The Arts: The Archbishop of PanA steelpan tribute to the legendary artist, musician, lecturer Pat Bishop leaves a lasting impression on a nation

Boogsie Sharpe

By Margaret Walcott

It is the week before the Panorama Competition semi-finals. They turn off the main road into Hamilton Street and down the poorly lit path that leads to the ‘Village’ the pan yard of ‘Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove’. In pairs, in groups, they move to their favourite spot, on the bleachers, on the far side, near to the pans. These are the hard core, the pan lovers who in the carnival season come night after night to hear the progress of their band’s arrangement.Gradually the crowd swells, here come the tourists, the local Carnival crowd, others, inquisitive, slightly out of place, but excited to be in this environment. There is the familiar background of pan players rehearsing their individual arrangement simultaneously, a cacophony of noise, an indistinguishable rumble that is perhaps distracting to the uninitiated. But this year  there is a special  buzz in the pan yard.The heightened interest is in the Phase II selection for the Panorama Competition. In August last year Pat Bishop died.