The Rounds - December 17, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s rounds. When you listen to Caribbean music, it’s no secret that the most anticipated tradition of the holiday season (besides the music itself) is the food. There are so many special treats that only make an appearance once a year. You name it! If you like sweet - we’ve got it. Savoury - but of course! Drinks…well you hadda ask Doctor Jay about dah one. He would know better than me.

Every Caribbean country has its own special Christmas traditions…but they’re all lots of fun, so text me with your dinner invitations. Whichever day you’re cooking, I’m free!

Last week I mentioned that St. Kitts carnival is a Christmas tradition for THAT country. It’s well underway and new band D’Vybz International is beginning to make its mark. Well, they’re not schupid either. When carnival time coincides with Christmas, de bands and dem don’t stick when it comes to getting their CD’s out. After all it is the season for giving! They just launched their inaugural album “No Turning Back” which will be the sound track for masqueraders jumping up with Inferno.

My people in Montserrat are in the swing of carnival too. And Scrappy is back to defend last year’s Soca Monarch Crown. His new CD “Dreams are Reality” comes out tomorrow….but the first track Carnival S.O.S. is already lighting up the airwaves.

All this talk about CDs has me realizing, if I just buy original soca music, it wouldn’t take much to cross a few more names off my Christmas list…So I’m thinking my mommy would enjoy a jamoo cd featuring Religious Soca songs like “Christmas with the Blackmans” performed by Isaac Blackman and his siblings.

Meh tanty Hetty is a romantic, so I would get her “Christmas With You” by H20 Flow. And I think meh friend Keston would enjoy a Ma$tamind Christmas, since he grew up in Siparia near the producer Shawn Noel - and he love he black and sorrel…and parang more than anybody else!

Traditionally parang songs are sung in Spanish and addresses religious themes like the birth of Christ. The music has changed over time and a politician for Barataria/San Juan doesn’t like where it’s going. In Trinidad parliament on Thursday, Dr. Fuad Khan called for a ban on a Christmas hit by Damian Joseph, stating that some of its lyrics may be derogatory to persons of Chinese origin. The artist whole heartedly disagrees. Since last year, he has performed the tune for the Chinese Association with no complaints whatsoever and he even won 2006 Soca Parang OF THE YEAR for the composition at the COTT awards. All that being said, I still ent go tell you de name of de song. Because Nurse Karen may be many things, but I am certainly not offensive.
If you don’t like soca, suk you ma-whey!!!….Those are not my words, that is the work of Ian Alvarez aka Bunji Garlin…a similarly non-offensive soca icon who will be starting a new tradition in February 2007. On Carnival Saturday in Trinidad, from now on Bunji will be hosting his own annual concert.

So, there’s a new event to check out, if you’re heading down for the big show…so you better get used to it. You may find your self breaking with all kinds of TnT carnival tradition for 2007. It seems that the construction happening at Queen’s Park Savannah will really change the face of Carnival this go round. The Panorama finals will take place down South in San Fernando instead of in Port of Spain. Nothern Steel bands are upset with the decision, BUT I FIGURE it’s nice that the pannists down South could finally hold on to THEIR gas money for a change.

I’m nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Please send your comments to soca at Flow 935 dot com. Now back to de docta!