By JOAN RAMPERSAD Sunday, December 2 2007

click on pic to zoom in

G- PAN: The newly designed G- Pan....

« prev photo next photo »

JANUARY

CARNIVAL 2007 was just three weeks away when a media conference was finally held to unveil plans for the festival which was taking place for the first time outside of its longstanding traditional venue, the Grand Stand at Queen’s Park Savannah.

That tardiness in the announcing of Carnival plans resulted in less tourists and masqueraders for the event as uncertainty about the festival caused many to cancel their plans to participate. Official figures showed a 20 percent reduction in the number of tourists who came into Trinidad and Tobago during the Carnival celebrations.

Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams announced in Parliament that Carnival was returning to the streets and there would be four competition points.

Skinner’s Park in San Fernando underwent a $3 million facelift to host the National Panorama competition and Dimanche Gras shifted to the Jean Pierre Complex in Port-of-Spain where the National Calypso Monarch finalists sang only one song. When no south steelbands made it to the Panorama finals, they staged their own competition. Meanwhile steelbands from the north complained about the hefty price tag of $70,000 to $85,000 to transport their pans to San Fernando.

Bacchanal raged in the calypso arena. Bodyguard took the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO ) to court after he was left out of the Calypso Monarch semi-finals.

Petrotrin Steel Xplosion too took Pan Trinbago to court to be included in the final. They lost.

Luta and Bunji Garlin opted not to defend their National Calypso Monarch and International Soca Monarch titles. The promoters of the latter competition later announced that it would be mandatory for future Soca Monarch winners to defend their titles. Luta opted to make a guest appearance at Dimanche Gras.

All-inclusive fetes evolved into ultra-inclusive fetes with patrons forking out $700 and upwards. In sharp contrast, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) hosted a $1 fete and attracted a massive crowd at their Couva South constituency grounds.

At the height of the Carnival season, calypso veteran Bomber (Clifton Ryan) announced that he was retiring from singing calypsoes and would instead sing praises to the Lord.

The Tourism Ministry contracted US cable station BET to film the Carnival celebrations.



FEBRUARY

The big winners for Carnival 2007 were Brian MacFarlane who copped the George Bailey Large Band of the Year title and the $450,000 prize money with India, – The Story of Boyie. D'Midas Associates’ Amazonia was Medium Band of the Year and the Small Band of the Year title went to Nocturn by De Boss.

Carnival King was Curtis Eustace with “The Wrath of Tutankumhan” from Island People’s Sahara, while Carnival Queen was Peola Marchan.

Marcel Young Marcel Bennett of Holy Cross College, Arima, was crowned Junior Soca Monarch, while National School Calypso Monarch title went to 11-year-old Tenisha Weekes of Melville Memorial Girls.

Junior Panorama Champ St Augustine Senior Comprehensive completed a hat-trick of wins with their performance of “Band from Space” by Crazy.

Trinidad All Stars playing DeFosto’s “Pan Lamentation” won the Panorama 2007 competition, and winner in the Single Pan Category was La Horquetta Pan Groove playing the yesteryear hit “Johnny” by Colleen Ella.

Cro Cro was crowned National Calypso Monarch and took home the $500,000 cash prize with “Nobody Ain’t Go Know”. The International Soca Monarch title went to Iwer George with “Fete After Fete.”

For the first time in the International Groovy Soca Monarch competition a non-Trinidadian took the crown – Biggie Irie of Barbados did it with “We Nah Goin Home”.

Machel Montano and his “Jumbie” ruled the road and grabbed the Road March title. Other Carnival winners included Young King Bodyguard (Roger Mohammed) with “Ungrateful Pastor”; Chutney Soca Monarch Rooplal Girdharie; and Umi Marcano was Synergy’s Soca Star with “Move That Body”.

Maria Bhola copped several calypso titles, including National Calypso Queen, Unattached, San Juan Calypso Monarch and the Political Calypso with “I Love You”.



MARCH

The Cricket World Cup (CWC) came to the Caribbean. In TT, venue for some warm-up matches, the decision not to allow entertainment at the games and high food prices kept fans away. However fringe events, including Cric Crac Cricket put on Under the Trees and Pan Yard Sensations ensured that the event was not a total loss.

Trinidadian artistes shined at the opening ceremony of the CWC in Jamaica. Machel Montano, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Faye Ann Lyons, Mungal Patasar and David Rudder were among those who held their own in an event that showcased arts and entertainment from across the region.

LH Pan Groove did not defend its Pan Down Memory Lane title after capturing it for four consecutive years. Scrunter’s Pan Groove took the crown, while Excellent Stores Silver Stars copped the Pan in the 21st Century title. The band has since upgraded to big band status. The G-pan, a new high tech steel pan was unveiled after 23 years of research and testing by the Department for Music Technology and Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West Indies.

Among the features are 37 notes, octaves, higher and lower notes, clarity and freedom of sound.

For the first time in 16 years there was no TT delegate for Miss Universe Pageant due to lack of corporate support, or assistance from Government. Eventually a Miss World delegate was chosen – Valene Maharaj who represented TT in Sanya, China.

Former Miss TT Kenisha Thom wed Corey Selvon in Tobago.



APRIL

The performing arts held the spotlight with S’fumatore d’Amore winning rave reviews. The operatic event featured performances by Rory Wallace, Raymond Edwards, Fritz Nothnagel, Nigel Floyd, Hermina Charles, Andre Thompson, Maegan Pollonais, Chermise Navarro, Tahirah Osborne, Leslie Lewis and Natalia Dopwell.

Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul came to TT as a guest of UWI to celebrate his work.

Controversy surfaced when a pastor’s daughter, Danah Alleyne, was videotaped doing a raunchy dance with hip hop artiste Akon at the Zen Night Club.

The footage was widely circulated on the internet and generated so much scandal and debate that even Prime Minister Patrick Manning was prompted to appeal for forgiveness for the 14-year-old girl.

More trouble surfaced for Zen when a fracas involving top soca artistes erupted outside the popular nightspot.

Machel Montano, Kernal Roberts, Joel “Zan” Fevek and Rodney “Benji” Le Blanc are currently before the court on charges arising out of the incident. Their next court date is February 20, 2008.

The Tobago Jazz Festival got some unwanted publicity when some pastors on the island criticised organisers of the annual event for bringing Elton John to perform. They said the international artiste’s gay lifestyle would corrupt innocent minds. THA Chief Secretary Orville London intervened, stating that Tobago will not discriminate against anyone based on their sexual orientation.

The festival went ahead with Diana Ross, Trindadian-born Heather Headley, Gladys Knight and Mary J Blige among the featured artistes.

Approximately 15,000 patrons were in attendance on the final night when Earth, Wind and Fire and Elton John held the spotlight.



MAY

Bernadette Laughlin-Scott’s Love Movement celebrated 35 years in the business by staging a concert, Power of Love.



JUNE

Trinidad and Tobago hosted the XV Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials of Cultural Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.



JULY

The Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) knocked Iwer George for failing to pay fees to air local music on his radio station. Iwer threatened to sever ties with the organisation. COTT officials also complained that several local television and radio stations were not logging music properly.

Cro Cro (Weston Rawlins) with “Patrick Is Boss” and Chalkdust (Dr Hollis Liverpool) with “Screening Test” were the top performers in the Political Calypso Monarch competition. However, two contestants with ties to opposition parties did not fare well in the competition – Gypsy (Winston Peters) had a hard time with the pro-PNM crowd and Gillian Lucky placed a disappointing seventh in the competition. Contender (Mark John) won the Political Extempo competition.

The Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company (TT Ent) chaired by Alvin Daniel was officially launched.

There was good news coming out of France where Rohan “Fireball” Richards topped the European Club Music Charts with his remix of “What I Want”.



AUGUST

The Emancipation Support Committee awarded musicologist Pat Bishop and calypsonian Mighty Duke (Kelvin Pope) the Henry Sylvester Williams Award for excellence in their fields. For Duke it was one of many awards he won during the year.

Steelbands boycotted Arima Fest in protest over payments owed for their previous appearances at the event.

The Tourism Park presented “Undiscovered Country” highlighting nine local tourist attractions, including the Gran Couva Cocoa House, the Pitch Lake, Argyle Falls and the Sewdass Sadhu Temple by the Sea. The project was designed by Kemal Manickchand.

The Marley brothers Damian (Junior Gong) and Stephen, rocked the Hasely Crawford Stadium for Summer Fest

Tropical Power Country Boys were crowned National Tassa Champs.

Independence Day National Awards went to the Genesis Steelband Project Team (G-Pan innovators), Peter Paul de Vlugt (music) and Rosalind Gabriel (Mas).

SEPTEMBER

The San Fernando Jazz Festival featured jazz artiste Aaron Neville and US-based singer Carol Addison who returned to TT after an absence of ten years.

Massive Gosine won the Chutney Political Monarch title.



OCTOBER

Sara Barran of the Sarvodaya School of Dance was crowned La Reine Rive and Malick Folk peformers were declared overall winners in Best Village 2007.



NOVEMBER

Tobagonian Kay Alleyne won the Digicel Rising Star competition and Stinger (Dexter Parsons) did the beaver trick at the Police Kaiso Monarch competition. However, calypsonian Preacher (Barnett Henry) was the biggest winner of the month as his PNM political jingle “We Stepping Up” resurrected his musical career.

Some of the biggest names in the entertainment business featured in the political rallies leading up to Election Day.

They included Adesh Samaroo, Iwer George, Peter C Lewis, Protector, Orange Sky, Anil Bheem, the Clico Shiv Shakti Dancers, Maximus Dan, Denise “Saucy Wow” Belfon and Soca Elvis.

After the election, news Ministers of Culture were sworn in - Marlene Mc Donald and Donna Cox with Junia Regrello as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry.

At the 2007 edition of the COTT Music Awards, Nelson was given the Pioneer Award, while Machel Montano was the biggest winner on the night.

Trinidadian-born Grammy winner Billy Ocean made that surprise appearance on stage to join soca singers Destra, Nadia Batson and Sanell Dempster in a performance of his 1984 hit “Caribbean Queen”.

An 11-year-old boy, Pravana Maharaj, became youngest winner of the popular Mastana Bahar competition.

He did it with his rendition “Lapat Japat Tu Arey Bajarewa.”



OBITUARIES

Culture lost a number of people in 2007. Popular manager/promoter Ellis Chow Lin On, the Golden Voice of calypso, the Mighty Terror (Fitzgerald Henry) passed away in January.

A few months later the rapso community mourned the passing of Mensa Musa, a legend in the oral traditions.

Artist Boscoe Holder, who was in his mid-80s, also passed on early in the year. His family held no religious service, only a viewing of the body and private cremation.

In April veteran music director Harry Mahabir, leader of the BWIA National Indian Orchestra passed away at 73.

In June veteran journalist Eustace Ward died at age 84 and veteran mas man Irvin Mc Williams died at age 87.

Chutney dancer Uttara Samsundar , 19, died in a vehicular accident. Legendary broadcaster and cultural icon Pat Mathura passed on at age 84.

We also lost Ian Ali, 70,best known as host of the popular Rikki Tikki children’s television show.

Respected show impresario Aubrey Adams, best known for his Ambakaila productions, passed away at 88.