tidings
Narissa Fraser
![[MAIN] Pan Trinbago President Beverley Ramsey-Moore celebrates with the Uptown Fascinators Steel Ochestra after their winning performance of Dollar Wine by Colin Lucas during the Panorama Small Conventional Steel Orchestra Final at Queen's Park Savannah, Saturday. - Ayanna Kinsale](https://newsday.co.tt/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/22518960-1-1024x683.jpg)
STEELPAN arranger Ojay Richards was at a loss for words as Tobago-based steel band Uptown Fascinators retained Panorama’s conventional small-group crown after a thrilling and high-energy performance on Saturday night.
Performing Dollar Wine by Colin Lucas at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, the group pipped TT Defense Force by just three points, coming first with 281 points.
The group also won the title in 2020, the last time the competition was held due to the pandemic, with Winston Soso’s “I Don’t Mind”, also arranged by Richards.
The sharp pan competition ended with some of the 16 performing bands tying at various locations.
In a Facebook video by Tobago Media, Advertising Services and Solutions, taken moments after the results were announced, a jubilant and fed-up Richards said he was still trying to come to terms with the win.
He then added that he was “beyond excited” and described it as an “amazing feeling.
“This time there are no Covid (restrictions), so we can actually celebrate the complete victory this time.”
He said his group demonstrated purity, “a bit of an edge” and creativity.
And while more creative tricks and gimmicks could have been added for the sake of fun, he preferred to “let the music speak for itself. Just let the music speak.
“We’re an extremely clean band. We executed the music cleanly and we were ready to go from there.”
Asked what some of the group’s takeaways were, Richards admitted he was too excited by the win to think about any of the takeaways.
“Every group is going to have their different trials, but that’s how you overcome it. We didn’t have anything we couldn’t handle.”
He added that he wanted to dedicate the win to a band member whose mother died the night before the final.
In an interview before the results were announced, band leader Salisha James-Martin said their aim was to get on stage and “put everything we had”.
She said that integral changes were made from their previous renditions of the song and that she was happy with the sound.
“We just feed off the arranger’s vibe. He’s a very energetic person.”
THA Tourism Secretary Tashia Burris, also in a Facebook video, congratulated Richards and the band, saying from the moment they started playing, she said, “Yeah, it’s coming home, and you brought it home.”
She said she is extremely proud of the group and that “Tobago looms large”.
Within their performance, she said, she saw “precision, execution, creativity beyond words, the heart and soul of what steel stands for.
“The best of what TT has to offer comes from Tobago.”
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts also congratulated the group, saying that this victory shows its resilience.
Shamfa Cudjoe, who is currently the line minister of this ministry, said: “The skills, harmony and strategy employed by the Uptown Fascinators in showcasing the national instrument undoubtedly inspires immense cultural pride among citizens at home and abroad.”
In a statement, the ministry said the government “continues to invest in the innovation, creativity and determination of TT people at all levels and scales.
“Indeed, the creative capacity of Trinidad and Tobago is a most valuable resource in the ongoing efforts to stimulate recovery and progress. As such, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, in line with its mandate to professionalize the sector of the arts, continues to support carnival actors in the production and development of the various elements of the festival for the benefit and prosperity of the national community.”
The ministry also praised Pan Trinbago for the quality of the competition.
Full results:
1) Fascinators Uptown – 281 – (Wine with Dollars)
2) Defense Force TT – 278 points (Raising Dust)
3) Super Stars of St Margaret – 275 points (Very new to Soca)
3) T&TEC New Eastside Dimension – 275 points (I Love Being Me)
5) Fascinators Pan Symphony – 270 points (Long Time)
6) Highlanders Steel Orchestra – 267 points (A Better Tomorrow)
7) Arima Golden Symphony – 266 points (This Melody Sweet)
8) Roadblock Steel Orchestra – 265 points (Dear Promoter)
9) Tobago Pan Thers – 261 points (Get Up and Jump)
9) Southern Stars – 261 points (out and bad)
11) Fusion Steel – 259 points (By any means)
12) Alpha Pan Pioneers – 258 points (Happy Life)
13) Genesis Pan Groove – 256 points (Bun Dem)
14) C&B Crown Cordaans – 255 points (Mash Meh Up)
15) Panasonic Connections – 252 points (Meh Calls)
16) Westside Symphony – 250 points (Calypso Music)
