This Is Jamaica (&caribbean)

Art matters

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:40:18 -0400

Explosive Caribbean Infused Creole Jazz (Subscribe to our...

Sun, 19 May 2013 06:08:37 -0400

Explosive Caribbean Infused Creole Jazz

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TJNELSON reviews Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul (Culture Shock Music, 2013) for WorldMusicCentral.org.

Trumpeter Etienne Charles’s Creole Soul isn’t World Music Central’s usual fare, but because our readers are clever, worldly and there’s probably a good number of jazz fans amongst the lot of you I’m going to make an exception. While the world music threads on the latest by this Trinidad-born musician and composer are a bit tenuous, there is a Caribbean flavor woven throughout the fabric of Creole Soul.

With previous recordings that include Folklore, Kaiso and Culture Shock, Mr. Charles, a professor at Michigan State University, leaves nothing out of the mix on Creole Soul in his continuing musical exploration and incorporating his own Caribbean roots, along with French, Spanish, Calypso, R & B, Reggae and blues influences, to create a savagely bold jazz sound that is captivating.

Joined by Jacques Schwartz-Bart on tenor saxophone, Brian Hogans on alto saxophone, Alex Wintz on guitar, Obed Calvaire on drums, D’Achee and Daniel Sadownick on percussion, Kris Bowers on piano on Fender Rhodes and Ben Williams on bass, Mr. Charles reigns supreme on trumpet and fugelhorn and offers up percussion as well. Opening with Haitian chant by Erol Josue on “Creole,” before slipping into some delicious percussion on the extension of “Creole,” Mr. Charles and company heat up this high-energy jazzy track that thrums with a yummy underlying funk before more goodness from Mr. Josue.

Possessed of a subterranean smoothness, Creole Soul moves slickly into “The Folks,” before slipping into the clipped hipness of “You Don’t Love Me,” punctuated by some dishy bass lines provided by Mr. Williams and piano by Kris Bowers. Throughout Mr. Charles’s neat, sharply worked trumpet playing will have fans sitting up and begging for more. There is plenty to laud on Creole Soul, tracks like the Caribbean rhythms that saturate “Roots” or the mellow turns of “Memories” or the silky smoothness of Thelonious Monk’s “Green Chimneys.”

Fans also get a version of Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low.” Equally good is the lovely “Midnight,” the dreamy “Close Your Eyes” and closing track “Doin’ The Thing.”

While I would put Mr. Charles squarely in the jazz genre, there is plenty of an international flavor on Creole Soul. The heady explosive potency of Mr. Charles on the trumpet is reason enough to check out this recording. Fans should also note that Mr. Charles is headed out on a world tour, so fans should be sure to check out the schedule for a chance to hear Mr. Charles in person.

I Came to Haiti to Do Good … (Subscribe to our...

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:59:18 -0400

I Came to Haiti to Do Good …

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This op-ed piece by NORA SCHENKEL appeared in The New York Times.

WHEN I was living in Haiti, people often asked me for money. Strangers in the street held out their hands to me on the rare occasions that I walked by on foot. The construction workers shoveling sand in front of my house stopped as I closed the gate on my way to work, pointed to their throats. “I’m hungry,” that meant.

I came to Haiti in May 2011 as a development worker with an international nongovernmental organization. I liked Haiti from the start, but in my 15 months here, I struggled with the feeling that my job was ….[Full article HERE]

Vybz Kartel Conspiracy Trial Postponed AGAIN, Gaza Slim Sound...

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:54:00 -0400

Vybz Kartel Conspiracy Trial Postponed AGAIN, Gaza Slim Sound Off

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Vybz Kartel conspiracy trial was again delayed and Gaza Slim is furious.

The case against the self proclaim Worl’Boss and his co-accused Gaza Slim, real name Vanessa Saddler, and Andre “Pim Pim” Henry was mentioned in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates Court yesterday.

However, the trial failed to get underway and was subsequently postponed until July.

Speaking with Irie FM, Gaza Slim says the constant delays is getting frustrating.

“Them just constantly putting it off and putting it off,” Gaza Slim said. “But its god we put our trust in and not mankind so what is to be must be.”

Gaza Slim also said she is channeling her focus on her musical career and is hoping Vybz Kartel would be released sometime soon.

Vybz Kartel oft-delayed murder trial is scheduled for May 27, however, fans are keeping their fingers cross that there will be no more delays.

Gays tolerated in T&T says survey (Subscribe to our...

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:45:05 -0400

Gays tolerated in T&T says survey

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The majority of people in T&T are either tolerant or accepting of homosexuals rather than homophobic. Also, lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender (LBGT) issues are not as politically dangerous as politicians think, as Yvonne Baboolal reports in this article for Trinidad’s Guardian.

These were the results of a survey, funded by the British High Commission and conducted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES), of attitudes toward homosexuals in T&T. The results were announced at a….[Full article HERE]

Jamaica police corporal accused of demanding money for inmate's early release

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:21:54 -0400

Jamaica police corporal accused of demanding money for inmate's early release: KINGSTON, Jamaica - A...

How Do You Make Hot Source?

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:31:32 -0400

How Do You Make Hot Source?

Haitian Migrants Flee via Puerto Rico (Subscribe to our...

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:56:55 -0400

Haitian Migrants Flee via Puerto Rico

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Danica Coto and Trenton Daniel report on how Haitian migrants find safer passage to the U.S. mainland through Puerto Rico. They call it “a newly popular route” that has caught officials in the Caribbean by surprise; I had assumed that this route had been a popular choice for years. They write:

Hundreds of Haitian migrants have made their way to Puerto Rico in recent months. They’ve found that if they can make it to the U.S. territory without getting arrested, they can fly on to U.S. cities such as Miami, Boston or New York without having to show a passport, although some kind of identification, such as a driver’s license, is needed. Immigration authorities checking travelers before they leave Puerto Rico for the U.S. mainland sometimes find them carrying fake driver’s licenses or other identification, but counterfeit documents are not always detected.

[…] There are no official statistics on how many Haitians have successfully made their way illegally to Puerto Rico, or how many have traveled on to the U.S. mainland. But the trend worries officials in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, with both countries reporting a jump in arrests of Puerto Rico-bound Haitians.

Migrants reportedly are paying smugglers $1,000-$1,500 for a trip to Puerto Rico, located less than 100 miles east of the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At the same time, Dominican officials have detained more than 400 Haitians bound for Puerto Rico in the past four months, compared with just a handful annually in previous years, said Victor Pilier, the Dominican Republic’s director of naval intelligence. “It’s an excessive amount,” said Pilier, who oversaw the capture of 78 Haitians headed to Puerto Rico in late April before sending them back home. “It’s unusual.”

U.S. officials in the past six months captured 352 Haitian migrants who were bound for Puerto Rico or were found on or near the island. Coast Guard statistics show that between October 2010 and September 2011, only 13 such migrants were found, and at most five Puerto Rico-bound Haitians were arrested in the two years before that. The odds of reaching the U.S. mainland directly from Haiti have dropped as the U.S. Coast Guard beefs up patrols by Hamilton class cutters, or what Haitian migrants simply refer to as “Amilton.”

Along with trying to sail directly to the U.S. mainland, Haitians in the past attempted to get to the United States through long-established smuggling networks on islands including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Aidonia Shelling Barbados Reggae Festival May 2013 Great video.

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:31:57 -0400

Aidonia Shelling Barbados Reggae Festival May 2013

Great video.

READ A BOOK: The Enigma of the Return, By Dany Laferrière,...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:49:42 -0400

READ A BOOK:

The Enigma of the Return, By Dany Laferrière, trans. David Homel

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A magnificent meditation on loss and political exile as a great Haitian writer returns home, as Ian Thomson writes in this review for London’sIndependent.

After years of estrangement in a foreign land, what can a great Haitian writer expect to find on his return home? The remembered warmth and….[Full article HERE]

Spurs stars heading for the Bahamas

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:04:55 -0400

Spurs stars heading for the Bahamas: Andre Villas-Boas has been to the Bahamas before but is eager...

I’m glad I went to @arsenak tonight!! RESULT!

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:59:02 -0400

I’m glad I went to @arsenak tonight!! RESULT!

Trini actors shine in O Starry Starry Night (Subscribe to our...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:02:24 -0400

Trini actors shine in O Starry Starry Night

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Derek Walcott’s latest play O Starry Starry Night premiered at Essex University’ Lakeside Theatre on May 3 with Trini actors Nigel Scott and Wendell Manwarren leading the cast along with UK-based compatriots Martina Laird and Brian Green, Trinidad’s Guardian reports.

Walcott’s writing, whether poetry or drama, has been influenced by visual art throughout his long career. He himself is a keen watercolourist and it is the artist’s eye as much as the literate writer’s lexicon, which has informed his unique imagery. So his choice of subject matter-the stormy relationship between the Post-Impressionist painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin–is understandable; moreso when we delve into Gauguin’s background. His mother was of Peruvian extraction and the young Paul spent five years of his early life in Lima, before returning to …[Full article HERE]

Dreadlocked Jamaican construction worker weds daughter of US...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:57:36 -0400

Dreadlocked Jamaican construction worker weds daughter of US house speaker

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The eldest daughter of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, John Boehner, has tied the knot with her dreadlocked, Jamaican-born construction worker boyfriend.

Lindsay Marie Boehner, 35, married Dominic Lakhan, 38, over the weekend in an intimate ceremony amid a lush Florida garden. She wore a flowing white strapless gown, showing off a huge tattoo etched across her arm, while Dominic wore a grey suit with his dreadlocks flowing down his back.

The Republican House Speaker reportedly looked on proudly after walking Lindsay down the aisle at Sundy House under tight security.

About 60 guests were invited to the wedding, including Boehner and his wife Debbie, and Lindsay’s younger sister Tricia, 32.

Male guests reportedly sported Hawaiian shirts and slacks, while the women wore sun dresses and semi-formal gowns.

Dominic was arrested in 2006 for possessing marijuana, with the arresting officer reporting that Lakhan admitted to possessing it for “personal use,” Boehner is a strong opponent of legalizing the drug.

Cuba’s 2013 Anti-Homophobia Parade Held (Subscribe to our...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:31:34 -0400

Cuba’s 2013 Anti-Homophobia Parade Held

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Some 500 members and supporters of Cuba’s LGBT community paraded on Saturday morning along the busy 23^rd Street in Havana in the now traditional anti-homophobia campaign calling for respect for diversity and rejection of sexual prejudice, as Havana Times reports. Follow the link below for a gallery of photos.

The march took place to the beat of the popular Cuban sound of the “conga” with trumpets and drums. Many in the crowd waved Cuban and multicolored rainbow flags.

This is the peak visibility in the Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, held here since 2008, always around May 17.

At the start of the activity, Mariela Castro, director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), called for dialogue between the Cuban population to eradicate prejudice in families.

This year’s parade was especially focused on the family, one of “the most vulnerable areas in the rights of LGBT people, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people,” Castro told reporters during the parade.

Castro, who is also a member of the Cuban parliament, emphasized the need to approve changes to the Family Code, including the rights of sexual orientation, gender identity and recognition to same-sex couples.

The debate has been suspended for years due to the strong disputes generated in Cuban society, but Mariela remains optimistic that the parliament will take up the issue again soon, noted DPA news.

“The hardest part is the time it takes to overcome prejudice, but I think conditions are improving,” said the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro.

The march is part of the activities of the VI Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, taking place this year from May 7-31, featuring discussions, lectures, photo exhibitions, educational activities and a sports festival.

Tarrus Riley added to BBC 1xtra's official playlist - Entertainment - Jamaica Star - May 13, 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:09:28 -0400

Tarrus Riley added to BBC 1xtra's official playlist - Entertainment - Jamaica Star - May 13, 2013:...

Damian Marley (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Connor...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:59:21 -0400

Damian Marley

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Connor Casner and Willow Delgado wrote this formy.hsj.org—it is an example of secondary school students’ interest in writing about the Caribbean.

Damian was two years old when his father, Bob Marley, died; he is the only child born to Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. Damian’s nickname Junior Gong is derived from his father’s nickname of Tuff Gong. Marley has been performing since the age of 13.Marley has described his music as “dancehall and reggae. I’ve noticed…people trying to separate the two of them,” he continues. “It’s Jamaican culture in general. I don’t …..[Full article HERE]

‘The Art of Disappearing’ (When A Haitian Voodoo Priest Visited...

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:05:03 -0400

‘The Art of Disappearing’ (When A Haitian Voodoo Priest Visited Poland In 1980)

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This article by Tambay A. Obenson appeared in indiwire.com.

The Art of Disappearing is a new feature documentary that tells the little-known story of Haitian Voodoo priest, Amon Fremon, who visited the People’s Republic of Poland in 1980.

The short story goes, courtesy of the filmmakers…

Poland was a strange place for him. Even the rain was louder, as if in a land of deaf people. People gathered in queues for hours but they never spoke to each other. A romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz led him to the underworld and helped him contact Polish spirits. He survived the martial law period when the evil white water came from the sky, water that could not satisfy thirst. Finally he decided to perform a great Voodoo ceremony to free the Polish people from evil forces and start a revolution similar to the one that took place in Haiti 200 years ago.

The film is further described as a metaphysical view on socialism through the eyes of “a stranger form a different culture.”

I’m not familiar with Amon Fremon’s story, so those of you who are can chime in. What I did learn from the brief research I did on him, is that he believed that he was a descendant of Polish soldiers who were…[Full article HERE]

LOVE THIS SHOT OF POPCAAN!!! (Subscribe to our...

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:16:34 -0400

LOVE THIS SHOT OF POPCAAN!!!

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Lyris “Real Badman,” Produce By Jam2 Productions.

Real bad man love si dead body
Drive pon dem Benz wid the red cabby
Shot bun dem skin like beef patty
And no bwoy pon di road cyaa dis poppy

Jam 2 dem love si dead body
Step pon dem endz wid the big maggy
Shot spin dem head like dis jockey
And no bwoy pon di road cyaa dis poppy…

Builders Bulldoze Big Mayan Pyramid in Belize (Subscribe to our...

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:51:27 -0400

Builders Bulldoze Big Mayan Pyramid in Belize

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A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize’s largest Mayan pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract crushed rock for a road-building project, the Associated Press reports.

The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said the destruction at the Nohmul complex in northern Belize was detected late last week. The ceremonial center dates back at least 2,300 years and is the most important ….[Full article HERE]