The Rounds: Celebrating carnival, Scorpio B-days, Creole Day and Independence!

Originally aired on "Soca Therapy", Sunday, October 25th, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
Flow 93.5 FM in Toronto

In this edition:
- Celebrating Soca Scorpios - Toronto / International
- LA Carnival / Jacksonville Carnival - USA
- Machel at Antillia Carnival - USA
- Sunshine Awards held on Saturday - USA
- Notting Hill Carnival Doc Screened - UK
- Soca Mix in Fader - USA
- Creole Day - Dominica, St. Lucia, Haiti
- St. Vincent Independence - St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Sometimes I feel like we’re speeding through the 2009 calendar. Coulda sworn it was Summer just the other day...and now...it’s Scorpio season. Soca or Die 10 goes down on Saturday celebrating the birthdays of Dr. Jay, Marxman and a few other soca scorpios including yours truly. But we’re not the only ones. This past week Trinidad’s Jadee, and St. Vincent’s Problem Child had birthdays too, and Lil Bitts has a birthday on Saturday.

If we’re not celebrating one thing, it’s another. West Indians in southern California enjoyed fetes and revelry last weekend for Los Angeles Carnival. This week, the fun moved back to Florida for Jacksonville Carnival yesterday.

Next on the docket is New York City’s Antillia Carnival which will launch in Manhattan on November 5th with a performance by Machel Montano HD. This year’s uber posh preview of Trinidad Carnival will be hosted by former miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam, and male supermodel Tyson Beckford.

Last night, New York City also playee host to the 21st annual Sunshine Awards, which recognizes Caribbean achievement in the performing arts. Nominees were chosen from many islands and many creative fields. Where soca is concerned, Shurwayne, Bunji and Fay-Ann all were nominated for best new song, while Alston Beckett Cyrus was honoured for his lifetime contribution to the artform.

As Black History Month in the UK comes to a close this week, a new documentary that showing off the beauty and artistry of Nottinghill Carnival will be screened this week. It’s called "Sequins, Soca and Sweat," and it follows six mas bands through their hectic carnival preparations.

Here in Canada, a well known Montreal club DJ was featured on a major music magazine’s website. Ghislain Poirier’s 25 minute soca mix was selected as this week’s Ghetto Palms feature on Fader dot com. Even through Poirier isn’t known exclusively for soca he has been touring extensively in 2009 promoting raising awareness of the genre and his Soca Sound System EP. We like that kinda thing!

I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Before I go, I’d like to wish a happy Creole Day to all my Lucian, Haitian and Dominicans on the outside. And to my Vincy Massive Happy 30th anniversary of Independence.

For more info on anything I mentioned here, check me out online at Nurse dash Karen dot com, or follow me, Nurse Karen on twitter. Now, back to de docta!

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Eye Unit: Happy Birthday Jadee!

Somewhere along the long passage from the Caribbrean to the Diaspora, young people have got the idea that real soca can only be about sex, rum and carnival.  Well children...YOU'RE WRONG.  Soca is not the message, but the MEDIUM. Through it there is freedom to express any number of emotions, experiences and inspirations.

The gospel community in Trinidad would know one such artiste who is doing his part to utilize soca and other genres to reach his generation with the message of Christ.  Remember songs like "Baptize", and "Not In Dat"? The man's name is Jadee, a vocalist with the gospel band "Alter Call".  He's celebrating his birthday today.  That being said, here's my chance to say thanks to Jadee for spreading love and life through his music.

Take a look at the latest video from Jadee called "Keep On Pressing", produced by Precision Productions.



On the road of life, it's not easy to walk the same path in a different way.  So Jadee...today, I join you in thanking God for another year of His grace and mercy.  I wish you ongoing success as you stay faithful to your calling!  Happy Birthday!

 Love and soca,

Nurse Karen

P.S.  if you love soca, but are looking for more food for your soul, click HERE to follow Jadee on Twitter.

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The Rounds - October 22, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lover’s I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Happy Diwali to one and all!!! Two weeks till Soca or Die 5 and I’m ready to light it up. Can’t lie. We celebrating Doctor Jay’s Birthday and he shipping up half of the Caribbean to do it. Mr. Vybe, Peter Ram, Benjai, Lil Rick, Michelle Sylvester, Kimberly Inniss, Nadia Batson, Barry Chandler ( hold on, let me catch me breath) Ms. Alysha, Problem Child, Terry Seales …and Mr. Isaac Blackman. Woy woy!

I better start doing meh stretches from now. It go be a whole set of jump and wave and bump and wine. And I could barely wait. Birthdays are the perfect time for celebration. I find most people don’t make time to celebrate life and I hadda ask you…what on earth are you waiting for?

Last month Kimberly Inniss celebrated her 25th birthday at the Weiser’s Bar in Barbados. The evening was a celebration of all the blessings that have come her way in recent years. She cut the cake with special man in her life, her little son, Malik. The evening was also the launch party for her first album “Come with me”. The CD fuses soca and reggae together in a unique way – A way that shows off Kimberly’s gifts as a songwriter, composer and arranger.

I’m thinking those mussee de same gifts that landed her a second place finish in last year’s Eastern Caribbean Digicel Rising Stars competition. She came second to a gospel artist from St. Vincent, but Kim is not suffering at all. Exposure from the TV show has made her a household name in Barbados and an inspiration to young girls as well. Ah feel she go be inspiring a whole lot of young men come November 4th too. Hips and ting mesmerizing…(steups) Dr. Jay, … fadda raise up yuh bottom lip.

A few days prior to OUR big birthday fete Trinidad will be hosting a major celebration of its own. The COTT Music Awards will be happening at Queen’s Hall on November the second. COTT is a copyright organization so, it honours songwriters and composers. And many of them are coming to Soca or Die Five. Nadia Batson is up for Female Songwriter of the year and Best Groovy Soca. Michelle Sylvester is up for best new songwriter.

I checked the list for Reggae and Dancehall and was surprised that I didn’t’ see Isaac Blackman’s name on the list. Sometimes I have to remind myself to be patient. Blackman’s song may have blazed right up to the ceiling of all the music charts in T&T, but it’s still too new for any nominations. Blackman happens to be the son of Ras Shorty I. If you’re a true soca lover then, you’d know that Shorty is credited as the man who first created the soca sound , a blend of African and Indian rhythms that we all love so much. So, his son is singing something groovy that’s sounding like reggae. I wouldn’t sweat it too much. He has good music in his blood…and that is enough for me.

Blackman is definitely not the only artist making music most people wouldn’t have expected. What about Ms. Alysha? Her sound is not your typical candy wrapper sweet. This girl is considered the baddest female lyricist, bringing a hardcore ragga style to her music in a way we usually only hear from men. This month Ms. Alysha lent her voice to the new Thunder Cat Riddim which also features Maximus Dan and Jadee…and next month she’ll be lending she voice to sing me and de docta happy birthday. I hope hear allyuh singing too.

I’m nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to soca at flow 935 dot com. Now, back to de doctor.

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