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Music, music everywhere

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The launch of Jus Wee and Friends’ Wee Taking Flight for Carnival 2018 a fortnight ago has opened the floodgates for mas band launchings through this month and into October. Next up is Harts, which will unveil Shimmer & Lace with a block party tonight on Alcazar Street, St Clair, at 8 pm.

In comparison, this weekend is a little quieter than the one just passed. It begins on a religious note when The Jubilee Gospel Show is held this evening at 5 pm on Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain. The dress code is white.

Also on this evening at 7.30 pm, is the Marionettes Chorale’s premiere of Hearts Beat Together 2, at All Saints Anglican Church, Marli Street, Newtown.

Pan musician Lemuel Davis is about to embark on an educational trip to the University of Tennesse Martin (UTM) for a cultural exchange programme and CAL Invaders Steel Orchestra is assisting in raising funds for his jaunt.

Tomorrow, at 6 pm, the legendary steelband will hold A Night of Pan Jazz at its Tragarete Road panyard in Woodbrook.

Joining Invaders and Invaders Youth Steel Orchestra in providing live entertainment will be acclaimed musician Michael Low Chew Tung, Atiya O’Neil, James Jessey Joseph, Luke Walker and Toni Williams.

A Night of Pan Jazz is a fund-raising concert geared towards financially assisting Davis, so pan lovers are asked to support. A contribution of $80 is all that’s needed for admission.

Two other benefits are scheduled for tomorrow for pan musician Cary Codrington and Wendy Hector. The Carter Foundation is holding Codrington’s fund-raiser at the Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC), Lecture Room E, UWI, St Augustine, at 7 pm.

An hour later, at All Out Sports Bar, Queen’s Park Oval, Tragarete Road, Woodbrook, With a Little Help From My Friends will be held in aid of Hector.

In the wake of Dining With the Saints, recently held at St Mary’s College, St Anthony’s Old Boys Alumni will host St Anthony’s Tigers Can Cook fund-raiser tomorrow, from 5.30 pm, at St Anthony’s College grounds, Westmooring.

Sunday’s main entertainment event is the Bishop Anstey Junior School 50th Anniversary at Monte Cristo As Long As I Have Music Concert & Silent Auction, at the Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa), Port-of-Spain, at 6 pm.

Headline acts include Quite Exquisitely Done TT, Vaughnette Bigford, Freetown Collective, Chantal Esdelle & Moyenne and the choirs of Bishop Anstey Junior School.

Also billed for Sunday evening is Phenomenal Woman, headlined by Nyiida, supported by Overdrive.

The action takes place from 6.30 pm at Kaiso Blues Cafe, 85 Woodford Street, Newtown.

Reinventing Uppa Level highs

Since the departure of the Upper Level Club, once located in West Mall, in 2001, many efforts were made to clone that spark that made the nightclub famous as the official Friday afterwork place-to-be.

Elegant Promotions resurrected those after-work limes last week Wednesday night at Fuzion Nightclub, formally Club Coconuts, at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, and DJs Darryl, Scobie, Billy J and Richard Simply Smooth had the large crowd at the club dancing until the next morning.

It was a special night for the Upper Level Returns, a tribute to the once-famous nightclub and lounge located at West Mall. Aside from the disc jockey music, the evening also offered some enticing live performances from the likes of new boy band sensation Lujoe And The Gifted.

Led by brothers Luke and Joshua Samerson, both lead vocalists, and under the wings of music producer Richard “Charsue” Ahong—whose son, Rashaad, is the band’s bassist and vocalist—they performed many ’80s and ’90s covers as well as current hits.

Guests were also magically entertained by street illusionist Jonni Majik for his fun-loving and slightly mature brand of wizardry.

Last Friday, doors to Uppa Level opened at 6 pm for the After Work Lime, but enthusiastic patrons started arriving as early as 5.30 pm. Live entertainment began after 9 pm as a prelude to the party, with performances from duo Kevon Carter and Tricia Lee Kelshall.

This was followed by the reunion of H2O Phlo and Oscar B. All performances were warmly appreciated by the crowd and the dancing never stopped. From 10.30 pm the party was in full swing with the music of DJs Darryl and Scobie. The action continues every Friday until the end of August.

So come on out and experience an era when the music spoke for itself. This weekend, doors open at 5 pm, with drink specials from 5-7 pm, live entertainment, and cover charge from 9 pm.

DJ Scobie told Pulse: “It’s all part of bringing back a little of that Upper Level magic, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Crowning International Chutney Soca Queen in 2018
 
The news is out: Promoters Randy Glasgow Productions (RGP) is about to create history when they crown an International Chutney Soca Queen for Carnival 2018.

“The time is now to make a female chutney soca artiste a winner in Carni­val,” said RGP CEO Randy Glasgow. He believes female chutney soca ar­tistes deserve an opportunity to score with their music.

Glasgow says he means no disrespect to the guys, but he be­lieves that the chutney divas in this country are on par with their male counterparts. He noted that after several years of chut­ney soca competitions, none of the female acts have ever won.

With this in mind, he launched the 2018 International Chutney Soca Monarch Queen competition. The contest takes place on February 2 at Guaracara Park, Point-a-Pierre in San Fernando. The Annual International Chutney Brass Festival by RGP will take place the following night, February 3, at the same venue.

“We expect a lot of international par­ticipation with competitors and audience from the Caribbean, US, Canada and the UK,” he said.

“Female chutney soca artistes such as Drupatie Ramgoonai, Sally Sagram, Reshma Ramlal, Nisha Bissembhar, Rasika Dindial, Hem Lata Dindial and a host of others de­serve a better place in Carnival, and this is what our organisation is offering,” he said.

Very soon, prizes, incentives and rules will be announced. When contacted, Resh­ma sighed in relief, saying finally a woman could grace the stage like a queen.

“We could be judged fairly on originality,” she said, adding that this is one competition she is looking forward to sharing with all her sisters in the busi­ness.

“Woman power all the way,” she said.

Drupatie was excited when she learned this news, saying she would definitely participate in this show.

“I believe that the promoters of chut­ney competitions have done quite a lot to promote the arts. However, it’s time that the female acts are given a fair share of the pie in Carnival,” she said, adding that soca artistes have made great strides in TT; she believes that chutney soca queens and divas will now do the same in the upcoming year.

Before this unique show, RGP is staging its Chutney and World Rhythms at the Na­tional Cricket Centre in Couva on Saturday, August 26.

The stars billed to grace the stage are KI & The Band, Indar Kanhai, Nigel Rojas & Or­ange Sky, Rakesh Yankeran, Mungal Patasar & Pantar, Sally Sagram, Nailah Blackman, Anil Bheem & Bmerz Empire, Drupatee Ramgoonai and Savita Singh.

The show will be emceed by Big Rich and Kenneth Supersad.
 


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