Take that for last year

February 13, 2002
By Bukka Rennie

The genesis to the blow-out that took place at the Panorama finals on Saturday night lies in the "robbery" of All Stars last year. We need to recall what took place.

All Stars played in the number one position. There was no fear about the band opening the show. On the very first occasion that All Stars won a Panorama, it was 1973, the band played first then.

Incidentally, that's a piece of information that Alvin Daniell appeared to be doubtful about on Saturday night as he commentated on the performances while on TTT in the company of Prof Orville Wright.

But an even more interesting connection as the "fellahs" in Hell Yard pointed out: in 1973 All Stars' choice was the famous Kitchener piece, "Rainorama", while in 2001, the choice was Preacher's "Rain Melody".

So All Stars went ahead full of confidence with a sterling presentation of Leon "Smooth" Edwards' arrangement of another "Rain" tune.

But fate was not to be on the band's side. The caprice, or "capeeche" as the old folks were wont to say, did not work. Thanks to one judge.

Of the seven judges that adjudicated in 2001, six had All Stars in the top three positions: three had All Stars first, two placed All Stars second, but that one particular judge in question placed All Stars seventh of the 14 bands that appeared in the finals.

That one decision shot down All Stars and placed Exodus first.

Now after judges who are competent hear all the bands at the same time in the same place one will expect the variances to be very minimal.

According to Prof Orville Wright on Saturday gone: "If the disparity is wide, then something radically is wrong."

Well something appeared to be radically wrong that night. No big deal! It was nothing new.

In its history, All Stars is of the view that the band lost to date some five Panoramas due both to incompetence and/or deliberate mischief.

It is the only reputed big band in the land that loses despite presenting winning arrangements. That has never happened to Desperadoes or Renegades. Each time they have been occasioned to present potentially winning arrangements, they won.

Not All Stars. And the following list says it all: "Heat"(1982), when the band was about to seize a hat-trick; "Curry Tabanca", still to date the steelband piece given the most air-play both in the slow version as well as the authentic final night version; "Dust In Yuh Face", the only time in history a band was given a standing ovation and people were demanding an "encore"; "Me and Mih Lady!", adjudged the most musical piece of that year, and finally "Rain Melody". That's five.

In the folklore of the band, All Stars feels strongly that it has won to date, 2002, ten Panoramas, but was only given five.

There was even one year when a judge went as far as to refuse to give All Stars any marks because he felt that the choice, "Trinidad Oil", was not a Panorama tune.

Imagine that!

But how traditionally do bands react to such eventualities?

Some like Desperadoes file injunctions or incorporate some means of protest as they parade the streets.

There is too an unwritten view in this society that you have to make people afraid of you in order to get by, to get your just desserts.

That is also a part of the Carnival psyche. You go around "scaring" people to get respect and recognition. That is all part of the concept of "playing ah mas".

That was also part of the Rudolph Charles mystique of leadership. The "Desperadoes coming" tactic, and the "hill coming down" that forced everyone to pay attention.

Much like the Pandayesque strategy of scaring everyone into behaving as he would like them to behave.

Not surprisingly no workers anywhere in T&T went on strike action in the last six years except the nurses and we saw the result of that.

All else were cowed, for they knew that no one "could escape unscathed". Only now since the 18-18 result have people begun to flex.

All Stars, though undaunted throughout its history, never adopted the scaring tactics. That was never the approach.

All Stars always responded with musical warfare, musical aggression. You rob "Rain Melody" in 2001, well, let us see you rob "Fire Storm" in 2002. Like Bunji say, "You want to rob, take dat!