Antiguan and Barbudan pan maestro, Khan Cordice, is today celebrating an achievement that few non-natives of Trinidad and Tobago have achieved in that country.
Cordice, Antigua and Barbuda’s Director of Culture, was the driller and conductor of Republic Bank’s Exodus in the National Panorama Competition in Port-of-Spain on Saturday night.
After more than ten years of being locked out of the winners’ circle, Exodus placed second in the competition with its rendition of King Short Shirt’s “Tourist Leggo”.
Cordice explained that the person holding the role of driller is important in a steel band’s preparation for the panorama competition as they are responsible for interpreting and bringing the work of the piece’s arranger to life.
Cordice spent the last four and a half weeks engaged in intense practice sessions with the band ahead of the competition.
“The experience in Trinidad has been very good. The country here is different from back home. Here, for someone not from Trinidad and Tobago, it requires much respect for that person to be accepted to perform such critical roles as driller and conductor for a pan entering the panorama competition,” he noted.
He explained that the people of Trinidad and Tobago firmly believe that they are second to none with regard to pan and steel band music.
“One has to overcome certain obstacles, and I must say that I came to the table with much experience and a reputation of having achieved significant milestones, not just here in Antigua and Barbuda, but internationally as well,” he said.
According to Cordice, his approach to preparing the band was unique and he was able to share different perspectives and approaches with them to interpreting the music.
He added that senior members of the band recognised his “good ear” for music and his attention to detail.
Exodus last placed in the top three in the panorama competition in 2011.
While the band has a reputation for performing well in the preliminary competitions and the semi-finals, it has tended to fade on the big night, the panorama competition.
“I told them that I am accustomed to winning and that I did not want to be working with a band that does not place in the top three,” Cordice remarked.
It appears that this provided the motivation Exodus needed to land them in second place on Saturday night.
