Pan take mih de udda night! EEF yuh hear pan play at de Snowflake concert Saturday gorn! Man yuh would swear Winston Spree Simon conduct de show! Hear nuh, when yuh see it have a steel orchestra wid a good arranger and conductor and de pan make by de sweet hands of we pan makers. It doh have nuttin better.

Well yuh know me - always in people ting like ah have no owner. Wendy Jones invite mih in de concert so ah wipe mih foot an’ gorn. Ah was dere fuh two reason. De first reason was as Queen Macoomeh to mine people business and see who dere and who do what so ah could report back to all yuh. De secon’ reason was as de Public Relation manager fuh a magazine call SHE Caribbean. Ah go tell all yuh about dat part a nex’ time. But is to see yuh girl in mih nice dan-dan wid a high heel shoe only beggin’ Papa Gawd not to let mih bus’ a fall.

De place was pack! Ah see people I ent see fuh years! People was dress up and dress dong. Some people had een dey new plate and de head do up like Princess Margaret. All yuh done know awready when my people come outside dey like to gallery and dress up ent? So it was a fashion show as well as Pan Concert.

De first band still have mih bazodee. It was de Toronto Districk School Board band. Dey play four chune but what had me going was when dey play de teem from Phantom of de Opera. Ah clap an’ bawl ray as if ah mad! Hear nuh, dem chirren make pan bawl dah night! An’ is to see dem dancing and switching pan! De conductor an’ all was in ting, leading he band sweet like ah Julie mango. Some of de chirren not even big enough to see over de top of de pan but dey beatin’ as if dey born wid two stick in dey han’.

Ah want to big-up dem parents fuh encouraging de chirren to learn to play pan. I proud to see people enjoy my culture and become part of it. It nice to see all dem different chirren playing. All yuh remember once upon a time, lil chirren, speshully girl chirren couldn’t miss dey penny out dey dollar and go in no panyard to beat no pan! Yuh mudda would wring yuh neck, oui!

De pan community also gave ah award. Two of my favourite’ist people was on stage. Mistress Calvin-Smith present de ward to Tommy Critchlow. Ah did tell all yuh de time when I mistake Mistress Calvin-Smith an’ was skylarking wid de lady like a mental patient. Is only afterwards I get to realize who it is. Ah feel schtupid! But she so well brought up she tell mih doh mine dat. An’ den my boy Tommy. Me an’ Tommy was frens fuh donkey years. Is he who make my tenor pan and is he and Pan Masters who play in my wedding! Dat man is ah master artist an’ deserve dat award and plenty more.

Ah vex ah couldn’t stay whole night becaw ah had a nex’ event to attend de same night but I enjoy myself yes. Las’ week ah tell all yuh we community strong ent? Well dat night prove me right. Ticket did sell out. Inspite de cole wedder people come. No rucktion, no commess. Ah even meet de famous Nuts Lady. Me an’ she ole talk before de show. De onlyest ting what had mih vex was, it had a lady in de audience like she mout’ din have a lock. All troo de show she talkin’ loud loud. Now I doh mine if yuh hecklin’ de MC or showing yuh appreciation fuh de artistes but oh gorm. Know when tuh hush nuh man! I fine she could show more respeck dan dat. She couldn’t make dat mistake in somebody else ting.

All in all doh, it was a nice nice show. Pan alive an’ well and belonging to we. Doh mine dem two fowl teef in Delaware who went an’ patent it. Is we own! Ah tank Wendy Jones and Earl LaPierre Junior fuh all de hard work. Ah tank all de people behine de scenes, MC Elton Jones, all de supporters and de full crowd who come out dat night.

Nex’ time we should have it in Roy Thompson Hall. How ah talk?

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