first to cross the stage however in this category will be PCS Siparia Deltones. The bands drew for these positions yesterday at Pan Trinbago’s Port of Spain headquarters.

In the Medium Band category, 14 bands will perform, as will 14 bands perform in the Small Conventional category which will kick off the competition from 9 a.m. at the event popularly known as the ’Savannah Party’ as it spells a day of endless music for pan lovers. However it’s not a day of ’freeness’ as in former times, as pan lovers will pay $300 for the northern greens, $260 for paddock stands and $60 at the track (bleachers).

As with last year’s competition, Tobago is well represented with seven steelbands among the 45 bands. They are Steel Xplosion, NLCB Buccooneers, Katzenjammers, West Side Symphony, Carib Dixieland, Our Boys and Rbtt Redemption Sound Setters.

It is also expected to be a day of intense musical rivalry with the top two bands playing songs like ’Battle Zone’ and ’Pan Army’ and others with ’Pan On Fire’ but it’s not all war as one Tobago band has elected to play last year’s smash chutney hit ’Radica’ by 2009 Chutney Soca Champion Kenneth Salick.

With respect to the availability of seats for Sunday, Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz said he was working with the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to have more seats put in so the paddock stands could accommodate at least 2,000. ’I especially want to have seating in place for the tuners, arrangers and pan pioneers, because they paved the way,’ he said.

Following are the semi-finalists and their categories with the names of songs and composer/arranger:

Large Conventional
- Our Boys - ’Something Special’ - Brian ’Bean’ Griffith/Alvin Daniell
- Rbtt Redemption Sound Setters - ’Pan On Fire’ - ’Defosto’ Winston Scarborough
- T&TEC Angel Harps - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/ Clarence Morris
- NLCB Fonclaire - ’Rewind’
- TCL Group Skiffle Bunch - ’Pan On Fire’
- PSC Siparia Deltones - ’Pavement’
- Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars - ’Large is Large’ - Leon ’Smooth’ Edwards
- bp Renegades - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/ Alvin Daniell/Kenneth Guppy
- WITCO Desperadoes - ’Music Magnum’ - Robert Greenidge
- PCS Silver Stars - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/Alvin Daniell
- Caribbean Airlines Invaders -’Tell Dem’ - Arddin Herbert/Ricardo Jones
- Phase 11 Pan Groove - ’Pan Army’ - Len ’Boogsie’ Sharpe/Franklyn Olliveire
- Starlift - ’Pandemic’ - Cary Codrington/Alvin Daniell
- Solo Harmonites - ’Smooth Sailing’
- Pamberi - ’Sweetness’
- Sagicor Exodus - ’Pan In the Mas’ - Pelham Goddard/David Rudder
- Birdsong - ’Vibes’

Small Conventional

- Laventille Serenaders - ’This Melody Sweet’ - Winsford Devine

- Merrytones - ’Pan War’ - Curtis Edwards - Arima Golden Symphony - ’Smooth Sailing’ - Defosto

- Crescendoes Musical -’Pan War’ - Curtis Edwards - Panosonic Connection - ’Pan on Fire’ - Defosto

- Tornadoes - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/Alvin Daniell - Tamana Pioneers - ’Pan on Fire’ - Defosto - Fascinators Pan Symphony - ’I Music’ - Joe Tempo Caesar

- Codrington Pan Family - ’Pandemic’ - Cary Codrington

- Longdenville Claytones - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/Alvin Daniell

- Golden Hands - ’Dingolay’ - Shadow - Antillean All Stars - ’Musical Fire’ - Atiba Sherwood

- Flamingoes - ’Battle Zone’ - Edwin Pouchet/Alvin Daniell - Tipica - ’Spreading Hands’ - Oscar Benjamin

Medium Conventional

- Steel Xplosion - ’Radica’ - Kenneth Salick - Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille - ’Surrender’ - Mark Loqan/Philmore

- Curepe Scherzando - ’Battle Zone’ - NLCB Buccooneers -’Surrender’ - Loquan/Philmore - Valley Harps - ’Smooth Sailing’ - Defosto - Katzenjammers - ’Lightning Strikes Twice’ - Alvin Daniell - Couva Joylanders - ’Smooth Sailing’ - Defosto - CLICO Sforzata - ’Wild and Free’ - Andre White

- Pan Elders - ’I Come Out To Play’ - Shadow - La Brea Nightingales - ’Surrender’ - Ken ’Professor’ Philmore - West Side Symphony - ’Somewhere In Tobago’ - Amrit Samaroo/Avis Bruce

- Carib Dixieland - ’Somewhere In Tobago’ - Amrit Samaroo/Avis Bruce - Arima Angel Harps - ’Smooth Sailing’ - Defosto - Tokyo - ’Mad Man Vibes’ - Jason Issac