By Colville Mounsey
Renowned pannist, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe presenting CDs to (from right) Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Minister of Culture for Trinidad and Tobago, Lincoln Douglas; and Barbados’ Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley.
Barbados - AS is customary every year, scores of persons gathered on the lofty slopes and well manicured lawns of Ilaro Court to be a part of the indescribable synergy of melodic steel pan music under a star lit sky, dubbed The First Citizens Pan Fusion. The proceedings on Thursday night got off to a fiery start immediately after the usual formalities, as the Trinidad and Tobago Steel Symphony Orchestra, demonstrated remarkable prowess with the instrument spawned in their native land.
They opened with a symphony by William Tell, a performance which would have rivalled any at Carnegie Hall. The group then delighted the appreciative crowd with a number entitled the “Festival of Voices” which evoked a rousing ovation from the captivated crowd.
But it was during their performance of the number entitled “Blue Bussa” that the versatility of the once humbly regarded instrument was highlighted as it entailed a samba element, which sounded so sweet on the specially engineered G pans. Of course, their 45-minute set would not have been complete without a selection a music from Barbados and they opted to sample from one the country’s best with a rendition of “Emmerton,” which would have made its composer, ”The Mighty Gabby” proud.
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