Amala's View

You are involved

2011-11-23T13:02:00.003-04:00

I've watched from afar, the campaigning that went on for months now comes to a heated close in two Caribbean nations. Interestingly enough there are more similarities than differences. Similarities between countries and similarities to times gone by. We like to say the more things, the more they stay the same. As the voting day draws nigh, know with certainty that you are involved, know that your vote makes a difference and know beyond anything that it is a right you must exercise. For to abstain from voting, if you're in a position to, really casts a long shadow on the future of your nation from a time such as now when you have a voice. Do you want that shadow to be behind you in your children's time? Vote. Remember you are involved.

Martin Carter lived in a turbulent political time and this piece is as true today as it was in the early 1950s when he penned it.

You are involved

This I have learnt:
today a speck
tomorrow a hero
hero or monster
you are consumed

Like a jig
shakes the loom
like a web
is spun the pattern
all are involved
all are consumed.

Martin Carter

What are the essentials?

2011-11-04T10:36:00.008-04:00

Or more appropriately, who are The Essentials? On a cool fall evening in November, I found out when I went to Croton Reservoir Tavern on 40th Street in one of the busiest cities this side of the Atlantic. The poster on the invitation showed a photo of Michel Aubertin and Phil Grajko sitting on a couch separated by Phil's guitar. Let me just say the photo, does not let on what I heard! Truth be told, I knew what to expect from Michel, he was the lead singer in a band I managed from St Lucia. Michel is right up there with the best vocalists. Phil, though shocked me! First off I didn't expect him to be a singing guitartist, let alone be a reggae singing guitarist!
Music is truly a feeling! If it is not in your soul, you can't share it. Michel and Phil met over an essential just after Michel's honeymoon. As they sat on the roof of a Manhattan building, Michel opined that this city was just people on top of people on top of people! Yeah, it is a lot of people. Phil disappeared and Highrises was born. They let us hear it along with The Essentials, Canopy and one that I really liked called One.
The audience was truly engaged and involved, singing along to Bob Marley covers and the skatting of a former Burning Spear member who lends his vocals and percussion skills well.
By the end of their set, everyone was irie. This five-piece band is tightly knit and know where they want to be - in your music player and on your stage. The band is called Morning Sun & The Essentials and I have learnt that the essentials are three things that you can't live without - good herb, good music and good love. Consider yourself officially in the know! Blessed love.

Village back at Christmas!

2010-12-20T12:03:00.001-04:00

The showers that threatened the night were hardly enough to deter the patrons who wanted to experience a Village Christmas. Pan music filled the air the venue to immediately set the festive and calypso tone that would define the night.
The idea was to let St Lucia know that Soca Village International is back for Carnival 2011. Village Christmas was an opening night, out of season. One thing was for certain, it wasn’t tent as usual! Arnie Payne opened with a mid-tempo track that warmed up the crowd. TC Brown eased into the groove as only he can, looker ever dapper complete with Fedora and sounding just as good.
When Invader hit the stage there was no doubt that a party was in session, he entertained the audience in his usual style and gave them his popular seasonal favourites like Wood for Christmas and Christmas Story. We were transported back to July for a minute when he performed Stay In Your Section, a tune that helped him capture the Calypso Monarch title. After half an hour, Invader made way for Pelay. Clad in all white, he delivered several of the songs that often signal to many persons it is Christmas in St Lucia. In fact, for many of the songs, Pelay could have conducted the audience! Merry Christmas (St Lucian Style), 36 26 38, Sunshine Christmas and Twadicion Nwel translated to mean Christmas Traditions were some of the strains heard.
Soca Village acknowledges and accepts that music is an integral part of our life and festivities, over the years, the music at Christmas time in St Lucia has been coloured by artistes who have paved the way for the volume of music now available locally. The standard had been set decades ago. For their contribution to Christmas music in St Lucia, three artistes were honoured. Charles Cadet, Jeff “Pelay” Elva and Jn Baptiste “Lucian Parrot” Gaspard. Pelay accepted on behalf of Charles Cadet and expressed how grateful they both were to have been recognized. Lucian Parrot who has not been out in public much was visibly moved and the patrons were happy to see him while the DJ played Soca Zouk for Santa. The presentations were made by Soca Village’s pioneer Ignatius “Invader” Tisin.
Without missing a beat, MC Gilroy “Ezi” Hall introduced Timothy Watkins jr, more popularly known as the Baron, Wezon started the introduction to It’s Christmas Again. Song after song, easily recognized by it’s introduction and infectious melody kept the audience dancing through the night. Also included in his set were It’s Christmas, Spanish Woman only released last year and immensely popular in his native Trinidad & Tobago; Come Go, Come By Me, Feeling It, Say Say and Soca Man among others. When his set ended after about seventy-five minutes and he was soaking wet and had stripped down to his waist-coat, he tried to say good night but the patrons would have none of it! They asked for an encore, he obliged and delivered a couple more minutes of sweet-sounding joy.
Edwin “Crazy” Ayoung took the stage next and without missing a beat, he kept the Christmas spirit in the air from his first track and delivered hits like Maria, Yvonne, Put Jesus In Your Christmas and Nani Wine and his newer tune Percy.
DYP took to the stage to close the show, patrons partied for another hour with them. At the end of the night a good time was had by all and it is clear that Soca Village International is back with a bang. What ever your plans this season, it is clear that the spirit of Christmas is alive in the village. Have an enjoyable time.

Digicel Spreading Love

2009-02-13T22:02:00.004-04:00

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On the eve of Valentine's Day corporate giant Digicel teamed up with Radio Caribbean International to share some love.
What a lovely lime (no pun intended) it was. In less than two days, according to RCI's Programme Director, MacNaughton McLean, they were able to pull together a massive after work lime.
Billed as an afterwork concert, the event didn't disappoint. They used DJ HP, Digicel Pantime, and several popular soca acts to launch their new promotion where you pay $20 and talk for 1200 minutes over the next 5 days.
They begun with some 'fastest finger texting' where the MC called out some numbers and the person who was able to put them onto his on her phone the fastest won the corresponding credit.
After that there was entertainment by soca acts led by Platinum George, followed by the reigning Groovy Soca Monarch, the immensely popular Herb Black. He was followed by Teddyson John and Ila Man. Reigning Soca Monarch Ricky T performed to an appreciative and frenzied crowd, boosting the confidence he needs to compete against Bunji Garlin in Trinidad for the International Soca Monarch in a week's time. We wish him well. The evening was brought to a close by Nicole David who is currently employed in a public relations capacity with Digicel.

We are happy when corporate sponsors utilize the culture to get their message across. We look forward to more events of this nature especially outside of the carnival season.

Alison headlines Caribbean Youth Fest

2008-12-26T12:01:00.003-04:00

The 2008 edition of Caribbean Youth Fest was staged in the north of the island this time. Traditionally held in the south, between Mon Repos and Vieux Fort, the event moved to Samaans Park.
Keen to stick to the time constraints that they were asked to work within, the show started shortly after 4pm with the St Lucia School of Music Jazz Band. They were good but played to almost no one. The crowd built up as time went on but not to the numbers that the show had grown accustomed to in the south.
There was an interesting component of the show where new artistes were showcased in a mini competition. There were singers and one dance group. Most of them originated from Vieux Fort. The Twirl Girls, a duo dressed in pink and black and who are students of music, emerged the most popular. They are from the Hotness stable under the direction of Andrew ‘Yardie’ Haynes. Kayeh, a new dancehall artiste is certainly one to watch, he has great stage presence.
This year, the female presence was hot! The ladies looked the part and sounded even better. Marie-Anne is never one to disappoint and had her fans singing along with her as she delivered ‘Cheating’ and ‘Visa Expire’. Seasoned performer Trish had some help from Kayo as she delivered her ‘One Kiss’ track. Shanyah, a dancehall artiste also from Hotness is also one to watch. She has great voice range and is comfortable on stage. Yanica and Nicky also performed.
The audience was able to savour many genres of music, they were thrilled by VertX with lead singer Derek Yarde ensuring that they got involved and were ready to party with QShan Deya, Emrand Henry and Kakal who were just some of the artistes accompanied by the band.
There was a noticeable presence of dancehall on the show, performers like Zionomi, Mad Ele and Kyatt were instant hits with the audience who apparently knew their music by heart!! The presence of the dance groups - Heartbreak Dancers, Lockdown Squad and Hype Squad, was well appreciated and the audience could be seen moving along with them. Busy Signal with the immensely popular Belly Belly and Aidonia with Hundred Stab were the favourite dancing tracks. Apparently daggering is in, especially with the youth!
After the dancehall hype, Soca Queen Alison Hinds took to the stage after a top class introduction from MC Scady.
She started her set with ‘Togetherness’ and went through all the favourites like ‘Sugar’, ‘Raggamuffin’, ‘Faluma’ and even performed ‘Aye Aye Aye’ with Derek Yarde, she went into the 2008 tracks like ‘Soca In Meh Veins’ and ‘Drop It’. The Alison Hinds show has seen the addition of dancers to Alison’s set. They were on and off in bursts but appeared to dance for most of the 75-minute set. They certainly added colour to the performance.
There is boundless talent within the youth. It needs to be channeled and harnessed properly. Events like Caribbean Youth Fest allow the youth an avenue to share the stage with established performers and is a stepping stone to putting St Lucian artistes on the map.

Go Rachel, Go Rachel!!

2008-11-09T00:49:00.000-04:00

It is always a joy to go to events at Samaan’s Park, simply because of the certainty that the venue will be transformed to suit the event. Tonight was no different and the Comedy Cabaret has certainly kept up with the entertainment I’ve seen in November to date.
The first (hopefully of many) Comedy Cabaret had four acts. It opened with the winner of the local Courts comedy show. Barbados’ Trevor ‘Dynamite’ Eastmond was next and was keen to point out that a cell phone is a dangerous thing. He cited several examples to make his case.
Blacka Ellis from Jamaica, dressed all in white took the stage after Trevor. He started his routine by complaining that he had been accommodated at Rendezvous and it was couples only and there was no TV in the room. He felt that it was a lousy excuse to say that men watch sports and the TV was a distraction. They need to find more creative ways to watch TV. He certainly hammered home the point that women have it easier than men in this world.
The night belonged to Rachel Price. I am sure she’s considered a national treasure in Trinidad & Tobago, or at the risk of being controversial, she definitely should be. She is hilarious, naturally. She has the ability to talk about herself and laugh and she makes you do it too. She almost seemed like a counsellor or sister and not a comedienne. She spoke candidly about sex, race, family life, religion and politics. Towards the end of her performance she used music to remember the old days and highlight how children now are influenced by music. It was quite entertaining.
While we laughed a lot at what was said, there will no doubt be internalisation and introspection. Humour brings us together but when the jokes on you, it may not be as funny. Tonight, all the acts demeaned and discredited Guyanese. As a proud born and bred Guyanese, it makes me wonder how being industrious and open to change makes for such dislike. Not all Guyanese, not even the majority have to run when you say immigration! I realise that it certainly goes beyond the fact that we can laugh about it. However, because I love to laugh and have risen above the indiscretions, I would actually go back to see any of these acts, they are good at what they do and Landmark Events is to be commended for putting them on the same cast.

World Creole Music Festival 2008

2008-11-03T23:36:00.001-04:00

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2008 saw the staging of the twelfth edition of the World Creole Music Festival. This was the second consecutive year that the festival was held in the Windsor Park Sports Stadium. The opening night set the tone for the festival and patrons knew that there would be no stopping until the sun was firmly planted in the sky after sunrise each day! Each night saw the festival open with a segment called Festival Wive (festival has arrived) where a Dominican band would get things started as only they know how. Friday it was First Serenade’s turn. Ophelia Marie with Grammacks was next. Ophelia is always a joy to watch and she sang some classics as well as tracks from her new CD Celebration. Jeff Joe took the stage after her and gave the crowd a superb performance. When Oliver Ngoma took the stage, the soukous music filled the venue with a richness that confirmed that the creole music festival was underway. Dominica’s reggae superstar Nasio Fontaine added his voice to the night’s lineup. While he was mellow at times, persons from neighbouring islands who may never have seen him, got their opportunity. Nasio lacks the vigour that we have grown accustomed to in reggae music but his voice is solid and his songs are memorable. Carimi did not disappoint with their energetic performance that appeared a bit short because of their dynamism. The pioneers of bouyon music WCK closed the show at 7 on Saturday morning, their repertoire is quite extensive and they gladly delivered several tracks to the delight of the audience.

The second night of pulsating rhythms began with a local group MFR that absolutely blew the crowd away. Swinging Stars with Soca Monarch Daddy Chess took the stage and rendered a few numbers prior to the likes of Dice, Hunter, Wizard and other calypsonians. Djakout Muzik was up next and started off the zouk music for the night. it was interrupted for a while when Jamaica’s Sean Paul took the stage and absolutely turned the beat around! Having arrived on the island mere hours prior to the show, he delivered a stirring performance complete with his brother as his hype man, Farenheit as a sidekick and dancers as a welcome addition. Tabou Combo brought back the creole flavour and Triple Kay, one of Dominica’s hottest bands closed the show after sunrise.

The final night got off to a late start with Cornell Phillip followed by Belles Combo. Julie Mourillon former member of Exile One was next. When Kassav took the stage, the temperature rose a few degrees. Every track they delivered was a hit and they perform just as well today as they did in 1979! From Siwo to Kaye Manman to Zouk la se sel Medikamen they kept the crowd frenzied and even singled out the St Lucians for special mention. By the time Machel Montano HD hit the stage, it was absolute abandon and he gave one of his signature performances. He started with a high energy track and sustained. Farmer Nappy, Zan and Patrice Roberts also delivered within the ninety minute set. The dancers were a show in themselves and certainly looked sharp. Midnight Groovers brought the curtains down on the festival and what a great one it was. There was great food, ample drinks and of course the fun element.
Worthy of note, is that this year St Lucia’s host with the most, Mr Pringles graced the stage at the festival. He was a welcome addition and thrilled the crowd with his ease of movement between patois and english and of course his inimitable style. The other emcees were Dominicans Alex Bruno and Franklyn Moses.
Dominica celebrates their 30th anniversary of independence this year and the festival formed a part of the year long celebrations that ended with a reunion. As the island continues to develop, albeit at a slower pace than the sister islands, it continues to hold a natural charm that keeps visitors coming back.

Caesars Palace has nothing on us!!

2007-11-19T09:32:00.000-04:00

For a tiny island to be showcased on Showtime in a non-traditional way is phenomenal. When that way is with boxing, it speaks volumes about vision. Sports tourism in St Lucia is certainly on the rise. On Friday November 16th, 2007 we saw five bouts in total, in differing weight classes. The boxers hailed from England, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and the USA.
Michael Buffer was the ring announcer and our anthem for the main event was sung by Groovy Soca Monarch Teddyson John. The bout saw American Joey Abell emerge victorious over Teke Oruh of Nigeria. That bout, unlike others, went for the allotted number of rounds.
By now, non-St Lucians must be wondering what "hee salop" means as it resounded throughout the stadium with every punch that impacted. In fact, some persons were going there just to ensure it was said!
The Beausejour stadium has now had another sport staged on its grounds and with great success. The ringside seats were all taken up and patrons were too happy to stand on the side to enjoy the event. The stand immediately above the stage was over-subscribed and an adjacent one had to be opened.
Once again, the St Lucia Tourist Board is to be commended for hosting another simply fabulous event! I think they should do it again next weekend! Friday or Saturday? Hey that's their call!

Vino chiunque?

2007-11-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

Whether you say vin, vino, wein or wine, it did not matter! The St Lucia Golf & Country Club’s new club house was the place and the occasion was the Bryden’s Wine Tasting for 2007.

The wines were sorted by regions, elegantly displayed and available for sampling. The target market was vast and included wholesalers, retailers, chefs, hoteliers and even doctors!

In keeping with the moment, I had particular interest in the table from Italy/Spain. I left knowing that the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is now on my wine list, as is the Villa Maria Pinot Noir from The Australian/New Zealand table! Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc and Monkey would also get a pick. Strangely enough there were two sweet wines that got my attention - Cadillac from France and Late Harvest from Chile.

Champagnes are always festive and the Moet & Chandon family did the trick for me!

Vino chiunque? (Wine anyone??)

I am Supergirl!

2007-11-08T08:33:00.000-04:00

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl		93%
Wonder Woman		88%
Iron Man		85%
Hulk		70%
Green Lantern		70%
Superman		60%
Spider-Man		50%
Catwoman		50%
The Flash		40%
Robin		38%
Batman		35%

Lean, muscular and feminine.
Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

I have taken the time to do a superhero quiz (because I had to!) I am about to go to a Management Retreat and one of things I need to say about myself in my introduction is if I were a superhero, which one I'd be!
With my (very) limited knowledge of superheros I called my sister Aquila, simply because she has a toddler who loves Hulk. I told her I thought I'd be Superwoman, she reliably informed me that there is no Superwoman!!!! People just say that because there is a Superman...makes sense!
I did learn that she would like to be Flash because he disappears at will, it appealed to me for a bit but then we started discussing the fact that it can be misconstrued for wanting to shirk responsibility! That's not us! :)
It's surprising the things you'd admit to when you want to see what superhero you'd be! The quiz is quite interesting and I had to admit that I am a flirt who drinks and likes bad boys!!! Doesn't everyone do that??? How do they get by??
So now I am Supergirl!!! That makes me a super daughter, super sister, super aunt, super boss, super friend (I got that extension thing from Mr Pringles...him being Superman and all)

When I grow up what will I be? You got it!!

Rootz Underground rocks St Lucia

2007-11-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

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Still in the teething stages, the St Lucia Tourist Board hosted this year's Food & Rum Festival. It was the second installment of the festival. The entertainment this year on the first night in the Rodney Bay Village was Vert-X and Rootz Underground. Vert-X got the crowd warmed up and off to a fine start. They ran through tunes from every genre and had whipped the crowd into a party mood who were now anxious for the next act.
With an introduction that only Mr Pringles coud give, Jamaican Roots Rock Reggae band Rootz Underground took to the stage. Coming to St Lucia with only a 5-week #1 hit on tempo, the band showed that they were not the victims of the system! Lead vocalist Stevie G danced his way into the hearts of the fans and won himself rapturous applause several times. With a voice that can be compared to a Marley and lyrics that are equally strong, he ensured that the band's first time made a good impression.
They did some new material that will soon be released on their 2008 album, including Hammer and Riverstone. One of the more involved tracks was Slumberland that was led by keyboard player Scubi who came upfront with the guitarist Jeff, they abandoned their instruments to tell us why 100 gals ah kick off dem door!
When the band left the stage, the audience had been truly entertained and made several enquiries for CDs. We truly enjoyed the interaction with the guys and clearly now their rootz are firmly planted underground in St Lucia. We look forward to their next local performance in the not too distant future.

All's well that ends well

2007-10-29T18:38:00.000-04:00

The curtains came down on the 11th annual World Creole Music Festival this weekend. The saturday was a bit of a disappointment because inclement weather prevented Beres' arrival but Shurwayne, Skah Shah and DJuny Claude did manage to keep the audience thrilled.
On Sunday night it was the last lap and traditionally it was the night with the smallest attendance because there is work on Monday and several visitors travel back the Sunday, not so this time! It was the largest night of the festival. Bamboolaz from Martinique opened, followed by talented Dominican songstress Michelle Henderson. Midnight Groovers was next and they kept the crowd going, I guess being in the business for 37 years, they know a thing or two about entertainment. Beres Hammond took the stage with his Harmony House Band at about 2am and caused us to rockaway and put up a resisitance while he belted out hit after hit. His 75 minute set was thoroughly entertaining down to the musicians dancing and the drummer playing everything on the stage as though they were part of the drum kit.
The Paris-based Kassav was not to be outdone! They took to the stage shortly after Beres ended and kept the tempo going, complete with dance routines. Their three piece horn line was everything we expected as they performed their mega hits and kept the audience involved. Jocelyn does not seem to age and performs with the same spring in her step as would a 21 year old!! She must have found that siwo she was looking for!
Jeff Joseph and Grammacks started their set at 5am and kept patrons rocking until they were done shortly after 6am. Grammacks International is based in Paris as well and it was a quick turnaround for them, they left the island immediately after their show.
It is commendable that in this day and age when there always seems to be the tendency to cleave to a foreign band, that Dominica can find a local band to close each night of the festival and patrons come out to see them and speak highly of their performance. Well done Triple Kay, WCK and Grammacks International.
The DFC is to be commended for yet another successful staging and the stadium has weathered the storm, 2008 is already beginning to look great!!

King holds court on first night of the Festival

2007-10-27T05:37:00.000-04:00

Friday October 26th, 2007 saw the opening of 3 nights of pulsating rhythms. At the brand new Windsor Park Sports Stadium in Roseau, the 11th annual World Creole Music Festival was ushered in. Initially the crowd was small when Top Vice and King Mensah took the stage. The crowd grew gradually and by the time the king of the dancehall took the stage at 2am, there was barely standing room on the tiled turf. Care was taken not to damage the fresh laid grass, plastic tiles were brought in to cover the field where patrons would stand for the close up we have grown accustomed to in the caribbean.
Immaculately attired in a cream suit with an orange shirt, Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis the aptly self-proclaimed 'girls dem sugar' showed his fans why he is the King of the Dancehall. He belted out hit after hit and had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. He sang, danced and lectured much to the delight of the crowd. They obeyed his every move from hands up to cell phones in the air.
Beenie Man encouraged everyone one to be proud of their heritage and revealed his madras tie in solidarity with the celebration of creole day.
He was followed by Dominican jam band Triple Kay who kept party-goers jumping until 5:15am.
The organisers were happy with how the first night turned out and would no doubt rectify a few things ahead of night number 2. Minister for Community Development, Culture, Gender Affairs and Information, Lorraine Bannis-Roberts did indicate that she was happy with what obtained and can already see how next year would turn out, specifically with reference to the venue.
Val Cuffy, the Executive Director of the Dominica Festivals Commission was happy that the plan worked and they got about 90% right.
As the weekend's festivities continue with Market Day on Saturday morning, lets see what the second concert unfolds.

Tent may experiment with A Capella

2007-10-13T23:06:00.000-04:00

The invitations said Dress:Formal, so all of us got prepared for a glitzy affair. Ambassadors Calypso Tent was having its awards night for the 25th year of existence. The awards were aplenty, some strange but aplenty nonetheless. The prizes were fabulous - trips, dinners, weekends at resorts, jewellery, scotches in all colours, plaques, mugs and keyrings.
Awards were given to calypsonians who had gone to the semi-finals consistently, those who started the tent, longest serving female member of the tent, first female tent leader, longest serving executive member, sponsors.
An award was given to a tent pinez because if he is absent the atmosphere is not the same. (For the foreigners the tent pinez, in simple terms are the hecklers in the front, they add colour.) I remember the same first female tent leader made moves to have the tent pinez banned, how ironic!
The emcee from Trinidad was awarded, the stage manager, the set designer, so too was a writer who has written 150 songs for members of the tent.
What puzzled me though was how omitting the band from the awards could be considered an 'oversight'! It doesn't matter if it was the Chairman looking at it, it CANNOT be an oversight. An oversight is when you omit a small detail. The band is an integral part of the tent, not just on the nights when the public show up. The band puts in hours of rehearsals and works tirelessly to ensure that the calypsonian is comfortable and sounds good. Music is clearly not important, when they honoured all the people, not even an arranger was mentioned! Who arranged the 150 songs that Zepherin 'Face' Calixte wrote? Who played them?
Let me state categorically that what is important is the public acknowledgement when people do well. The prize they are given is oft irrelevant once they they get to stand in front of their peers and those whom they have served and have that relationship of confidence reinforced and told thank you.
I think for the next season, the tent may be forced to see how the sponsors, the patrons and all the awardees like the unaccompanied voices of the calypsonians!
If I were in Ambassadors, I would have awarded Jany Williams posthumously for being the first (and still the only) female in Ambassadors to win the Calypso Crown. I would have awarded Morgie for consistently singing controversial political commentary that brings the patrons out. I would have awarded TC Brown for putting a new spin on the music. I would have thanked the CDF for being a strong tower when the St Lucia Calypso Association went bankrupt and the major shows were in jeopardy!
The problem is the fact that I think! That's why I am not in Ambassadors.

September to remember?

2007-10-01T14:04:00.000-04:00

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Despite the calls to talk shows and the bickering over the actual start date of the tent, Ambassadors celebrated their 25th Anniversary in a show they dubbed "September to Remember". Granted we'll all remember it for different things but remember it we will nonetheless.
The night started with a moment of silence being observed for Jany, George Odlum and Sir John, the latter 2 puzzled me but let's not play the Emperor's New Clothes. Morgie opened with his Island of Sir John, which in my opinion is a 'one night' song. It was a hit in Micoud the first time he sang it but it fell flat at the funeral service and was even less effervescent this time around. Pelay followed him with his tribute Ode to Sir John then he went into Montserrat Jackass and Nostradamus. Emcee Errol Fabien kept the evening light. Calypsonians who are no longer members of the Ambassadors Calypso Tent also joined in the celebration. Tricky was fantastic as were Lady Leen and TC Brown, proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. For me, Furior's They Didn't Want to Know was the song on the night that is still quite relevant, he sang it in 1992 and today the same questions about bananas and caribbean unity still abound. Hammer, who has certainly grown to be a tent favourite, first graced the Ambassadors stage in 2000, he did two selections.
Tent leader, Bingo was almost flawless in his delivery. Robbie gave a good account of himself, as did Haggai and Pep.
The guest ariste was the reigning Trinidadian Calypso Monarch, Cro Cro.
The musicians were a combined band, referred to as Reasons & friends and included former backup band Reasons Orchestra's members, current band Wezon's members and Sylvon Sylvester of Trinidad.
While many patrons left not having heard their favourite songs, I was puzzled as to who chose the songs that were actually performed and why the calypsonians did all their songs back to back. Apologies were made for the absence of Bachelor and Jackson.

Take Over Tent is 25!

2007-08-26T09:34:00.000-04:00

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“25 years ago rasta couldn’t go in no tent, so they get together and formed Take Over Tent.” That was the opening line from MC Natty as TOT celebrated their 25th anniversary at Gaiety on August 25th, 2007. Well thank goodness it’s been all up from there, certainly not without the struggles associated with running a tent and keeping calypsonians focused in the first instance.
Get Thru, the tent leader started the ball rolling with the tent’s first road march – What De People Chanting. One of the more impressive songs of the night came from Joker, it was called Mad Mad Mad. The song was a brand new song to me but it was engaging and he delivered it with such fervour that I had to enquire about it. Turns out it was released “in either ’84 or ’85 and should have won road march”. I have also concluded that Mr Pringles did not invent madness, he just went ahead and perfected it!
It was great to see Maguilla, Simplicity and Messenger on stage again. Herb Black was certainly a crowd favourite and promised to return to the stage for the 2008 season.
Like Maguilla, XMan and Twop Chans came dressed the part of the songs they performed. They did not go unnoticed by Gilroy ‘Isi’ Hall who shared the MC duties. Former Calypso Monarch Walleigh delivered with his usual animation and was well received. In my opinion the night belonged to Alpha, when he hit the stage in the second round, he certainly took it up a notch. While people were very appreciative of Ashanti and encored him several times, Alpha pulled them into his performance. Looking sharp as always in his black and white fedora and even swankier shoes, he started off slowly with Dancing and went through a string of hits that ended with Down De Road, which for the greater part was performed in the audience. While the crown may have eluded him this year, he has the charisma and talent that will ensure he continues to be elevated.
While Black I, Marie Anne and back to back Road March King Ricky T were noticeably absent. Floopsy, Struggler, Ronald Darius, Paulinus and Black Pearl completed the cast.
The guest artiste was Sir Mclean Emmanuel. Who? Yeah I know, Short Shirt! I remember several months ago when I called Antigua to get his number for this show, I was surprised to hear that the man is knighted and we go around calling him Short Shirt! The power of the arts is something else!
In my opinion the order of his songs could have been different to keep the crowd engaged but he was greatly appreciated and his final track was the most popular – Jouvert Morning. Incidentally, he was crowned Caribbean Calypso Monarch during Antigua’s 50th carnival celebrations this year.
The accompaniment for the night was provided by the tent’s resident band, the Reasons Orchestra under the directorship of Supt. Gregory Piper who also played alto sax and is currently the longest serving member of the Royal St Lucia Police Force. It was great to see Hilary Lewis on trombone again, he’s still in fine form!
Even though the show’s attendance left a lot to be desired, the quality was certainly befitting of the occasion and we wish them well for the next 25 years! Happy anniversary TOT!

Sweet-Singing Title-Winning Almond Resort Staff

2007-08-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

This has been a great year for Almond Resorts in both St Lucia and Barbados. Almond Smugglers Cove was first on winners row when Teddyson ‘TJ’ John an entertainer with the resident band walked away with the first ever Groovy Soca Monarch title. His Coming Down The Road came out very early in the season and kept ahead of the pack.
TJ a veteran entertainer who plays drums and sings has been in the business a while now and while his preferred genre is the much more mellow R&B, he decided to do an offering for Carnival and what a good decision that turned out to be.
Over in Barbados, Dale Rudder, more popularly known as Mr Dale did a double of his own! He too is employed as an entertainer. His infectious Soka Junkie was a huge favourite and took him to the top of both the People’s Monarch and Road March competitions. I have no doubt that Almond Beach Club is overjoyed.
Mr Dale plays the guitar as well and has been a member of the Headliners Tent (that’s Headliners Peter Boyce! Headliners!!!!) for several years now, he opted not to sing calypso this year and focus on soka, another good decision it appears!

Certified Soka Junkie

2007-08-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Well it’s all over now. Crop Over 2007 that is, though the music and the memories will live on! This was a great year (do I say that every year?) Lil Rick won the Party Monarch with Can’t Wait and he was immensely popular with both that and Conch, apparently conch eating is on the rise and he felt the need to sing about it, much to the delight of the party going public. Mr Dale was second to Lil Rick with his addictive Soka Junkie, that melody is so sweet! He managed to win the Starcom Network’s People’s Monarch and clear the road on a wet Kadooment Day to take Road March too. All hail Dale!!!!!
10 to 10 was for those with stamina and most of the artistes who sang this year were on. Dominica’s WCK opened up the live segment and gave a great account of themselves much to the delight of the Dominicans and St Lucians present. Great performances were had from Jabae with Barry and Omar doing the lead and Bruce Wayne doing a cameo just for his song, he’s so dapper these days!! Much to my delight, Bunji and the Asylum Band were present. Bunji was accompanied by Devon Smith the pan ‘bad man’ who had the crowd reeling, Scarface and The Boss (formerly known as Iwer George). Garlin’s performance was reminiscent of his dancehall days and it really hit the spot, he’s a rapid-fire lyricist extraordinaire. The inimitable krosfyah led by Edwin Yearwood and ably supported by Khiomal Nurse and Adrian Dutchin had their turn in the spotlight and shone with their supporting acts who were all tuned to FYAH 200.7 what a great concept! The likes of Statement, Mr Dale, Lil Rick, Nard, John Mohameed, Mikey, Lorenzo and Peter Ram were the supporting acts.
This year I love the concepts portrayed by John Mohameed and Nard, both seemingly clowns but crowd favourites.
Euphoria was on Sunday night and not without the pre-show controversy but Peter Boyce was involved! Lucky for him, it was a success. Happening on the same night as Cohobblopot, Euphoria managed to have a packed gymnasium. They showcased the Bacchanal Time talent, krosfyah and their supporting acts and Alison Hinds who gave her only performance for the season. In my opinion Alison’s performance was a bit lackluster but she gave of her best. Her all-Trinidadian band was easy on the eyes but the music was not as tight. The patrons were well entertained though and I think people were happy enough to want to go back next year…dah is it dey!
Anyhow, so now I am officially certified as a Soka Junkie, self-certified by the way, simply because everywhere I heard Soka Junkie playing I had to stop and wuk-up!! The live performances just took it to another level, the krosfyah-Mr Dale combination is fiery!! It ranks right up there with Edwin-Bunji. Go figure General!

Of second chances and first impressions

2007-07-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

I am sure we have all heard the adage, 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression'. Surely some of us have even used it! Clearly it does not ring true for Jonathan St. Rose. Who is that? The newly crowned Caribbean Soca Monarch for 2007. More popularly known as Ninja Dan, he certainly rose to the challenge thrown out at him by the lyrics of his own song - 'RISE' and took it away.
Coming out of the St Lucia Power Soca Monarch in second place, he appeared determined to better his performance in the eyes of the public and the judges. By all accounts he succeeded.
The presentation was quite similar to the local competition but better executed and Ninja Dan actually performed the song with greater passion.
The second place in that competition went to Kakal from St Lucia and third to Ricky T also from St Lucia.
Grenada, Barbados, St Kitts, Guyana and Dominica also participated.

White glove treatment

2007-07-08T20:16:00.000-04:00

When the confetti settled and the smoke cleared the man with the white glove had them talking!

The Power Soca Monarch was held on Saturday July 7th, 2007 the historic 7.7.07. The Mindoo Phillip Park has NEVER seen such drama! In fact one of my production crew swore he was in another island further south!

The evening started out slowly as 20 persons tried to unseat the 2006 monarch - Alpha. The evening saw the return of Invader and Nicole David to the competition. Ricky T was the first of the heavyweights to hit the stage, he performed at #4 and set a pace with his ever popular Pressure Boom.
The second half saw some dramatic performances from Kakal who elevated his Blah Blah Blah track (no pun intended...I think!)by using an animated skit and a delivery that did not involve much deviation from actually singing the song. Nicole David sang her Roadblock song from atop a truck in the crowd, she took about 5 minutes to get to a position where the judges would see the performance, I am not sure why she was just silently waving during that 5 minute drive instead of hyping the crowd.
Alpha was not to be outdone and he was brought onstage in a cage that was hoisted by a crane. His Insane track borrowed from Machel's and he promised to pay back tomorrow! His outfit was similar to Count Dracula and the dancers had Hannibal masks or afros. There were pyrotechnics and confetti like crazy.
Ninja Dan performed Rise, a track that was in my opinion the best song in the competition and of course if this were Barbados, he would have received the Best Nation Building Song (well okay if it were calypso!) However Ninja has the perennial inability to shine in competition and while there was an elaborate presentation both on and off stage, he did not seem energetic and enthusiastic or to use the colloquialism, he wasn't hungry.
We should be reminded though that while the focus for most artistes seemed to be on having the best fireworks or most outrageous props, it is still a singing competition.
Like I started out by saying though, when all cleared, the man with the white glove emerged spotless. Callix 'Kakal' Xavier won the soca monarch. His track has been a favourite with the party going audience who had even been showing off the signal for it all through the season.
Ninja Dan was second and Ricky T third.
(By the way that photo was from the Opening of Carnival, I was too busy to take photos!)

Teddyson clears de road

2007-07-08T19:48:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 5th was the morning after the night before! On Wednesday night the CDF had successfully staged the first ever Groovy Soca Monarch. From a field of 20 competitors, three new persons came into winners row.

The show started at 8:30pm with DJ music and the competition got underway shortly after 9pm.

The presentations were tailored to suit the indoor venue at Gaiety on Rodney Bay and ranged from dancers to skits to indoor fireworks and balloons dropping.

Amidst all of that there was a song competition and many of the favourite tracks for the season were on stage.

In the end Teddyson John, who is not new to music, but new to the carnival scene was adjudged the winner with his Coming Down De Road Track. Marie Anne was second with Cheating and Black I finished third with Doh Play Me.

There is certainly a future for groovy soca in St Lucia Carnival and this first outing certainly says that we are off to a great start!

Wet Fete had me soaked!!!!

2007-06-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

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If you believe that heading then I could fool you with anything!!! As Arturo says conch is not for beginners so try some finger foods first!!
For the first time in a long time I think there was a right fit with venue and event. The stony ground of Samaan’s Park proved to be just what was needed for a wet fete. Similar events have been tried before on the beach and indoors at clubs with foam.
Sunday’s event fit nicely into the calendar of activities for St Lucia Carnival and filled a void that may have been left had there been nothing in the north of the island. There was certainly no shortage of water, there were water trucks waiting in the wings!! Kudos must go to organizers New Generation Entertainment headed by Kurt Elibox.
The event started at 2pm with DJ music, Sir Lance-A-Lot and Levi Chin entertained the patrons while they had a good time under the sprinklers. A section of the grounds was earmarked as the wet zone, there were sprinklers along the wall and on the ground in addition to long hoses. I think the long hoses were a mistake because mischievous or drunk (or both) guys took them into the center of the venue where it was supposed to be safe! The rest as they say is history.
VertX got the live performances off to a great start in their usual rousing way, this set the stage for Ricky T and Nicole. Nicole invited Levi Chin and they performed the remix of her Roadblock song. They were later followed by Platinum George, Ninja Dan and reigning soca monarch Alpha, whose Tic Toc dancers also put in an appearance. The headliner was Onyan and Burning Flames out of Antigua and they thrilled as expected. Onyan sang hits from way back and even did a few St Lucian tracks. He was accompanied on vocals by Patrice and his brother Krokus. They had the audience forming a congaline but I think the thrill for the crowd was when he asked who burnt down the Crystal Lime factory and proceeded to drink from the bottle!! The event ended at 10:30pm.

Hot Wuk fails to heat up

2007-06-23T18:31:00.001-04:00

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Dancehall artiste Mr Vegas graced the island with his presence once again. He was the headliner for a concert dubbed Xplode ’07 hosted by Omni Promotions. There was barely a little bang.
The event which was held at Gaiety on Rodney Bay, got underway with DJ Levi Chin pumping some of the hottest tracks of the day. Joint Road March winners for 2006 VertX took to the stage at about 1am and played for an hour ensuring that the small but appreciative crowd had a fantastic time.
Nicole David was the only other St Lucian artiste to perform she gave the usual solid performance we have come to expect from her, ably backed by VertX.
Mr Vegas and his band Tugz took to the stage shortly after 3am after an introduction that only Mr Pringles could deliver and he belted out track after track much to the delight of the girls in the front who were having a good time with the rag hanging from his back pocket and his sneakers.
While getting dancers on stage to hot wuk proved to be an exercise in futility, girls were snapping their fingers all across the floor.
Artistes normally feed off the energy of the audience and while Mr Vegas is not the best thing that happened to Jamaica, he did appear a little cold. I think local dancer Bounty Hype and his boys injected a little colour into the performance although I am a tad disappointed that I still am not sure of the Tek Way Yuhself dance. Sigh!
After a series of failed dancehall shows, all within the last four weeks, I am inclined to conclude that dancehall has it’s season and it is not within carnival! This year St Lucians have rallied hard and fast behind the soca artistes and no amount of mixing and matching will do.
I was all set to have a good time but the hot wuk failed to ignite so I guess until next time…aye aye aye…

Ambassadors Bringing Up The Rear

2007-06-16T10:25:00.000-04:00

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Johnny Walker Black Ambassadors Tent was last out the gates this season but already they have some of the calypsos in heaviest rotation. As is customary Mr Consistency - Pelay opened the batting and gave patrons an insight into Eleven’s Legacy which spoke about the dates on which many world events occurred and they happened to have had 11 in them. The most impactful was of course December 11th 2006 – St Lucia’s last general elections.

Kendall John, a newcomer to the tent but former two-time Inter-Commercial House Monarch gave a great account of himself. Robbie thrilled the audience with his In Your Cabinet. Pep took the evening to another level with his Reform The Anthem. He sang about St Lucians not meaning what they sing in the anthem. It really struck a chord with the audience and is indeed food for thought…well not reforming the anthem but behavioural and attitudinal change!
The highlight of the tent though, was the first of Bachelor’s two numbers – Abstain. He spoke about the fact that last year’s number encouraged people to use condoms but it got him some flack so this year he is asking them to abstain and forget about all the joys of sex this season. If the airplay it is currently receiving is any indication, it is poised to do really well.

There were clearly some hits and misses but that is expected, however they needs to be properly managed. Bingo made a comeback with two verses after two false starts but newcomer Ronell had no such luck. Rock managed to get an encore – purely out of fun by the pinez! Speaking of pinez, they are very enterprising and Tribonus and Poule Bois have a bread and saltfish business, they were well decked out in aprons and went around the selling.

The second half went off without a hitch but there was much less excitement. The highlight for me was Jackson with Is Magic To Me where he was accompanied by a young pannist from Emerald Steel. Other performers on the night were Nye, Driver, King George and Ginger.

The tent is backed by big band Wézon and the opening night’s MC was Errol Fabien.

Bacchanalarization in progress!

2007-06-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

When the story of St Lucia's media is told years from now, it will certainly include the hottest personality on radio now! Kwency "Mr Pringles" Griffith made his television debut tonight. Four years ago I sanctioned a suggestion to make him the MC at NG Soca Stage. The tent was new and we wanted an MC that we could claim as ours. Well suffice it to say demand is greater than supply and now if your show does not have Mr Pringles well...
Mr Pringles is on the Wave's afternoon shift and he is an absolute joy to listen to. There is no way that you tune into him and not laugh and wonder to yourself how he is able to keep up the energy.
So this year, the theme for Carnival is 'We Ready Now' and the music from the soca artistes has been forthcoming, we hear track after track and realise that when the local segment comes on in the fete it is absolute abandon. That feeling is referred to as bacchanalarizing. Bacchanalarize is a phrase coined by Mr Pringles and you can no doubt understand the sort of head-gone, bumper-rolling, waist-pelting action it entails.
Thanks to Mr Pringles, the second season of bmobile LIVE, a weekly television broadcast that brings the players to us, will be the hypest ever. Mind you, he asks serious questions and deals with the issues but we love the fact that he personalises the programme. For crying out loud, that's all he knows how to do!!!

St Lucia Carnival 2007 Opens

2007-06-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

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It’s official! St. Lucia’s Carnival 2007 has been declared open. All the elements of Carnival were present to play their part and show their readiness. The Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries was transformed into Carnival City from 3pm on Sunday June 3rd as the sweet sounds of Hanco Harmonites got the event off to a melodious start. There were addresses by sponsors and Government officials, Cable & Wireless Diamond Steel jammed for a bit then we saw the first appearance of the Carnival Queen Contestants. The four junior bands vying for the Junior Band of the Year title gave parents a glimpse of what the portrayals are. Just Us Kids is playing ‘Come Sail With Me’, Charmalions is playing ‘Rome to Egypt’, Xtreme Kiddies is playing ‘Friends of Discovery’ as in the network with cartoon characters and XS Energy does ‘Customs & Traditions’. While all the adult bands had booths with displays, they did not all participate in the on-stage portrayal. The themes this year are as follows; XS Energy – “Quest – In Search of the Infinite”; MAS Action – “Tribute to Calypso Greats…From Town Hall to Mindoo Phillip”; St Lucian Spirit – “All Ah We Is One”; Cozy Guzzlers – “All Hands on Deck”; Rituals – “O’Zana – The Rejoicing”; Red International – “Viva Las Vegas”; Just 4 Fun – “Unleashed”. A feature that has certainly grown within the bands is the addition of the VIP section, it was initiated by Just 4 Fun three years ago and has caught on like wildfire.
Of course for some persons carnival is about calypso and the stories that form a part of the calypsonian’s tale. All the tents were represented in the persons of Pelay, Minel, Paulinus, Cee Cee and Invader. Invader seems to have thrown his hat in the ring immediately with his ‘Chinese or Taiwanese’ offering. A medium tempo number that highlights the political associations St Lucia had to choose between after elections. He divided the crowd into Chinese and Taiwanese and a waving match ensued.
The MCs were Ezi Hall and Mr Pringles who have come to be the standard now, individually they are hard to beat but the combination is unstoppable. The crowd lives for their routines. The highlight of the proceedings, however, was the soca segment that saw the performances rise to another level and some included props consistent with competition!
Papa Pops opened with his Talk A Lot track. He got the mammoth crowd off to a fine start. Teddy J was next with his groovy number Coming Down De Road. He is certainly a welcome addition this year. While he’s new to the carnival scene, he is an accomplished musician, playing drums and doing vocals in the jazz and R&B genres. His composure on stage obviously came from that. Teddy J has one of the sweet voices this year.
Nicole David was up next, she did a medley of old and new tracks including some real crowd favourites like Jabal and Maté. Dressed in a really flattering black and white ensemble, she had the crowd precisely where she wanted them, showing why she’s St Lucia’s queen of soca. During this year’s Jamette, she invited a woman on stage who showed the crowd the dance to the song. Mantius was up next and slowed down the tempo a bit with No Feelings, he was a bit long and drawn out and the crowd was merciless, at the end of his set he did his roadmarch contender a double entendre number entitled Position, complete with his scantily-clad position dancers! Platinum George has gone Spanish this year, well for a little bit anyway! He is also a sheriff in another track. The crowd loves him and he does not disappoint. Kakal has been enjoying a fair amount of airplay with his Lang Kaka. He’s noted for being able to blend the patois and English and his songs almost always have two meanings. The second track fell flat because he explained the song and showed the action that was supposed to be the double meaning. Kakal has been known for spending too much time on stage too.
Q-pid was ably backed up by her dancers for Fire Waist, they did some limbo dancing with fire to really emphasise the fire waist, she did last year’s Water and ended with Indian Cry.
Ricky T who perhaps has the most favoured song for the road so far needs to step up his performance, the crowd already loves the track but he adds nothing to it. From the first strains of his My Pressure both men and women start gyrating like crazy. His love for dancehall like Lil Rick and Bunji Garlin comes to the fore in almost all his performances because he freestyles with ease.
Ninja Dan gets better every time we see him and Sunday was no different, clad in a white suit with St Lucia emblazoned on the pocket and with a flag in hand, he encouraged the crowd to Rise, it is clearly a track that would do extremely well in competition if he rises to it. He did a medley as well and ended with Brown Skin, a track that the ladies love and with good reason too, we have never heard Ninja Dan in that singing vein and he does it with such passion, what’s not to love! His live performance certainly brought his tracks to life.
The soca artistes segment ended with Alpha, the reigning soca monarch. His entrance was heralded by pyro-technics and they were consistent throughout his performance. His medley included Down de Road, Happy Birthday Carnival and this year’s Insane. He left the stage and got an obvious encore for the much anticipated Tic Toc. There was so much hype about the tic toc dancers and the presentation backed it up, literally! The girls appeared in barely-there brazilian-styled tangas and two were perched atop bikes. The crowd loved it. We do wonder now though what is going to happen for competition or is Alpha really not defending like he hinted earlier in the season? Time will tell!
The jamband for the night was last year’s co-roadmarch winner VertX, lead by Derek Yarde. They took the crowd down memory lane with some old favourites and brought them right back to last year ending with Woy My Pressure Up. The event ended at 10:30pm.
Of note this year, is the production assistance from the St Lucia Tourist Board, the show was run tightly by stage manager Lyndale James. The Tourist Board also ensured that St Lucia Carnival now has it’s own logo.
Based on Sunday’s opening, St Lucia Carnival 2007 will certainly be a fantastic one! Stay tuned…

Whitsuntide Weekend 2007 – Partied like it’s my job!!

2007-05-28T16:49:00.000-04:00

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Well the title does not lie, trust me!! I skipped the regular Friday night street party fare and a fete called ‘Flirt’ did not tickle my fancy. Saturday afternoon I went to a boatride hosted by Signature Events. The music was fantastic, I must say this year the artistes have stepped up to the challenge thrown out to them in past years and have released the music early. We are currently eating out of Ricky T’s palm with his Pressure Boom track. Alpha has the ladies where he wants them with Tic Toc. The DJs on the boat were Shane, Roaks and Levi Chin, so you know the combination was wicked!
I managed to get the second half of Take Over Tent’s launch, while I found the calypsos lackluster, the closing with Ricky T and Alpha had a great effect. I went on to Diva’s Night Out. It was supposed to raise funds to help a cancer stricken woman. Well with about 100 persons there I am sure she needs to continue sourcing funds. Tessanne Chin opened with three numbers, Tami followed with four. After about an hour of DJ Cleus playing all the unedited versions of the latest dancehall music, Nicole David took the stage. Macka Diamond would not perform.
Sunday night saw the staging of another Signature Events fete, one called Mas Camp, it was supposed to be the after party for the Opening of Carnival, which is now postponed to June 3rd. The music was good but the numbers were small.
The weekend ended with Lucian Line Jam, a Mas Action event being staged for the eighth time. It started in 1999 when Carnival was shifted to July. There was an expectant lull and Line Jam filled the void. Dylan Pitcairn, Mas Action’s designer says that while the support from the sponsors is formalized way in advance, the delivery is usually late. He said that there are plans to sell the product overseas, he would like the St Lucia Tourist Board to put it on their calendar of events.
What happens for Line Jam? Big truck, revelers, carnival atmosphere in the streets of Castries.
Da weekend done…back to work again!

St Lucia Jazz 2007 - In photos

2007-05-16T15:45:00.001-04:00

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Jazz After Glow

2007-05-15T10:58:00.002-04:00

For me the name gave the connotation of sustaining the high that the main stage events would have brought. Jazz After Glow managed to take it up a notch. A new fringe event on the St Lucia Jazz calendar, held at the versatile Samaans Park saw some of the best jazz musicians who came to the festival grace the stage.
The event was held over two nights, Saturday and Sunday and was scheduled to begin at 10pm. The first night saw St Lucian saxophonist Luther Francois share the stage with Will Smith of the WES Group who had performed at Pigeon Island on Thursday. Luther played both alto and tenor saxes as he took the audience as far back as his childhood days with his rendition of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, his mother sang it to him as a lullaby. For the greater part of the night Luther and Will Smith were accompanied by Barbadian pianist Adrian Clarke, standing bassist Cochran Holt and drummer Ricardo Francois. For the audience, the moment that stole the night was during the jam session at the end of the set when Luther invited musicians to come up and do a number with them. Twin brothers Nabu and Nathan Jolley from the WES Group accepted and Nathan Jolley, the drummer had a solo that words almost seem incapable of describing. Nathan played every drum in the kit and the sides and rims as well!! He stood, sat, rocked. He ensured that patrons of the first night would return to see him in his own slot the following night!!
The second night showcased a much larger cast. The WES Group started with a few original numbers and the audience particularly liked a number called Yes. Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson was then called to the stage along with Michael Boothman, Dr Roger Eckers, Arturo Tappin, Ryan Finn, Raf Robertson. Each of these musicians could have headlined a show and to have them share the stage was pure magic. They each took turns at soloing and providing complementary harmonization for the soloist. While the trombone is underrated and not often recognised as a solo instrument, Ryan Finn had his time to shine with his improvisations and impacting melodies. In a piece called B’s Blues every musician was highlighted starting with Barbadian saxophonist Arturo Tappin. Dr Eckers was the only musician on the second night to play two instruments, he did a flute solo.
Raf Robertson perhaps played three songs altogether but one could almost anticipate his next keys because of the precision and inimitable flair with which he plays.
Music is universal and while words like universal carry a suspicious ring in this age of globalisation, when the musicians who shared the stage at Jazz After Glow come together, the best way to sum up the music is universal!
Samaans Park is ensuring that it’s history will be well written and that awesome names will be mentioned when it is. Jazz After Glow is poised to be the musician’s show for St Lucia Jazz.

God has a sense of humour

2007-05-15T10:58:00.001-04:00

So I am done throwing out challenges and letting the chips fall where they may!! I always say that words and thoughts have moulding power and so I am very cautious with my words but geeeez!!
So I was thinking the gospel concert for jazz would be the best thing yet but it has absolutely gotten better each day!
Yesterday two of my favourite instrumentalists played in the same band. Gerald Albright and Norman Brown. Right you get it now!!! So I have always loved and wanted to play Gerald's 'So Amazing' and he did it!!! Then he and Norman played together and a couple of years ago I had flown to Barbados to see Norman...that's another story!
Al Jarreau and George Benson rocked too. However, what stole the night for me was going to Samaan's Park. There was a jazz after glow there, truth be told I was going for purely selfish reasons that shall remain untold. However, I came away fulfilled The show was a blast. When I say Luther Francois, Adrian Clarke, Ricardo Francois, Will E Smith, Cornelius Simeon and Raf Robertson were on the same stage it should conjure up images of head-bopping, foot-tapping sweet melodies and pure trance! Did I mention there was a standing bass! Ha
I swear God has a sense of humour...I'm done messing with him!

Getting Better

2007-05-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

So there I was thinking that Kingdom Night on Wednesday was gonna be the best show for jazz. Well it certainly shaped up that way. Isaac Blackman & the Love Circle and Pastor Donnie McClurkin really sent up some praises to bring the house down. I left there thinking - ha top that now!

Well I was pleasantly surprised to see Andre Woodvine grace the stage with Blue Mango on Friday night. That was good. However, the night belonged to John Legend. He danced, sang, played, conversed...darn. I would travel to see him...okay strike that, doesn't take much to get me on a plane. The band was tight, complete with brass, an organ, background vocals/dancers...the whole 9. Sulan would have approved.

Better could still come though because the likes of Norman Brown, one of my absolute favourites (after Dean Williams of course) is on today. Then I see Arturo Tappin and Ronald 'Boo' Hinkson on tomorrow night. I'm gonna have to re-think the 'jazz is better in Barbados' notion!

Cricket World Cup

2007-05-15T10:56:00.000-04:00

So the 2007 Cricket World Cup is over. There are a few things that I have learnt as a caribbean person in general and more specifically being a resident of a host country.

1. We all love controversy.
2. If you allow a governing body to take the caribbean out of the cricket, they will!!! Then the rules are changed in Barbados...
3. There is more to the caribbean than sea and sand and the marketing bodies should take note. We actually throw some good parties.
4. Food can actually be more expensive than what we pay at jazz festivals...in all countries!
5. No matter how good the two artistes are US$40 is bloody well exorbitant!
6. The road projects and the cricket DID NOT go hand in hand. They won't be done for jazz either! Somebody say "project"...
7. The players of the West Indies cricket team are VERY dispassionate about the game. It's okay to win and it's okay to lose. That is a crime against logic.
8. No great discovery but the West Indies team is indisciplined.
9. The Australians are strategic and goal-setters.
10. The Australian players acknowledge their fans while they are on the field. If a player does something good and the crowd recognises it, he waves to them.
11. Are the volunteers more ready for service-oriented businesses now? That was the supposed to be part of the legacy, ent?

Now that I have listed my observations, I am still disappointed that the West Indies did not do better but I am elated that the whole saga is over and I hope the new team learns that cricket is way more than bat and ball it tugs at my heart strings and supporting a losing team for 15 years is painful. Yet I keep rallying for this beautiful game.

Rallying Call

2006-02-27T05:10:00.000-04:00

This time next year the region will be abuzz with the activities connected to Cricket World Cup 2007. In the continued thrust towards public education, there was a concert and exhibition held at Pigeon Island. The local organizing committee sought to use the opportunity of having a huge crowd in one place to disseminate the message. Cable & Wireless seems to have wrested their way back to supremacy in the cricket world and they had the signage and presence to prove it.
A number of things were perhaps responsible for the low turn out at the event and these become even more important when the show is free. Nonetheless, the artistes on the show ensured that those present had a good time. Diamond Steel Orchestra took care of the early warm up. They were positioned in a welcoming spot and ensured that upon arrival you were put in the mood. Che Campeche used their spot onstage to deal with the all important issue of ambush marketing. Lion I and Sally Elwin each did one song followed by a 12 minute medley by Invader and then 2005 Calypso Monarch Walleigh did three numbers. Nicole David was introduced with quite a bit of theatrics then it seemed anti-climatic when she hit the stage and she was hoarse. She gave a very good account of herself though while battling the flu. She went through her set in fine form and reminded the patrons at intervals that St Lucia will be on show come next year.
David Rudder was the last to take the stage, an artiste now synonymous with cricket, he did not disappoint. Backed by Wayne Bruno and the Rapid Response, he begun with strains of Trini to de bone, playing on the first line of that song “welcome welcome one and all to the land of fete”. Very early in the set he did Rally and a tribute to former West Indies player Omari Banks in one he called Bankie’s Son, then went on to other big numbers like Bahai Girl, Calypso, Mad Man’s Rant, Dust In Dey Face, Haiti, The Hammer, High Mas and the like. In typical Rudder style he delivered the hits effortlessly and without much fuss much to the delight of those present and particularly those close to the stage. While to many it was just a concert, the fact that he ended on the Banana Death Song should reiterate that we all need to play our part indeed. Many of our islands are similar and what will set us apart is our people, bananas are dead and we depend heavily on tourism to bring us foreign exchange and for some people, tourism is their daily bread. Let us play our part before and beyond 2007, the world is watching!

Hooray for Shurwayne!!

2006-02-25T05:13:00.000-04:00

While I am not in Trinidad physically, I am certainly there in spirit!! Having listened to the International Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch on the radio, I think I had a fantastic seat at the show. Shurwayne has been consistent with his offerings from the beginning and the fact that he was able to sweep both titles tonight is certainly a feather in his cap. Time will tell if he clears the road too for to be a triple crown monarch like Edwin Yearwood did in 1995 (albeit not the same combination of crowns).

I guess it's no longer appropriate to say "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" after all he has two road march crowns to his name in as many years!!

Germany will definitely be the place to be and now Shurwayne has cemented his place there with the Soca Warriors!!

Reign long and propser!

Junior Panorama Photos

2006-02-12T01:38:00.000-04:00

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Who lives in a pineapple under the sea??

2006-02-05T21:55:00.000-04:00

The much anticipated Sponge Bob In Paradise show came to Gaiety in February 2006. Little did we know the show held at 3pm would have been in the carpark at Gaiety!! The fiasco that it was, saw children standing in the fence, being hoisted by adults or just playing around and kicking up dust!
The show started late because the promoters said they were trying to rectify the lack of chairs. The St. Thomas based promoters said they had sent a rider with specifications and they did not know what went wrong. However, they seemed to have the stage side of the show down to a fine science because that went off without a hitch, it being outdoors and all.
The script was that Sponge Bob Square Pants and his friends came to St Lucia at the invitation of a little girl who had seen him in St Croix. He decided to bring along a few of his friends and they went around St Lucia to enjoy the island. Sponge Bob Square Pants brought along Patrick, the starfish, Bob The Builder, Dora The Explorer and Jimmy Neutron. The visited the capital city of Castries, Morne Coubaril Estate, the Pitons and went to the beach. They learnt to dance calypso music and a good time was had by all. They related the story and thanked the little girl who invited Sponge Bob Square Pants.
While adults were complaining about the logistics, the children seemed to have had a fun time and perhaps were totally engaged by the cartoon characters or the over-priced toys that all else paled in significance. Next time though, invitation or not Sponge Bob Square Pants should stay in his pineapple under the sea if the conditions for the patrons are not as comfortable as Patrick is under his rock!

Junior Panorama showcases young arrangers

2006-02-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

Nobel Laureate Week came to an end today with a bang. True to the theme of the celebrations - Unlocking the potential within – today’s exercise, Junior Panorama 2006 allowed budding arrangers to shine. It was agreed that the arrangers for Junior Panorama must be youngsters themselves. All of the arrangers were 20 years or younger and they can not arrange for more than two years in succession, thereby giving another youth a chance to develop their skill. Fantastic!
Today’s competition saw six bands, all adorned in t-shirts bearing the sponsors name, the name of their band and in some cases the name of the test tune.
The competition got underway shortly after 4pm with St Joseph’s Convent Steel doing a medley to warm up then Nicole David’s Queen of the Jungle as their test piece. They seemed to lose their timing at points of the test piece but nonetheless they were given the support of the audience. The Leon Hess Secondary School band was next, sponsored by Bumper 2 Bumper, they were hot from the get go with the Alison Hinds Roll It as their warm up piece, complete with dancers. They did a very good interpretation of TC Brown’s Mucho Pan for their test piece.
The highly anticipated Cable & Wireless Diamond Steel took the stage next. Their warm up medley was a luke warm rendition of Waistline Shots and a surprise inclusion of Sean Paul’s We Be Burnin’. The crowd was extremely jubilant from the first strains of the Sean Paul number and in true Diamond Steel showmanship, they wheeled it!!! The test piece was an excellent interpretation of Messenger’s Boom Boom Bye Bye. They managed to remind the audience to Stop The Violence and ended with a shout of “peace”. Miguel Joseph is to be commended for his arrangement of the test piece.
Busta Emerald Steel were up next, while their numbers seemed smaller than the allotted 35, they managed to have fun on stage while doing Alpha’s In De Arc as their warm up. They did Jaunty’s We Shall Hop as the test piece.
Digicel Pantime, clad in red were next. They had the entire front of the stage eating from their pans when they did a medley of Machel Montano’s Craziness and You to warm up. Both them and the audience were hot by the time they got to Invader’s Take My Money for their test piece. Just like Diamond Steel and Leon Hess, they played with expression, deviated from the melody and came back and in general showed that they understood the music and the criteria. Their pieces were arranged by Yannick St Juste and Shakir Lubin. The final band had been much anticipated too owing to their rivalry with Diamond Steel. Somehow when the South Shoe Store sponsored North Stars took the stage, even with their warm up piece, there was something left to be desired. They did a medley then moved into Jaunty’s Ooh La Lay as their test piece. The applause at the end of their performance was not as warm as it was for their arrival.
In the end, third place went to South North Stars. In pan, as in business, the two mobile phone companies battled for supremacy. Cable & Wireless Diamond Steel was beat into second place by one point and the Digicel sponsored Pantime showed that they were the bigger, better steelband! The arrangers are to be commended for their efforts and the CDF too for a job well done. The future of steelband is certainly in good hands and while we would all like to receive the gold medals, Diamond Steel’s members should be taught that there is such a thing as losing gracefully and we are all winners. I look forward to seeing Marie-Grace Michel (the Minister’s daughter), who is the captain of Digicel Pantime and her band at the opening of St Lucia Carnival 2006.

The Rainforest Hideaway

2006-01-27T07:46:00.000-04:00

Across the bay in Marigot, St Lucia, there is a neat little restaurant tucked away in the rainforest; aptly named The Rainforest Hideaway. Nature has been preserved around it and the deck has been built above and between mangrove and as you would imagine, it is on the water.
I went to dinner with Roston, my last supper according to him!!! I had been at North American Assemblies for 7 1/2 years.
We were both impressed with the ambience from the time we arrived. We were met when the boat stopped and escorted to our table. The staff were friendly and helpful. The china was superb, the plates for the appetizer were black and square!! Better than that, the food was presented like we were on a Food Network show!! We had two 'side dishes' compliments of the chef: salmon crotini and mint & green pea sorbet.
We both had spiced coconut and pumpkin soup for appetizer and mahi mahi with vegetables for the main course. Dinner was had to the strains of Emerson Nurse's playing in the background.
We left just around 10pm and walked behind the restaurant along a wooden walkaway to a jetty that adjoins Doolittle's property and took the ferry back across.
This neat little place nestled in Marigot gets two thumbs up from me!! Go there for any occasion, it will make it special.

Of Laureates and Boo

2006-01-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Oh what an evening! Gala indeed. Nobel Laureate week opened with a ceremony that was befitting under the theme ‘Unlocking The Potential Within’.

Amidst the drama, performance poetry, song and dance we were reminded of the works of the late Sir William Arthur Lewis and the Hon. Derek Walcott. Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson recently released an album aptly entitled Urban Drift where he put a modern spin so to speak on some of our folk tunes. With the help of Marie-Eve Augier, Elra Ermay and Nicole David who lent their vocal talent, he was able to bring several tracks from that recording alive.
The audience was in for a special treat too, it was the first time that Boo would perform Chausee to Stockholm live. It was a piece he wrote when Derek Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. He had come from humble beginnings on the Chausee in Castries, St Lucia and had collected the award in Stockholm, Sweden. An interesting combination was the performance of a piece entitled pan and brass where Deland ‘DSax’ St Jules and Gregory ‘Shining’ Emmanuel had a nice exchange of saxophone and steelpan.
Dance St Lucia put on two excellent pieces that were choreographed by Trevor King. Dramatic poetry and monologues were done by Melissa Giddings, Richard Ambrose and MacDonald Dixon.
One of the highlights was the storytelling of Paul Keens Douglas. He had audience members doubling over with laughter as he told stories of culture, communication, carnival and cricket. He said that he was dedicating his performance to Sir Arthur Lewis because he was gone and he said two important things in his work that stuck with him. He said that a man was great by how he thinks and what he produced. He went on to lament that West Indians always think that they are unique with something. My favourite line though was with how all stories are started. Some say ‘once upon a time’, St Lucian’s say ‘Tin Tin bois chaise’, Grenadians say ‘I selling it like I buy it’, reporters say ‘reliable sources’!!!!
The celebration of our Nobel Laureates has grown from strength to strength. Imagine the week of celebrations is now eleven days!! Talk about unlocking the potential! Both Nobel Laureates were born on January 23rd.

Tappin steals the show

2006-01-21T14:18:00.002-04:00

Mike Phillips, Arturo Tappin, Garry Davis and Boney James. What do these fine gentlemen have in common? If you said they are all saxophonists you are correct but only half way there! They all graced the stage for the Barbados Jazz Festival 2006.

The Farley Hill National Park saw most of them over the two final days of the festival. Arturo Tappin was a hard act to follow though. With a resume as long as his playing is good, Arturo has graced the stage with the likes of Luther Vandross and Roberta Flack. Emcee Wayne Kool Simmons adequately prepared the audience for what was about to happen, he said we were in for a ninety minute flight, there may be turbulence but it should come from dancing, there was no need for seat belts and we were free to move around the cabin. Arturo Tappin was the flight’s captain. Complete with a band of musicians who are great individual instrumentalists, proving once again that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts! When Arturo took the stage the band was already playing and he begun to blow the lead lines. Dressed in a white bohemian chic jacket, jeans and a white hat, he looked every bit the part that he sounded. He moved easily from tenor to alto to baritone and finally soprano sax during his set that covered several genres of music. During some of the selections he featured the talented musicians who graced the stage with him. Miles Robertson did more than tickle the ivories with a solo that had him leaving his stool at times. Elan Trotman, a Tappin student and recording artiste in his own right also shared the stage. Etienne Charles the trumpeter from Trinidad blew his way into the hearts of the fans at Farley Hill, with a look reminiscent of a young Marsalis brother, he is destined for great things. Scott Gault who has always been exceptional with his guitar was not to be outdone. Arturo must know that with experience comes true wisdom and he called on percussionist Ralph MacDonald who composed Mr Magic – a tune made popular by Grover Washington jr.
Traces of Tobago, Tempted to Touch, Ordinary People and the tribute to Luther Vandross still linger in the minds of the patrons. However, there is no doubt that the piece he ended with when he was called for one more will resonate with Barbadians for years. The three horn players did a moving performance of Waistline Shots, the road march for 2005.
Arturo Tappin succeeded in holding the attention of patrons for just over an hour and there was never a dull moment! Well done there Captain.
Suave guitarist Norman Brown brought the curtains down on the Saturday show, he performed selections from his After The Storm and Just Chillin’ albums among others. Although at times he seemed pressed for time, he was able to fit in some impressions as he paid tribute to those who are responsible for him being where he is today. He impersonated the styles of Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery and George Benson much to the delight of the audience.
Sunday saw more saxophone renditions that kept the audience enthralled. Garry Davis and his band opened the day and set a pace that was nice and easy. His wife Regina lent her smooth vocals to some of the tracks.
The Cuban All Stars brought a fabulous touch of salsa to the proceedings that had the patrons close to the stage putting on a side show.
Native New Yorker Boney James closed the proceedings in fine style performing numbers from his Ride and Pure albums amongst others. He used both tenor and soprano saxes and his energetic dancing to keep the audience attentive.
Barbados maintains its ability to bring names to the festival that patrons talk about long after, while Luther Vandross and Jill Scott were fantastic, something tells me that Arturo Tappin will be the talking point for this year’s festival.