The Rounds - November 26, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.
As I prepared to come in today, I have to admit…I got a little bit confused. December begins in less than one week, but outside it’s looking like a boxing day picnic on Grande Anse Beach. So, I packed up some paper plates and some pelau and headed out to enjoy the balmy November temperatures.

Not far from the real Grand Anse beach in Grenada the entire Big Artiste Crew was trying a ting themselves. Thursday past was Michelle Sylvester’s birthday. She spent the evening singing her heart out at St. George’s University alongside all the regulars, plus Grenada’s own Mista Killa and Lavaman. Looks like Lava Man is now pon CAMPUS studying, rather than studying those gun and weed charges from the summertime. He and the other big artistes lent their big VOICES and big HEARTS to perform at a charity event at the beachside university.

The man who was deputy chairman of Trinidad’s national carnival commission is not lending his TIME to the planning process anymore. With Carnival just over two months away, the resignation of Ainsworth Mohammed came as a shock to the Trini media on Friday. Mohammed refuses to work with Culture Minister Joan Yulle-Williams and he’s not afraid to say it. For a while now she’s been at odds with the entire NCC board over how the festivities will be run in 2007. She’s got plans to tear down the Grand Stand staging area at Queen’s Park Savannah and replace it with a million dollar Carnival Centre. The board just wants everything to stay the way it is for one more year, since time is so short. Earlier this year the Chairman fled the board too, fed up as ever…so when the minister held a private meeting with the key carnival interest groups, excluding the NCC….Mohammed called it quits for good.

And you know what else is DONE? De big Digicel Rising Stars show. Is lucky ah have meh pelau , because otherwise I woulda have to eat my words. Last Sunday was the final showdown between Omar Rathurin of Antigua and SVG’s Kyron Baptiste. I told allyuh, I wanted to cast a vote for the Antiguan, but the Caribbean public held a different opinion and they phoned in en masse to prove it. St. Vincent and the Grenadines went on to win top prize for the second time in the two years the competition has been around. What can I say? Vincy sweet…sweet and nice!

The entire cast is all smiles though. While Kyron might be the only one leaving the show with a recording contract, all of them will get a taste of the Celebrity life on the Rising Stars holiday Album. Dr. Jay, you can gimme dat one fuh de Christmas. Tanks.

Down in St. Kitts, Alison Hinds is encouraging people to start their Christmas shopping at Courts. The new face of the “Get it Now” campaign has begun her regional tour, appearing in stores. In Basseterre, she didn’t perform, but she was there to witness a dance competition held in her honour. Independent ladies from all over were rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrolling it right to the check out line after getting autographs signed by the shining Bajan Star.

Toronto’s night sky was set afire last evening for the 40th annual cavalcade of lights, but we go blaze it up in de West End tonight for the Big People Parang Show and Dance. I hope somebody told Mr. Scrunter that Nurse Karen would like to hear him sing Anita (aye aye aye…don’t want no ham, don’t want no eggs...) oye oye oye. Whole day people been asking me about tickets and times and directions and WOY…why allyuh don’t you just go to http://www.socatherapy.com. That’s where to find out everything about everything. But if you just want to know if I go be there…you better believe it…just as soon as I hand back meh mic to Doctor Jay.

I’m Nurse Karen and those were doctor Jay’s rounds. Send me your comments at soca @ FLOW 935 DOT Com. Now back to de docta.

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The Rounds - August 20, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jays rounds. This time of year I always get a little emotional. So bear with me today as I mourn the passing of the Summer carnival season in the Caribbean. We were spoiled for a while getting new music from just about everywhere…but now it’s nothing but blues. Back from vacation, back to school, back to reality.

Grenada wrapped up their annual Spice Mas Carnival last week in style … and in case you still don’t know. Mista Killa is the double soca monarch champ. He ran away with Doggie’s groovy title…singing the ever-so-sexy Spice Isle Rock. And he secured himself as the hometown hero in Gouyave when he won the International Soca Monarch title with “Warriors” at Tanteen last week Saturday.

Now for a special public service announcement in regards to Spice Isle Rock… Dat tune bad ya kna… I can not get enough of it. So if any of you promoters or DJs want to make a quick buck off of me, Send a me letter stating that you absolutely promise to play Mista Killa’s groovy tune at your next fete…and I give you my word…ah coming to de party.

Alrighty den…So spice mas wrapped on Tuesday…and Killa didn’t win roadmarch. Believe me that’s okay, you have to spread the wealth. Special congratulations go out to Soca Banton for flattening St. Georges to the tune of “Ova U Head”…and while I’m sending shouts to my Greenz Crew. All de man dem dey pon Brian’s block…hope allyuh had a nice carnival and Bucky de Rastaman big. up. unnu . chest.

As I was saying party time is almost over in the West Indies for a little while, so it’s time to entertain ourselves a little closer to home. This weekend is Ottawa’s big Jump Up. While the display in the nation’s capital is considerably quieter than the way we throw down in the t-dot it’s still a great celebration of Caribbean beauty and creativity. This year Explainer and Eddy Allen brought entertainment to the road which is carnival enough for me. Any time Explainer picks up a microphone believe me when I say, Ah shaking meh background fuh dat!

Next week the party moves to jolly old England for the 42nd annual Notting Hill carnival. Organizers state they are expecting more than one million visitors to cross the pond for the festivities. That would be a marked increase from last year’s party tally which was negatively affected by the London terrorist incidents last July. This year they want to squash all that with a theme that reminds us of what carnival is all about. “Aspiration and Achievement in Unity”. Good on you Brits! Good on you! (Do they even say that?)

Well, I don’t know for sure, but I do know this. While our English friends are jumping up in the road next weekend, Our American friends will be doing the same thing in Boston. Beantown boasts one of the big three Caribbean carnivals in the US in my opinion. If you’re looking for big entertainers…you’re better off checking the vibes in the UK, but Boston knows how to get muddy for j’ouvert…and for that ..ah just have to smile. If you’re heading down next weekend. Walk with some clothes you never want to see again, a water bottle and a garden hose. Tantie Jill ain’t letting you in she house painted in blue.

I’m Nurse Karen and those are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments and your Spice Isle Rock pledges to soca at flow 935 dot com. Now back to de docta.

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