Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Surrey Village, Lopinot-based steelband, Supernovas Steel Orchestra woke up Ariapita Avenue in the wee hours of Sunday morning, after unleashing a highly energetic and spirited performance, at Pan on d’Avenue VI, hosted by the Woodbrook/St James Community Association.
Founded by Amrit Samaroo, son of legendary arranger Jit Samaroo, led the band from the rhythm section and gave the crowd a wonderful version of the Beatles’ Yesterday, then raised the tempo to the highest of heights for Maestro’s Fiery and Gold, and kept the momentum going with Technically (Farmer Nappy/Destra Garcia).
The band was followed by a large crowd after it moved off from the central playing point.
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Could we hear Supernovas, Yesterday. I am a Trini living in Vancouver. sure its sweet.
https://youtu.be/n5yTV478uX0
I think the youths of Sangre Grande Cordetts, did themselves a world of good, giving us renditions from Machel Montano. Cova Joylanders never fail to impress, they are always the band that could but never do win.
Newtown Playboys is a small band, Joan talking about the "big guns"
I always like reading articles written by Joan Rampersad; she is a strong and dedicated media supporter of PAN and CALYPSO.
But I cannot believe that she put NEWTOWN PLAYBOYS in the ALSO RAN category. Granted SUPERNOVAS was LIVELY (if a little frantic and noisy) and the "GOLD" was smartly chosen. And which STEELBAND could mess up Maestro's "FIERY" (one of my favourite calypsos of all time)?
NEWTOWN PLAYBOYS had about 12 to 15 players and no excessive percussion. Man, you could just hear the skill of those players skating off the PANS from the bed of that TRUCK down to the streets and across the Atlantic and all the way to the Pacific with the PUREST RENDITION OF CALYPSO you could find anywhere.
How Joan Rampersad miss that and put NEWTOWN PLAYBOYS in the "ALSO APPEARING" category have me on the verge of going through that tape again and listening to NEWTOWN PLAYBOYS for about the 10th time this week to see if ah HEARING THINGS and ready to be put in the OLD FOLKS HOME!!!
The whole event is so heady for me, I just never seem inclined to differentiate. The atmosphere breeds Freedom, bands just sound sweet--people prancing with polish; and those elders like me showing off the long time steps. I wish it could be copied and done in other communities.