The Caribbean's first podcast - Almost live from Trinidad & Tobago!
follow georgiap at http://twitter.com
The original portions of this work are licensed under a Creative Commons License
9 ? cariblogrs # :
Links
“. . . in Trinidad, I was trying to make a song that wasn’t very soca-ish, but I was in a soca environment with soca producers who were having a lot of soca stuff going on. I wasn’t thinking about American clubs at the time, about what sort of stuff they were listening to, what kids in Paris were listening to. I was just there in the moment in Trinidad. It had the ups and downs: the basic chorus, soca for the tempo, and you just fuck around with that. You create a new way to feel music.”
Singer M.I.A., explaining, in The Village Voice, why she was lurking around Studio Film Club last year (or was it earlier this year?). Maybe I’ll like Kala, her upcoming album, better than I did Arular.
Technorati Tags: trinidad, M.I.A., music, caribbean
- In today’s Trinidad Express, BC Pires talks with artist Steve Ouditt about the festivals of Divali and Eid-Ul-Fitr in the Trinidadian context.
- Guadeloupean saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart’s MySpace page. His latest album, Soné Ka-La, gorgeously synthesises Guadeloupean gwoka and all that jazz (full-length music samples are available at MySpace).
And while we’re on the subject of great saxophonists, the New York Times yesterday runs a moving article about Sonny Rollins — who’s now 76 — as he comes to terms with the death of his wife and (reluctantly) embraces technolological change.
- My photos from last night’s Divali dinner at Omi and Lalo’s are up on Flickr. They’re a bit on the dark side, and again, will be more appreciated by those who know the people in them. But I do deconstruct a dinner plate.
- And here’s one from the tech files: last night, in my quest for a method of cheating the upload date on a few of my photos so they wouldn’t appear at the top of my Flickr photostream, I came across h4ppierphotos, which worked like a dream.
- The music video for Jamaican artist Gyptian’s “Beautiful Lady” is one of the Editor’s Picks today at video-sharing site Revver. Interesting that VP Records is using Revver . . . The piece is packed with ads, of course.
- Reporters Sans Frontières has released a new report on the Internet in Cuba.
- “Bird of Night”, the chamber opera by Trinidadian composer Dominique LeGendre (who was the subject of CFR podcast #38 — those were the days, weren’t they?), opened this past Thursday at London’s Royal Opera House. The show runs till October 28. (Hat tip to Titilayo).
I touched upon my Martinique experiences some time ago at the dormant-but-not-in-fact-dead Caribbean Free Photo. In that post I mentioned the group Malavoi, whose music, I said, “features prominently on the soundtrack to my Martinique days.”
Yesterday I happened to come across the MySpace page of Ralph Thamar, Malavoi’s former lead singer. Around the time I arrived in Martinique Thamar was just starting his solo career, and I recall once having somehow gotten seated at a table (probably due to some screw-up in the seating plan) with him and Edith Léfel and Marijosé Alie at a bizarre event called “La Nuit des Stars” that was being televised by RFO Martinique. Those were some strange times, indeed.
I no longer keep up with French Caribbean music like I used to, and this video for the song “Fe Van” reminded me of what I might be missing. Accompanying Thamar on piano is Mario Canonge, another fine Martiniquan musician whom I had the good fortune of meeting briefly last year, when he played with the band Sakésho at a jazz festival here in Trinidad.
“Fe Van”, incidentally, is from Thamar’s 2005 album Alma y Corazon.
My talented amigo Walt Lovelace sent me this video he directed for Trinidadian rock band Orange Sky’s “Running with the Dogs” a couple of weeks ago, and insisted I post it on CFR. (”Don’t I need permission?” I asked. “You have my permission,” he replied.)
So here it is. The snake is real, and so is the lightbulb.
Upstairs
“It’s quite an exciting little thing,” Wendell Manwarren of 3canal told me over the phone yesterday as we discussed “Caribeana Imperia“, the show the band has been preparing over the past few weeks in Washington DC. That’s almost certainly an understatement. “Caribeana Imperia” opened on Thursday 13 July and from all reports audiences had no difficulty getting into the groove.
In CFR #44 the three members of 3canal — Wendell, Roger and Stanton — and choreographer Dave Williams fill me in on the details over the telephone from their DC headquarters.
“Caribeana Imperia” runs at the Gala Hispanic Theatre in Washington DC from Thursday-Sunday until July 30. The show is directed by Hugo Medrano and Wendell Manwarren.
Mentioned in the episode are the Caribbean writers Martin Carter, V.S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott and Earl Lovelace.
The song played in the episode is “Imperia” by 3canal. Purchase your 3canal CDs at CDBaby.
Listen to the podcast by using the player at the top of the post or access it using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you’re an Amazon.com shopper, you can also support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
Digging around in my Libsyn archives today, I came across this 2005 video for 3canal’s “A Happy Song”, which I’d compressed and uploaded ages ago but never did anything with. I figure now’s as good a time as any to unveil it. The video was directed by Walt Lovelace and Wendell Manwarren.
“Happy Song” is from the CD Jab Jab Say — grab yourself a copy at CD Baby.
In other 3canal news, according to the reports out of Washington DC, preparations for the show “Caribeana” are going swimmingly.
CFR is back! And what better way to celebrate my return to podcasting than by paying a visit to cut+clear productions, headquarters of 3canal, CFR’s “house band”.
This time the topic isn’t the band but rather band member Wendell Manwarren, who was in Germany a few weeks ago appearing in a soon-to-be-released television documentary which aims to “capture the vibe” in the FIFA World Cup 2006 host country ahead of the arrival of the Soca Warriors (Trinidad & Tobago’s football team) and the legions of Trini fans in June. Wendell shares with us the highlights of his whirlwind tour (seven cities in 2 1/2 weeks!) and explains why there’s now a pink rhino covered in blue devils gracing the streets of Dortmund. We also play two tracks from 3canal Vibes, the group’s 2006 album, which you can purchase online at CDBaby.
Play the podcast using this link:
Or access it using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you’re an Amazon.com shopper, you can also support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
And while you’re at it, now would also be a great time to purchase one of these Limited Edition Commemorative World Cup Warriors t-shirts from 3canal’s 3line t-shirt collection:
And get the latest Soca Warriors news and analysis at the Soca Warriors Forum and the Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Blog.
The Bay of All Saints, Salvador da Bahia by Patricia Carmo
Inspired by a line from David Rudder’s “Bahia Girl” about the affinities between Trinidad and Brazil, I get on Skype with my friend Gillian Marcelle during her sojourn in the enchanting Bahian capital, Salvador, and learn a bit about the land of capoeira and Carnaval (and caipirinhas!).
Play this episode using this link:
Powered by Castpost
Or access CFR using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Links:
Bahia Online | Flickr Bahia cluster
Music played in this show:
“Bahia Girl” by David Rudder from the CD No Restrictions | “Ilê que fala de amor” by Margareth Menezes from the CD Gente de Festa | “Maria Caipirinha” by Carlinhos Brown from the CD Candyall Beat | “Tarde em Itapua” by Quarteto em Cy from the CD Canta Brasil
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you’re an Amazon.com shopper, you can also support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
EPISODE 40 FINDS ME sounding like I’m just coming off a bout of ‘flu (which I am) and 3canal in a feisty mood as we discuss the football-inspired “Vibes It Up”, their second release for the Carnival season, talk about their upcoming variety show and ponder the champagne-and-caviar road down which Carnival seems to be travelling. Lots of raised voices and cross talk and few punches pulled.
Play this episode using this link:
Powered by Castpost
Or access CFR using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Links:
3Canal’s web site | Download “web mixes” of “Rise” and “Vibes It Up”.
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you’re an Amazon.com shopper, you can also support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
When the Christmas season rolls around, English-speaking Trinidad starts singing in Spanish. Episode #39 explains - briefly - the whys and wherefores of the musical form known as parang and offers a sampling of parang tunes by Los Parranderos de UWI.
Play this episode using this link:
Powered by Castpost
Or access CFR using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Links:
“The Sound of Christmas” - 1997 Article on parang by yours truly (PDF format (1.8 MB) - first published in Caribbean Beat) | Buy Los Parranderos de UWI’s Mi Parranda at Rhyner’s Caribbean Music Online Store
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you’re an Amazon.com shopper, you can also support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, Caribbean Free Video, our vidcast, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
Happy Holidays!
Dominique Le Gendre at home in London
Dominique Le Gendre with Royal Opera House accompanist Chris Willis
CFR gets classical in episode #38, as I visit with Trinidad-born composer Dominique Le Gendre at her home in London. I chat with Dominique about her early musical influences, about Caribbeanness and the classical tradition, her experiences as a Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House and her chamber opera “Bird of Night”, which is set to debut at the Royal Opera House in October 2006.
Play this episode using this link:
powered by ODEO
Or access CFR using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Links:
The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you plan on doing any of your holiday shopping at Amazon.com, do support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, Caribbean Free Video, our vidcast, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
Technorati Tags: caribbean, classical music, derek walcott, music, opera, dominique le gendre, royal opera house, trinidad + tobago
Dropped in at 3canal headquarters this afternoon and next thing I knew a mini-podcast was in the offing! In down-and-dirty episode #37, CFR’s “house band” premieres “Rise”, their first single for the 2006 Carnival season, and talks about drawing inspiration from the Trinidad & Tobago football team’s recent qualification for the 2006 World Cup, their 2006 Carnival show, and other matters.
Play this episode using this link:
Powered by Castpost
Or access CFR using any of these methods:
Download MP3 | RSS | Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via Odeo
Buy 3canal’s 2005 album Jab Jab Say at CD Baby.
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you plan on doing any of your holiday shopping at Amazon.com, do support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, Caribbean Free Video, our vidcast, or put yourself on our Frappr map.
Technorati Tags: caribbean, music, rapso, trinidad, trinidad + tobago
In which I get on Skype with my colleague and buddy Simon Lee, erstwhile Trinidad-based journalist now back in London, and shoot the breeze on topics ranging from this year’s Notting Hill Carnival to the recent production of Derek Walcott’s “Steel” in Trinidad and the demise of the bricks-and-mortar version of Rhyner’s Record Store; and of course, ol’ Sio’s favourite topic–la música!.
You can listen to this podcast in any of the following ways:
MP3 | Online Player | RSS | Subscribe via Odeo
Simon’s music recommendations: In the Heart of the Moon
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt or by initiating your Amazon.com purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We always appreciate it as well when you vote for us at Podcast Alley or check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog.
Technorati Tags: notting+hill+carnival, omar+sosa, miguel+anga+diaz, cuban+music, cuba, trinidad, caribbean+music
“Macafouchette” is a French creole word meaning leftovers, and it’s also the title of this show in which I–after another longish absence–sneak a few hours out out of my ridiculous schedule, dip into the CFR storage bins and choose a couple of choice tidbits which I hope come together to make something resembling a show. In this one I demonstrate one of the possible reasons West Indies cricket is in the state it’s in, talk about some of the stupid and awful things happening these days in Trinidad and Tobago and take you back to St. Barts for a musical interlude.
You can listen to this podcast in any of the following ways:
MP3 | Online Player | RSS | Subscribe via Odeo
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt or by initiating your Amazon.com purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We always appreciate it as well when you vote for us at Podcast Alley or check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog.
Music played in this podcast:
“Fruit Punch & Bacardi” by Sherrif feat. Bumper and Starboy | “City of Grace” by Eldon Blackman from the album Spirit of Love
A short one just to say I’m alive, well and swamped with work, and also to thank you all for supporting CFR with donations and t-shirt purchases, with special thanks to Dave Slusher for mentioning his CFR t-shirt purchase on the Evil Genius Chronicles. I also play a PSA with info about one of the ways you can support the victims of Hurricane Katrina, remember the Martiniquans who died in the plane crash in Venezuela on August 16, and say that I’ll probably be attending the Portable Media Expo in November.
You can listen to this podcast in any of the following ways:
MP3 | Online Player | RSS | Subscribe via Odeo
Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt or by initiating your Amazon.com purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We always appreciate it as well when you vote for us at Podcast Alley or check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog.
Music played in this podcast:“Trinidad Hurricane” by Wilmoth Houdini from the album Roosevelt in Trinidad: Calypsos of Events, Places and Personalities, 1933-1939| “Planète Lá” by Beethova Obas form the album Planète Lá | “Borderline” by 3canal from the album Jab Jab Say
Just also received an email from Putumayo World Music announcing that they will be donating all proceeds from their critically acclaimed albums New Orleans and Mississippi Blues to relief efforts in the Gulf Coast area through the end of the year.
Technorati Tags: Hurricane+Katrina, caribbean, Martinique+plane+crash, podcast, Trinidad, caribbean+music, Putumayo, portable+media+expo
Another instalment in CFR’s Video Chronicles series (which just got established as I wrote this, by the way), in which I invite my friend and colleague Danielle Dieffenthaller to help me tell the story of the video shoot which spelt the end for one unfortunate member of the species Dasyprocta leporina. Sorry we couldn’t put our hands on a copy of the song “Goutimania” as promised on the show.
You can listen to this podcast in any of the following ways:
MP3 | Online Player | RSS
Our sponsor is on hiatus (perhaps permanently) so CFR is now officially unsponsored, so please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt or by initiating your Amazon.com purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.
We always appreciate it as well when you vote for us at Podcast Alley or check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog.
Music played in this podcast:
“Met Kolobri” by RAM from the CD “Le Jardin”.
Technorati Tags: caribbean, trinidad, video, filmmaking, agouti, animals,
July was a month of shortish shows and #27 is no exception. This episode includes musings on yesterday’s power outage | a thank you to new listeners | a reminder to buy t-shirts | thoughts on subscribing via Odeo | congratulations to the Trinidad & Tobago Computer Society on being the producers of the Caribbean’s second podcast (site|feed) | CFR has a drunken fan (or at least a fan who writes emails while inebriated) | Delphine’s blog | a special message from 3Canal re: their Emancipation Concert.
You can listen to this podcast in any of the following ways:
MP3 | Online Player | RSS
Links:
Vote for Caribbean Free Radio at Podcast Alley. Help us make the Top 50 this month! | Tortuga Rum Company - makers of the world-famous Tortuga Rum Cakes. Order yours online today! | Caribbean Free Photo - CFR’s photoblog | Treat yourself to a CFR t-shirt!
Music played in this podcast:
“Old Lady Walk a Mile” by Élan Parlé, from Élan Parlé 5 - The Ming-Toy Project | “Now Is The Time (ronaldinho remix)” by 3Canal (remixed by Robbie Styles) from The Now Is The Time Is Now Remixes
