The Rounds - February 19, 2006

Dr. Jay’s Rounds
Karen Richardson
February 19, 2006
490

Good Evening Soca lovers. I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.
Just one week ‘til the main event in Trinidad and if you ask me, the world feels a little off kilter. The big man in the business has hit the ground running in T&T with a slew of other heavy weight DJs and artistes. For the next ten days, the soca world will revolve around the birthplace of steelpan and calypso. And my friends, we have no choice but to succumb to its gravitational pull.

Who will be Soca Monarch? Who will win road march? Which soca diva has the most mesmerizing wine? Have patience my patients, the answers will be yours in two weeks time.
Don’t fret though… I do have a l’il news for you NOW as well. Last weekend Rooplal Girdharrie dethroned Heeralal Rampartap to become the 2006 Chutney Soca Monarch Champion OF THE WORLD!!!! (or sumting so! Teehee) He sang his way into the big leagues with "The Last Jump Up" and "Dholak Bhajayai". Pardon the mispronunciation; it seems meh Hindi is escaping me!
In any language, and in any land…one thing I understand is carnival. Two young Dominicans are expressing the joy and pageantry of Mas Dominique in a whole new way. Gerald Mathews and Daryl Thomas have created a web site that will let people like you and me watch real time video of all the official carnival events over the internet. Take a look at Dominica Carnival Dot Com for a schedule of upcoming broadcasts.

On Friday, the official schedule of events for Bacchanal Jamaica was released to the public. Revellers can look forward to events like the popular Beach J’Ouvert, Pan Night, Bazodee and the Road Parade. We’ll keep you up to de time…come April, when Jamaica’s carnival season really heats up.

Now about heat…I have to say, I’m sorry I didn’t head south with Doctor Jay. In Port of Spain, they had a little today, but it was a balmy 30 degrees. If the weather doesn’t hold up (No fear of that) but if it doesn’t. We know Dr. Jay will create some heat on Tuesday when he plays at GLOW Exotica alongside Ginuwine, Destra, Alison Hinds, Maximus Dan and many more. FY-ERRRR!!!!

So, if you’re about to board a plane in the next few days, have fun…but remember to be safe. As a good friend of mine in jolly old England likes to say, "don’t just live for the moment live for the memory of the moment." So, we look forward to hearing from you when you get back!
I’m nurse Karen and those are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to Soca at FLOW 935 DOT COM. Lata!

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The Rounds - February 5, 2006

Dr. Jay’s Rounds
Karen Richardson
February 5, 2006
450

Good Evening Soca lovers. I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.
It’s February now and there’s no shortage of things to celebrate. Black History Month, Super Sunday, Mas Domnik, Trinidad Carnival…It’s no wonder valentines falls this month…cuz I think I’m in love.

Last week Dr. Jay really raised some eyebrows when he premiered a soca remix of Secrets by Ginuwine. What, you didn’t hear? Ginuwine has a soca tune featuring Bunji Garlin and 2 Intrigue…and if you want to hear it live…you can catch him on stage at GLOW for Trinidad Carnival. No my sweets…the slick R&B crooner will not be riding pony, and not quite doing the donkey dance either. But still…dat is a serious soca debut. The Glow fete has been an international favourite for the last six years. The party features some of the best soca artistes and tours to Carnivals in Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent, Jamaica, London, Miami, New York, Washington DC and even here in Toronto. But it doesn’t stop there, artists featured at Glow also get featured on an annual compilation CD. So music crossover goes both ways…and these days soca is where it’s at.

Musical mastermind Machel Montano has experimented with different sounds and styles throughout his career. For 2006, he’s already collaborated with Mr. Vegas, a crowd pleaser in the world of Jamaican Dancehall. But he’s keeping it local too. Yet again Machel is trying his hand at Chutney Soca. Montano has joined forces with fellow Trini Andy Singh to create a little ditty called “Sundar Larki”. They say it means Beautiful Women…of course if they had just named it after me they wouldn’t have to explain.

The semi finals of the TSTT International Soca Monarch Competition went off last week at Soca Broadway. The crowd had a whale of a time, but local residents of Woodbook were not having sot much fun. Apparently, the carnival events kicking off at Hasley Crawford Stadium are breaking the law. Too much noise pollution! Now, I’m not saying the monarch contenders sound like a set of pots and pans….but, they sure are loud. The top scorers were Mr. Vybe’s hit “The Thing” and “We Reach” by Iwer George. For those of you who were rooting for the Grenadian artiste vying for top honours. Sorry to say, soca sweet boy Sheldon Douglas is the only one who got through. Papers in T&T report that Baby Killa’s stage show simply could not compare to the backflips he came with last year. Tallpree left didn’t turn heads AT TALL. And this one’s my favourite…but only because I’m a nurse. Newcomer Nnika had trouble pulling it together after her vomiting spell backstage. IS OK baby…probably just some bad curry ar sumting.

I’m nurse Karen and those are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to Soca at FLOW 935 DOT COM. Now back to de docta!

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