Rise, Nadia; you’re numero uno
Once again it’s my profound pleasure to present my top ten pan songs for 2008.
Please be advised that selection is not based on record sales, but the sweetness of the composition and its ability to make you wine.
My selections are:
1 Rise—Nadia Batson
2 Thunder Coming
3 Pimpilum Pilum
4 Musical vengeance
5 Ten Commandments of Pan
6 Sailors on the Road
7 Celebration Time
8 Pan in the Park
9 Hooked
10 Pan Energy
Honourable mention goes to Latin on the Court (De Fosto), and Get Down and Pan in the Place (Carwash). Kudos are also in order for the other pan song composers. Guys, you made me agonise over the selections.
I am sure readers will agree with me when I say pan songs are getting sweeter than Caroni brown sugar. Nadia Batson’s Rise will surely be around for a long time; as well as the melodic bass line in a Pimpilum Pilum by Shadow. Thanks for the music, guys!
n It’s Crying Time... again
As the tempo moves to the southland my heart bleeds for the south bands, who this weekend will watch the National Panorama Finals from the sidelines at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
TCL Group Skiffle Bunch and NLCB Fonclaire carried the hopes of southerners, but failed to make the cut at the national semifinals.
It’s been a long, long, time since a south band has won Panorama; some 33 years.
The last band to win a National Panorama was Hatters in 1975. Now I’m hearing cry baby Junia Regello of Skiffle Bunch saying to increase the finalists in the National Panorama from eight to ten bands.
I don’t see how this will help the cause of the south bands... beats me.
Nevertheless I was satisfied with the efforts this year of Skiffle Bunch and Fonclaire.
Hard luck guys. Ken “Professor” Philmore and Darren Shepherd need not hang their heads in shame.
n What town say, they say!
People asking me: Who go win Panorama? You see me, this time I am offering no predictions. The last time I told readers in 2006; “Town say All Stars.” They nearly half kill me. Panorama 2K8 is too close to call. Look, I rather swim the chilly English Channel bareback, than offer a prediction.
Everybody knows I was born a Desperado(es) so they know I bias. I want to be neutral. So all I will say may the best band win and what Town say... they say! I cool with that.
n Guys, do your homework please
Today I call on some radio announcers to do their research before spouting pan information on the airwaves.
This year, I am hearing so much wrong information that I am bewildered. Holy mackerel!
Don’t these guys know that they must do their homework?
You know the Buzz likes nothing better than to offer congratulations. So today I will like to congratulate Dr Jeanine Remy on her musical comments. She really knows her stuff. Jeanine, take a bow. I hope one day to hear you and Orville Wright on the same commentary team for Panorama. That will be a blast.
Jeanine, one thing though, perhaps you can help unravel the mystery of how pan judges arrive at a half point.
n Let’s show some courtesy
I’ll always acknowledge the work done by sponsors who help steelbands development and give generously to making Carnival 2K8 a success. Now, let’s be reasonable, I can’t list everyone in the Buzz, but there are major sponsors who contribute to more than one band. Sponsors like Petrotrin, National Gas Company, bmobile, Carib and National Flour Mills.
I know for a fact that there are people who throw letters from steelbands requesting help in the dustbin. Mr Corporate Big Shot, a simple reply saying no is more courteous. Please let’s have some. My grandma always used to say a little courtesy goes a long way.
n Chinese workers
win best dress
During the Panorama prelims and semifinals at the Queen’s Park Savannah, I was rocked on my heels.
Everywhere I looked I saw Chinese workers dressed to kill like James Bond. I know the Communist Party’s philosophy encourages everyone to look, think and feel the same, but there was no uniformity in dress; as we see when they are going to work at construction sites.
Nevertheless, they gravitated to the music of the Silver Stars. Don’t be surprised if next year you see a tenor pan row of Chinese panmen. Talking about Silver Stars, they’re a danger in the National Panorama finals...watch dem, watch dem.
n Stop this ‘foreign-used’ mentality
It seems to me that Panorama and protest go hand in hand. I have made it clear that I hate when pan judges come under attack for doing their jobs. I know pan, like football in Argentina and Brazil, is filled with passion, but I think protesters are going too far.
Judges are people of integrity who judge music. They don’t adjudicate on crowd applause, how uniforms look, or adulation of steelbands.
They look for interpretation of the original composition, rhythm, pitch and tone, colour expression of ideas, progression of musical patterns; musical stuff like that. (I sounding like a pan judge eh?).
I will never tolerate the call to bring foreign judges to judge pan. Pan is we thing. With our “foreign used” mentality, we tend to decry, devalue and denigrate our people, when a little appreciation will do.
So until next week, be safe for Carnival 2K8, and keep loving up the pan.
