The Nineties
The decade of the 90's began with the Harps returning to Championship form with a winning performance of Soca Jump, composed by James Clarkson and lyrics and vocals by Ajamu. This was followed up in 1991 with "Pan in Tokyo" again composed and arranged by Clarkson with lyrics and vocals by the Ajamu. Looking for the elusive three consecutive wins in 1992, the band placed second with "Indian Bell Ringer" before bouncing back in 1993 with "Tenor Madness" again composed by Clarkson and with lyrics by Ajamu.
Something significant to the future success of the Harps happened in 1991. It was the formation of the Junior Band. The Learners Programme which was introduced in 1984 usually had good responses with several players graduating to the senior band every year. Usually though, the age group would be mainly teenagers and youths. Then behold in 1991, so many kids responded to the Learners Programme that they were enough to form a complete band on their own. What was more, the majority of them were between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. What was also encouraging about this was the amount of support that parents were giving their children to come out and play pan. It was the beginning of a change both in Angel Harps and in steelband in general where the majority of players would soon be the youths.
The junior band was initially developed by Roger "Jarzie" Depradine but he soon left for the USA early in 1992. The responsibility of teaching and developing the young players now fell to Carlyle Roberts. In 1992, playing in the first ever Junior Panorama competition, NCB performed creditably to place second behind the experienced Clarks Court Pan Lovers. The tune played that year was a Carlyle Roberts composition and arrangement of "We Panorama". In 1993, they won the semi-finals, the first time that a semi-finals had been held, by a big margin but had to settle for second place in the finals again to Pan Lovers. Angel Harps Juniors played an Edwin "Eggies" Thompson composition "Shake It" arranged by Carlyle Roberts, while Pan Lovers played "Indian Bell Ringer" a tune composed by James Clarkson which he arranged for the senior band that year. The Junior Band though, was developing all the while, getting better and better - they were playing together during the year, getting tunes and making appearances with the senior band at open air concert engagements. By 1993, the first of those junior players would start graduating into the senior band.
In 1994, Roberts had to leave the country because of work commitments and the responsibility for the Junior Band now went to Andy Chichester, a young arranger who had been previously arranging for the Anglican High School band. That year, playing an Andy Chichester composition and arrangement, they again placed second, this time to Grentel Commancheros.
In all, the period between 1984-1993 saw the Harps chalk up 6 Championships, place second on two occasions, third once and last one. Quite a run! The band also staged two successful classical concerts during this time and recorded Serenade. The band moved from a membership of approximately 30 persons in 1984 to over 100 in 1993, mainly as a result of the influx of the young players who had been nurtured in the Junior Programme.
In 1994 and in 1995 the Harps placed second, in both instances losing by one point. They also placed second again in 1996. The Junior band though, were successful in 1995 and 1996, winning the Junior Panorama competition with "We Coming Back" and "Back to Back" respectively, tunes composed by Carlyle Roberts and arranged by Andy Chichester. This was indeed sweet revenge for the young pannists as they had come second the preceeding three successive years. There was no panorama in 1997 and the band completed a very successful tour of Barbados in 1998 for that island’s Congaline Festival.
The three year period between 1994 and 1996 saw the Harps establish another first. It was the first time in the band’s history that they had competed in three successive panorama competitions without a win. Panorama 1998 was therefore one of the bigger challenges facing the band. The Junior Band, having won the last two junior panorama competitions in 1995 and 1996 were looking to repeat and become the first Junior band to win a hattrick of panorama championships and the Senior band were just looking to be back in Champions row. And as if the pressure was not enough, Panorama was scheduled for the Tanteen Netball complex, in other words, right in the Harps back yard, just about two hundred yards from the Pan Tent. And the Harps had the added weight on their shoulders of not being beaten in their own back yard.
Playing a Carlyle Roberts composition "Heart and Soul of Pan" arranged by Andy Chichester, the Junior Band created history by winning the Junior Panorama Competition for the third consecutive year, becoming the first Junior Band to achieve this distinction thus putting pressure on the Senior band to match their achievement.
And did the senior band respond! NCB Angel Harps entered the Netball Complex for Panorama 1998 with a reputation to defend, a mission to achieve and a card up their sleeves. Playing on the Complex would not be the same as playing at Queens Park. For one, the surface at the venue was pitched and was completely surrounded by concrete walls. This would no doubt impact on the sound of the band as the sound would rfeflect off the ground and the walls resulting in a rather noisy sound. The Harps knew this, and this was the advantage they had going into Panorama 1998
Playing "Pan is Beautiful", a James Clarkson composition, with lyrics by Ajamu, the Harps returned to winners row edging out Coca Cola Pan Wizards to win the senior panorama championship thus becoming only the second band (after Commancheros in 1994) to win both the Junior and Senior Panorama Championships in the same year.
Panorama 1999 was held in Tanteen and saw the Harps entering Panorama for the last time in the 20th century. And what a way to end the century! The previous December (1998), the band learned of the death of George Croney in the USA. For Junior Panorama 99, the band played a Carlyle Roberts composition entitled "George", a tribute to George Croney. With arrangements again by Andy Chichester, the Harps were runaway winners, setting another record in the process, four consecutive Junior panorama victories.