When one thought that Part I staged by Kaiso Lovers International at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya, Tunapuna, on Easter Monday had satisfied patrons’ desire to relive some of the golden oldies in calypso, the large turnout for last Friday’s Calypso and Soca Monarchs Past and Present Part II at the Jean Pierre Complex in Woodbrook suggested otherwise.
Between a beautiful 10-year-old, nation-building calypso by Dee Diamond (Denison Moses) titled Love T&T, that opened the playbill at 9 pm, and the closing performance by reigning joint Soca Monarch and Road March champion SuperBlue (Austin Lyons) of his popular hits, including Fantastic Friday, at 2 am Saturday, the musical treasures of 15 of our songwriters and calypsonians showcased on the occasion confirmed that calypso music cannot ever really perish.
Considering it was the eve of the 51st anniversary of Independence, Skatie’s (Carlos James) proper presentation of Sniper’s (Mervyn Hodge) Portrait of Trinidad, Sugar Aloes’ (Michael Osouna) extremely commendable effort at Funny’s (Donric Williamson) How Yuh Feel, Explainer’s (Winston Henry) stab at Sparrow’s (Slinger Francisco) Model Nation, and Pink Panther’s (Eric Taylor) version of Lord Baker’s (Alex King) God Bless Our Nation were appropriately chosen selections in their respective repertoires.
Two-time Soca Monarch (1995 and 1997 tie with SuperBlue) Ronnie McIntosh was there to show he is still a class entertainer. Seemingly still in possession of the performance perfection that catapulted him to fame, he ignited the crowd with energy-filled renditions of past compositions On The Road, Biting Insects, How It Go Look and Ent.
Guest performer pannist Earl Brooks raised the bar on pan solo performances, giving an awe-inspiring treatment to the favourite hymn How Great Thou Art, backed by accompanying aggregation The Mystery Band, and chorus singers led by Marilyn Williams. Later, he would provide solid accompaniment for Black Stalin (Dr Leroy Calliste) in his offering of Play One.
David Rudder once again worked his magic, getting the crowd to abandon their chairs as he stood on one amidst them to deliver his repertoire that included Calypso Music, Trini to the Bone, and High Mas.
Not to be outdone, Scrunter (Irwin Reyes Johnson) had patrons singing along to Take The Number, The Will, and Woman On The Bass. Denyse Plummer, too, won plaudits for choosing One Moment In Time among her selections, and Johnny King had an enjoyable sojourn among the crowd to perform Nature’s Plan, Charmaine, and Ah Want It.
Reigning Calypso Monarch Panther had patrons laughing uncontrollably at the updated lyrics he infused in Misprint and Travel Woes, two songs that knocks the present administration for its style of governance, and Baron (Timothy Watkins) lent his sweet voice to Don’t Go and Feeling It.
During the past 50 years the vibrant, fiery and pulsating rhythms of Swallow’s (Rupert Philo) soca hits have created frenzy wherever and whenever he performs. The Dean of Calypso, as he is referred to in his homeland Antigua, received tremendous acclaim for another great performance on Trinidad soil of his hits Caribbean Godfather, Subway Jam and Fire In The Back Seat. After performing for many years in Trinidad, Swallow is still a major crowd favorite with calypso lovers here.
Selwyn Hodge, son of the late Sniper, accepted a commemorative award on his father’s behalf for the calypso Portrait of Trinidad, from the show’s producer. Emcee duties were shared between Dennis “Sprangalang” Hall and Tommy Joseph.