El Dorado band takes Parang Final
Posted: Monday, December 19, 2005
By Sean Nero, newsday.co.tt
EL DORADO-BASED Los Buenos Parranderos emerged tops at the 2005 National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NPATT) competition. At Saturday night's final of the annual parang competition staged at NPATT's headquarters, Prioity Mall, Arima, Los Buenos Parranderos clinched the prestigious title, causing a major upset. Following the decision by Los Alumnos de San Juan not to compete in this year's event due to international commitments, parang pundits had forecast that Los Parranderos de UWI was certain to ascend to the top spot. Los Parranderos de UWI, had to settle for a third place, as the second slot was awarded to new parang group, Amantes de Paranda. The adjudication panel presided over 12 performances on the evening's playbill, before a large and usually enthusiastic audience.
In an interview later, Gail Ganpat, leader of Los Buenos Parranderos, now the nation's top parang group, said, "We did our best, but we did not expect this result. We are a modest and traditional parang group and have always hoped, someday, to place among the top six bands." She went on to explain that strong lyrics is one of her group's strength. Ganpat said Los Buenos Parranderos paid great detail to the articulation of its singing of the Spanish lyrics, as well as the message in the Bible. "We stick to the rules." Interestingly, the band had considered withdrawing its participation from this year's competition.
"For many years, we had been a victim of a poor sound system and questioned the logic in entering this year's parang festival. It was a surprise to us that this year, the public address system was clear during our performance." Ganpat expressed kudos to her team of musicians. "They chose the music and worked diligently with the singers. On stage, the musicians gave everything they had to offer." The lone result to thrill the hearts of parang fans was that of Los Parramininos of Maraval, being declared the "People's Choice."
http://www.newsday.co.tt/stories.php?article_id=31825
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