Santiwah

"Bacchanalist" By Kerwin Dubois!

"Bacchanalist" is one of the most popular songs from the Antilles Riddim that came out of the sound factory at Precision Productions. This complimentary video was recently released and is featured here as a promotion not only of the wonderful work of Precision and the slick vocals of Kerwin but also as a tribute to everyone who produced the video and participated in this venture.

This video presented here is a glorification of the fete to come in 2012 and to the creative genius our people - Trini2DBone forever and ever!

From Youtube:

"From the Producers of the most sought out riddim for Carnival 2012, The Antilles Riddim, produced by Precision Productions.

Shot in Miami, Florida. Directed & Edited by Bla G from the Florida Film House & Rum Bum Studios. Bla G has done Music Videos for some of the most popular faces & voices today including Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Flo Ridah, Pitbull & lots more."

The Carnival is Over | Trinidad & Tobago 2011

That all she wrote my friends... Well not so fast, we still have "Champs in Concert" but until then we can nurse our aching feet and hangovers and give praise for a wonderful Carnival celebration. I have to thank the people who gave us CarnivalTV in High Definition... Simply Marvelous! I do hope that the service is repeated next year. I do have a feeling that this year was just a teaser and that in 2012 the service will be provided for a fee. If this should happen, I would like to see a flat fee and not a per show fee.

This year the service was free and the quality was simply sensational! Some pay sites provided a service that did not come close to this High Definition feed which did not "stick"; it was reportied that most of the paid feeds crashed. Trinizagada says thank you to the people at "Advance Dynamics Limited and Beach House Entertainment" for providing such a wonderful service.

However, now comes the difficult part... Trini Carnival is gone until next year. Here are two versions of Lord Kitchener's "The Carnival is over" sung by Mavis John and the bard himself... Sit back and reminisce about the wining and dingolaying and all the bacchanal that you experience during King Carnival's short reign.

Mavis John - The Carnival Is Over

Lord Kitchener - The Carnival Is Over

Calypso Monarch Results 2011 | Karen Asche | Trinidad

Talk about upset... Karen Asche sang "Be Careful What Yuh Ask For" and "Uncle Jack" and upset the 'Calypso World' by taking home the coveted title of Calypso Monarch of Trinidad and Tobago!

 

1:29 AM New York Time

Here are the results:

1. Karen Asche (Calypso Monarch 2011)

2. Michael Osuna aka Sugar Aloes

3. Dr. Hollis Liverpool aka Chalkdust

4. Devon Seales

5. Dexter Parsons aka Stinger

6. Kurt Allen aka "The last Badjohn of Calypso"

7. Brian London

8. Tameika Darius

9. Kizzy Ruiz

10. Joanne Rowley  aka "Tigress"

11. Weston Rawlings  aka  "Cro Cro"

12. Rodney Le Blanc aka Benjai

Panorama Results 2011 | Trinidad & Tobago

 

Large Bands

• 1st     Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars (278 pts)
• 2nd    Sagicor Exodus ( 276 pts)
• 3rd    PCS Silver Stars (275 pts)
• 4th    Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove (273 pts)
• 4th    Caribbean Airlines Invaders (273 pts)
• 6th    NLCB Fonclaire (271 pts)
• 7th    Witco Desperadoes (270 pts)
• 7th    Petrotrin Siparia Deltones (270 pts)
• 9th    RBC/RBTT Redemption Soundsetters (268 pts)
• 10th  Starlift (265 pts)

Medium Bands

• 1st   Katzenjammers (275 pts)
• 1st   Valley Harps (275 pts)
• 3rd  NLCB Buccooneers (269 pts)
• 4th  Courts Sound Specialists of Lavantille (268 pts)
• 5th  Pan Elders (266 pts)
• 6th  Sangre Grande Cordettes (258 pts)
• 7th  Arima Angel Harps (257 pts)
• 7th  Steel Xplosion (257 pts)
• 9th  Pamberi (255 pts)
• 9th  Power Stars (255 pts)

Calypso Monarch Finalists | Trinidad & Tobago 2011

The competition was fierce but in the end the calypsonians listed below will challenge the reigning monarch Kurt Allen for the right to be called 'King of Calypso'for 2011.

Last night at the Grammy Awards 'The Kings Speech' won best actor and I am sure that King George VI would be fascinated with the singing prowess of my favorite to win it all again, Maestro Kurt Allen. I am going on record to state that the Mighty Midget will not be able to dethrone the reigning King of Calypso, Kurt Allen. 

Listen up folks... Please take note that each contestant has to sing two songs and the reigning monarch will electrify the audience at the Savannah and those watching via the Internet to win it all again! Enough said, I am on record, Kurt Allen will win it again!

• Rodney Le Blanc aka Benjai  
• Michael Osuna aka Sugar Aloes
• Weston Rawlings  aka  "Cro Cro" 
• Joanne Rowley  aka "Tigress" 
• Karen Asche
• Kizzy Ruiz 
• Tameika Darius 
• Brian London 
• Devon Seales 
• Dexter Parsons aka Stinger 
• Dr. Hollis Liverpool aka Chalkdust

These singers qualified for the finals to vie for the prize of Calypso Monarch with $2 million (winner) up for grabs. Good luck to all singers. 

Kurt Allen | "Too Bright"

If yuh bright yuh bright and if yuh too bright then you pull out the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and come up with something brilliant, something that will have a profound impact on people, something that will be spoken about for years to come. That my friend is the brilliance of one Mr. Kurt Allen and it can be easily seen from the performances presented in the videos below.

Carnival is here again an as I listen to the new songs on the radio I must admit that I really like what I am hearing. However, these songs are for the dance crowd and not the message music that a true calypsonian presents to make you pause and go, "hmm". This is the reason I decided to take a look back at two performances of the same song by the same artist to see how a good performance became a great performance on finals night. We can only hope that we can get more of the same.

Having said that, we must also tip our hats to the performance of  Mr. Brian London who sang "A Calypsonian" in brilliant fashion. He was brilliant but Kurt Allen's performance was over the top and deserving of the crown. Now let's take a look back and see how a good performance metamorphized into a great performance... Enjoy!

Too Bright - Kurt Allen (Kaiso Rama)

Finals Performance - Too Bright

Carnival Launch 2011|King Carnival returns 2D Savannah!

On Sunday December 5th, 2010, the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago launches Carnival 2011. The event celebrates the return of King Carnival to D'Savannah and returns a sense of normality to the celebrations.

 This event will be streamed live from 3:00 pm from the Queens Park Savannah venue and can be seen at http://www.ncctt.org/home/. The event will feature parades from Woodford and Victoria Squares and will feature Steelband, Tassa, Soca and various Chutney Stars.The parade will also feature the sounds of Tamboo Bamboo, traditional African drumming and many of the traditional mas characters and instruments from Carnivals past. The event for those at 'home' is free of charge!

 Minister Winston "Gypsy" Peters wants to see a return of traditional Carnival characters from what we consider 'Ole Time Mas'. He wants to ensure that generations to come will be able to connect to traditional characters such as Bats, Bookman, Burrokeet, Clowns, Fancy Indians, Jab Jab, Moko Jumbie and Pierrot Grenade as well as many others in our colorful Carnival history.

 So take some time out from your busy schedule and join the NCC (National Carnival Commission) on Sunday for the launch of Carnival 2011. Streaming starts at 3:00 pm at the NCC link and can be accessed from the NCC site here: NCCTT

Separate Carnival dates for Tobago | Just do It!

"Carnival has nothing to do with lent, Carnival is a business." Take note of that statement because it could change the character of Tobago and make it a carnival market of choice in the not to distant future. Those words came from a calypsonian who understands the business of carnival but it sounds even better knowing that the person making the statement can actually get it done... a government minister, a calypsonian, a culture ambassador, none other than the honorable Winston Peters aka calypsonian Gypsy.

It is about time this thinking came to the table for discussion... Yes do it; unhitch carnival from the yolk of the church. Move Carnival away from this religious impediment that has brought about short and long carnival seasons. 

OK, let's not get ahead of ourselves... Minister Gypsy (Arts and Multiculturalism) was thinking about giving Tobago a separate date to host their carnival celebrations... Brilliant!

Now why is this such a great idea? Well Tobago has been and will always be a great tourist destination. Just think about the carnival loving population from the larger of the two islands heading across for the shows and the actual celebrations - that alone will boost the fortunes of the business community in Tobago. Input into pan, band creations everything that relates to the business of Carnival will improve ten fold in Tobago when this change occurs. The tourists who would have experienced carnival in Trinidad would come back for the Tobago installment and as the new date becomes a fixture and the rest of the World learns about it the government and business communities would have to expand infrastructure to cope with the movement of people for this new carnival date. 

I see Tobago's carnival becoming a festival that takes the best from Trinidad's carnival that would keep the original lent-hen dates the same while the change takes place in Tobago. Bands would move over to the sister island and add to the local production thereby adding impact to the festival (good for the international video advertisements). I applaud Mr. Peters for approaching the Tobago House of Assembly with this brilliant idea. I hope that Mr. Orville London and culture Secretary Tracey Celestine agree with this plan and get a date that would capitalize on the flow of tourists to the region.

 
This is a win win situation and I really do hope that we would soon see two major carnivals in ROTT (The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago). Now this has nothing to do with the Point Fortin celebration that is growing into a mini carnival. Tobago is special and is a tourist destination that is well known in Europe and North America. This is long overdue and should be implemented without delay!

Road March Winners|Calypso History, Trinidad and Tobago

Did you know the following:

First ever calypso instrumental recording was done in 1912 by Lovey's orchestra.

First ever vocal calypso recording was made in 1914 when the "Duke of Iron" teamed up with Jules Sims.

First ever calypso tent opened in Port-of-Spain in 1921 was the "Railway Douglas Tent".

First ever female to sing in a calypso tent was "Lady Trinidad" in 1935.

First ever female calypsonian to cut a record was "Lady Trinidad" in 1937.

First ever "Young Brigade Tent" opened in 1947 by 24 year-old Lord kitchener, featuring Lord Melody, Mighty Spoiler, Mighty Viking.

via www.trinicenter.com

We continue to read about how the art form of calypso developed over the years. Trinidad and Tobago is a very unique society and many have tried to take away from our accomplishments but the truth is recorded  historical data which can and will be disputed but never refuted. Just take a look at the dates above and the facts presented about the first instrumental and first vocal recordings of calypso and you will appreciate the fact that Trinidad is really the well from which calypso sprung and blossomed to what it is today. 

This blog has presented a list of calypso monarch winners and today we add another important list. In continuing with the presentation of historical data today we list the winners of the famous Road March Competition as it relates to Trinidad and Tobago. 

1932  King Radio  Tiger Tom Play Tiger Cat

1933  King Radio  Wash Pan Wash 

1934  Dougla  After Johnny Drink Me Rum 

1935  Lion  Dingolay Oy 

1936  Lion  Advantage Could Never Done 

1937  Lion  Netty Netty 

1938  Lion  No Norah Darling 

1939  King Radio  Mathilda 

1940  Beginner  Run Yuh Run 

1941  Lion  Whoopsin Whoopsin 

1942 - 45  N/A No Carnival 

1946   Lord Kitchener Jump in the line

1947  Pharoah  King Pharoah 

1948  Melody  Canaan Barrow 

1949  Wonder  Ramgoat Baptism 

1950  Killer  In a Calabash 

1951  Terror  Tiny Davis 

1952  Spit Fire  Post Post 

1953  Spit Fire  Bow Wow Wow 

1954  Blakie  Steel Band Clash 

1955  Happy Wonderer  North American Ballad 

1956  Sparrow  Jean and Dinah 

1957  Valerie  North American Ballad 

1958  Sparrow  Pay As You Earn 

1959  Caruso  Run the Gunslingers 

1960  Sparrow  Mae Mae 

1961  Sparrow  Royal Jail 

1962  Blakie  Maria 

1963  Kitchener  The Road 

1964  Kitchener  This Is Mas 

1965  Kitchener  My Pussin 

1966  Sparrow  Obeah Wedding 

1967  Kitchener  Sixty Seven 

1968  Kitchener  Miss Tourist 

1969  Sparrow  Sa Sa Yae 

1970  Kitchener  Margie 

1971  Kitchener  Madison Square 

1972  Sparrow  Drunk and Disorderly 

1973  Kitchener  Rainorama 

1974  Shadow  Bass Man 

1975  Kitchener  Tribute to Spree Simon 

1976  Kitchener  Flag Woman 

1977  Calypso Rose  Tempo

1978  Calypso Rose  Soca Jam 

1979  Poser  Ah Tell She 

1980  Blue Boy  Soca Baptist 

1981  Blue Boy  Ethel 

1982  Penguin  Deputy 

1983  Blue Boy  Rebecca 

1984  Sparrow  Doh Back Back 

1985  Crazy   Soucoyant 

1986  David Rudder  Bahia Girl 

1987  Duke  Thunder 

1988  Tambu  This Party Is It 

1989  Tambu  Free Up 

1990  Tambu  We Ain?t Going Home 

1991  Super Blue  Get Something and Wave 

1992  Super Blue  Jab Jab 

1993  Super Blue  Bacchanal Time 

1994  Preacher  Jump and Wave 

1995  Super Blue  Signal To Lara 

1996  Nigel Lewis  Movin 

1997  Machel Montano  Big Truck 

1998  Wayne Rodriguez  Footsteps 

1999  Sanell Dempster  River 

2000  Super Blue|Iwer George(Tie) Pump Up|Carnival Come Back Again 

2001  Shadow  Stranger

2002  Naya George  Trinidad 

2003  Faye-Ann Lyons  Display 

2004  Shurwayne Winchester  De Band Coming 

2005  Shurwayne Winchester  Dead or Alive 

2006  Machel Montano and Patrice Roberts  Band of the Year 

2007  Machel Montano  Jumbie 

2008  Faye Ann Lyons Alvarez  Get on 

2009  Faye Ann Lyons Alvarez  "Meet Super Blue" 

2010  JW and Blaze Palance 

The listed information was sourced from various internet sites with the bulk of the list coming from www.westindianculture.com.

The Birdie could not Ramajay|Slinger Francisco

My friend Gail remarked that Sparrow gave her the 'freshcole' tonight; well she was not the only person who cried after seeing the mighty one fall from grace at NAPA in Port-of-Spain last night. 

Indeed it was a very strange night, and one that caused me to pause for a moment and take stock of my life. I witnessed something that simply broke my heart. I am a person who can reach the sappy realm very easily and tonight started out with fun and plenty ole talk and jubilation then extreme sadness swept over us like a raging tsunami crushing everything in its path.

There were many performances but Calypso Rose at age 70 performed like a tigress on the stage at NAPA in Trinidad. She was simply marvelous but then came the shock of the night that left everyone who witnessed it puzzled and dismayed. The greatest ever was announced and the expectation was high. I was pumped for the performance of the birdie. The King of Kings, the mighty one, Slinger Francisco was about to take the stage but then something strange happened.

Initially I thought it was part of the performance and the chair that the Mighty one was sitting on was part of a performance to come. This was not the case because the shell of the man sitting on the chair was not the debonair one, the man who could mash up de place... No, that was not Slinger Francisco! Something was wrong, maybe he was not feeling well, and why was he there in that state? It was sad indeed as the once master of the art form struggled to sing and could not do it the way he used to do it, with flair. The light and fire was gone from his eyes and his voice trembled as he struggled to keep pace with the music.

This was so sad and painful to watch. I believe that everyone watching the show noticed a determination, a great desire on his part to get the job done. The Mighty Sparrow had every intention of completing his stint on stage. At times it looked like he was meditating or taking a quick nap but he quickly got back in time with the music when he had his part to play.

This should not have taken place tonight. The mighty one should have been introduced to the crowd and with a supporting cast sang a few verses - nothing more. The fact that he needed to sit to perform should have been an indication to the promoters that this should have been handled differently.

We have to thank the Mighty Sparrow for the music he gave us, respect him for whom he is, give him his due and let him enjoy the show as a very, very special guest. It is obvious that he cannot perform again and we wish him well. May the Lion of the Calypso World live long, live strong and prosper with good health. Thank you for the music and wonderful memories... I am so confused after seeing this performance tonight...Enough.

 Photo Source: http://www.wackradio901fm.com/ 

  Updated 07/19/2010 

The Trinidad Express in a report on the performance of the Mighty Sparrow at NAPA stated that "Sparrow, 75, who lives in New York, is suffering from diabetes, which continues to take a toll on his body". 

 Sparrow's wife, Margaret, also stated and it was reported in the same article that "it was not that the master calypsonian could not walk, but that walking has been causing him severe pain over the last month". This was referenced because Sparrow was brought on stage in a wheel chair and transferred to a chair from which he performed. She also stated that the Birdie, who now lives in New York, is undergoing tests to determine the cause of the back pain. 

The article from the Express Newspaper can be read in its entirety at this link: "Tears flow at NAPA as stricken Sparrow sings."