Len “Boogsie” Sharpe proudly displays the Panorama 2008 trophy that was won by Phase II Pan Groove.

My childhood days, steelband and panmen were very closely associated with and defined as “badjohnism” and “hooliganism.” A steelband clash resulted in stabbing, cutting, lick down, bus’ head and chopping up, with the odd killing.

These badjohns armed themselves with iron bolts, bull pistles, razors, cutlasses, ice picks, bottles and big stones, which were just some of the weaponry found in any steelband’s arsenal.

My grandmother took me to “see mas” including Ole Mas/J’Ouvert, on the streets of uptown Port-of -Spain, in the mid to late 1950s. However, I only saw the streets J’Ouvert morning because before I knew it I was moved to another level of seeing mas, which was from the ever popular middle class vantage point, the blazing hot, uncovered bleachers in the Queen’s Park Savannah.

All this protective custody and guidance was based on class, and the stigma attached to “beating pan.” Parents or guardians did everything possible to keep their siblings from emulating these “people with no ambition, hooligans,” fighting against each other, during their steelband clashes for strange but simplistic reasons such as, more innovative or sweeter pan, or a boss tune especially a Bomb tune.

The riots were usually regional, eg Invaders (West PoS) and Tokyo (East PoS), or Despers and Invaders, that kind of steelband cum musical turf war. It also epitomises the late Lord Blakie’s calypso hit Steelband Clash

…Invaders songin sweet comin dong Charlotte St…

…Nevah me again jumpin ‘n ah steelband ‘n Port ah Spain…

Nevertheless, my connection with the steelbands continued to be a J’Ouvert morning thing only because, I would imagine now, there was nothing in the Savannah at that time of the day.

Eventually I was allowed to go wid we band Invaders, but only for a heavily monitored and chaperoned chip, under the watchful eyes of my elder relatives and/or neighbours. I later moved on to Starlift, but the chippin’ visa expired anywhere between Strand cinema and Green Corner.

Those days you had to turn back when de band reach dey boy and [fine yuh tail] head back down Tragarete Road or Ariapita Avenue; otherwise is de finest cut skin.

The steelband rivalry and riots continued even after Carnival, very close to where I grew up, in the lower east side of Woodbrook, closer to Wrightson Road, “Across de border” we called the area, right behind the infamous Gaza Strip of nightclubs. As a consequence, I remained on total lockdown as far as steelband, beating pan and goin een tong Carnival time was concerned, until the early 1960s at about age 11/12.

Fortunately the riots ended by this time and there were now organised competitions, eg J’Ouvert morning Bomb and Panorama, and an association for the steelbandsmen.

The implementation of these ideas, government intervention etc assisted in replacing the violent approach to musical rivalry. But, while Invaders, the sweetest, slowest chip to town, or Starlift, was stuck by, or approaching Green Corner, on the way to the competition, I always headed for Park and Frederick streets, where I listened to many a band dropping their bombs.

Phase II drops bomb

behind the bridge

This J’Ouvert morning some 44 years later, Phase II Pan Groove took pan lovers down memory lane, as they ventured behind de bridge for a musical rivalry just like it occurred in the past.

After mesmerising the audience and judges at Victoria Square, in front of the offices of Pan Trinbago, with the superb rendition of the hymn Blessed Assurance, also known locally as “This is my story, this is my song,” the rack then rolled forward, with the crowd applauding and with no hesitation, missing a beat or change of tune, the Phase headed for green corner and east into Park Street.

Imagine the nostalgia and the buzz as the sweet pan in honey sounds of the west filled the empty Park Street air, with no bands or DJs in sight. Everyone aware by then…we goin’ by Hell Yard fuh All Stars, de mudder of bomb tunes, is de reel musical cut arse dey gettin dis mornin’…

Then the goosebumps began to set in as I saw a long time crack shot from “Blanca,” meh boy Horace aka Breds (who played I believe, up to and during the musical glory days of Angostura Old Oak Casablanca), following the band on the pavement with glee between Park and Frederick streets and Rosary Church, reminiscing and cherishing the moment, as this sweet-sounding West band headed into East Port-of-Spain, on J’Ouvert morning.

Blessed assurance

Crossing Charlotte Street corner into Piccadilly Street, round de bridge, another notorious rioting zone, now happily transformed into a musical zone. Visualise this setting…flag flying, iron ringing, some of the Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars faithful gaping from the back of their yard, on the other side of the Dry River obviously wondering… buh wey Phase II goin’ dis hour? Hear wey dey playin….

Before the dust could settle, a scintillating performance was being admirably accepted by a large group of All Stars supporters and players, mostly elders, in their hell yard gateway. They danced and sang along, “this is my story this is my song” waved and applauded the pore-raising brilliance of Len “Boogsie” Sharpe‘s arrangement of Blessed Assurance.

In return, Phase fanatics hoisted flags and t-shirts, beating their chests, claiming victory, vengeance, “hear it man, hear it!” “This year was the beaver-trick, it’s more than one point!” “Boogsie rules.”

And notably, all this went down with pure peace and love; no fights, no riot, just a friendly battle in that musical war zone.

In memory of Ras Elie

The playing of the hymn/song Blessed Assurance deserves being awarded a steelband Grammy, and placed in the annals or category of winning Bomb tunes. In fact, this 17th-century hymn was the featured song in two Academy-Award-winning movies in the 1980s.

I am inclined to believe this Tune of Choice was inspired by the passing late last year (2007), of Ras Eli Bang, a revered and distinguished Phase II tenor pannist, who also inspired the scissors-tail outfit for the Musical Vengeance of the grand (South) Panorama finals.

Pan connoisseurs from the Grand Stand side of the Savannah should remember him in a scissors-tail suit, complete with rose/carnation in the lapel, specifically at the prelims. Back in those days the bands rolled on stage facing west, played and exited in similar format, until the revolutionary man wid de hammer, Rudolph Charles and Witco Desperadoes pioneered the trend of facing the grand stand and by extension the judges.

All Stars did acknowledge this J’Ouvert morning feat, and later publicly thanked Phase II for its gesture of pan camaraderie, but it would have been a heavy musical showdown, (if there were no DJs/big trucks on Ariapita Avenue) and the Phase made it to East Dry River earlier, to catch them before they parked up to rest for their Monday mas.

Memories are made of these

Well, my younger pan players and friends, you can now appreciate how much some of the pan, panmen and steelband traditions have changed. Imagine, steelbands running home early J’Ouvert morning to come back out Monday evening, huh!! Pan folks my age know about little or no sleep from Sunday night until you drop Monday night. What a pity these bands did not clash musically on de road, by de corner of Charlotte and Park or Park and St Vincent streets (Green Corner), what a memorable steelband musical clash that would have been.

In any case, in these modern times, bands hardly ever pass each other on the same street; they usually go one behind the other.

—Produced and compiled by D Anthony Blackman

Next up… Pan on de road and the DJ/big truck takeover