http://www.basementrecordings.com/news/otharticles/panoramnv1.htm



By NICOLE VANDERBROOK - Basement Press


The scent of aromatic Caribbean foods and the sounds of pan music
lured those outside on Washington Avenue on Saturday, August 30th to
the inside of the constructed gates. Behind the entrance the
Brooklyn parking lot teemed with booths. Bright colors shouted from
every stand, reds, yellows, greens. People milled about, sampling
various foods and drinks, killing time before the main event, the
start of the 2003 Panorama.

Alongside the booths clusters of each steel orchestra gathered.
Each group discernable by their choice of uniform. Marsicans in red
and white doctors' scrubs, Dem Stars in white satin outfits, Despers
USA in a soft pink, and so on. Some bands remained entirely
focused, getting a little pre-contest practice in, while others
socialized and casually awaited their time onstage.

Over the booths a row of rainbow colored balloons could be spotted
above all else. The assorted balloons ascended as a marker of where
the real action was to be held. The stage was large, accompanied by
two giant television screens o either side. At around 7:15 the
bleachers began to become speckled with people, all anticipating the
event that was scheduled to begin at 8 PM. The buzz of the audience
had gone from a low hum to an escalated flurry of shouts as the hour
moved from 8 PM to 9 PM and still the Panorama had yet to begin.

Finally, a little after 9 PM, Caribbean Youth Panoramics took the
stage. The crowd turned nearly silent as the first note was played,
they rose out of their seats in anticipation. However it turns out
to be merely a sound check leaving the impatient audience soured,
giving way to random shouts of curiosity to when the actual
performances will begin.

However when the actual Panorama did commence, it did not stop.
Band after band rolled onto the stage, setting up and performing one
after another. Some bands reached close to 100 people, while
Pantonic had exactly 100 people, all moving in perfect precision and
accuracy when it came to coming together on stage. Despite the
efficiency of the groups, the Panorama, which featured 15 bands, ran
into the early morning hours, around 4 AM.

At the end of the night, or more accurately, the morning, the
pannists packed up just as quickly as they had assembled. The
players rolled the pans down the street, resulting in a sort of mini
traffic jam, a mix of cars and steel drums. The members and their
instruments traveled back to their respective pan yards. The yards
where they had been practicing - in some cases for a good deal of
the summer - with the anticipation and goal of tonight, Panorama, on
their minds.


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