JEEEZZ
I've been away so long, you would have thought i was in Trinidad relaxing after all the action, but no i had to miss Carnival.
Not that i planned to either, I really wanted to go ,but as I said to Brian after accessing my situation it was priority over passion and with an October trip all ready planned i decided to skip the festival this year.
Any how in this information age and people like Saucy on the job i still saw Carnival on the net and caught some of the vibe. ......I still had a tabanca...
And while I'm still checking the pics of various bands on the road etc, I can say without a doubt, India had to be band of the year, hands down.
As for Road March, while Jumbie is a big tune i think i had to be there to really pick up on the hype because over here in the cold the vibe did not grab me the way "high" did but big up to Machel cause he put a fine cut arse on the rest, and big up to the "big man in the business"Iwer, the Anthem being another big tune to blow me away.... all the way in the UK.
the Kings and queens were good too it was nice to see some new names in the final, however I think the eventual King of Carnival was a conceptual disaster, a mishmash of concepts and themes slammed together with money and Brut force .
This king and a lot of the Big Guns seem to go over the top with size weight,mechanisation , and pyrotechnics to cover up a lack of creativity ....but i will touch on that next time.
So Trinbago Carnival done and while there will be sevral big Carnivals kicking off soon i will have my sights on the Notting Hill Carnival to see what the bands will be presenting .
Another issue i want to touch on this year, is for me the very sad fact that while this year, 2007 England is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the end of the TransAtlantic slave trade, I did not see ONE band attempt to portray or present this most important historical fact in world history and the history of Caribbean in Trinidad this year.
This is quite ironic since it is events such as this that are precursors to our Carnival yet we jump and play mas and de ass without any memory of the origins of the culture or its importance.
No wonder so many bands bluff there way through Carnival with bullshit themes and half bake concepts.
I wonder if MacFarlane will attempt an "Africa" next year.
I've been away so long, you would have thought i was in Trinidad relaxing after all the action, but no i had to miss Carnival.
Not that i planned to either, I really wanted to go ,but as I said to Brian after accessing my situation it was priority over passion and with an October trip all ready planned i decided to skip the festival this year.
Any how in this information age and people like Saucy on the job i still saw Carnival on the net and caught some of the vibe. ......I still had a tabanca...
And while I'm still checking the pics of various bands on the road etc, I can say without a doubt, India had to be band of the year, hands down.
As for Road March, while Jumbie is a big tune i think i had to be there to really pick up on the hype because over here in the cold the vibe did not grab me the way "high" did but big up to Machel cause he put a fine cut arse on the rest, and big up to the "big man in the business"Iwer, the Anthem being another big tune to blow me away.... all the way in the UK.
the Kings and queens were good too it was nice to see some new names in the final, however I think the eventual King of Carnival was a conceptual disaster, a mishmash of concepts and themes slammed together with money and Brut force .
This king and a lot of the Big Guns seem to go over the top with size weight,mechanisation , and pyrotechnics to cover up a lack of creativity ....but i will touch on that next time.
So Trinbago Carnival done and while there will be sevral big Carnivals kicking off soon i will have my sights on the Notting Hill Carnival to see what the bands will be presenting .
Another issue i want to touch on this year, is for me the very sad fact that while this year, 2007 England is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the end of the TransAtlantic slave trade, I did not see ONE band attempt to portray or present this most important historical fact in world history and the history of Caribbean in Trinidad this year.
This is quite ironic since it is events such as this that are precursors to our Carnival yet we jump and play mas and de ass without any memory of the origins of the culture or its importance.
No wonder so many bands bluff there way through Carnival with bullshit themes and half bake concepts.
I wonder if MacFarlane will attempt an "Africa" next year.
Posts
6 comments:
Missed your posts.
Know what you mean about Higher Than High vs. Jumbie, but I think you have to really experience Jumbie. Only then do you catch the spirit. I liked it before, but after a few live performances, I was absolutely jumbiefied.
So, we see you for 2008 then?
Thanks for letting us know about the 200th anniversary deal. Hadn't known anything about it, and like you said, there was nothing representative of it in any of the presentations. Food for thought.
Massassination, I was sincerely looking forward to your first hand review of the bands, but as you said priority took the place of an expected visit for Trinidad Carnival 2007. I can honestly tell you you were missed. Though you were not there, you have still added some insight from the many articles (more frivilous gloom than insightful) I had read about the event. I second your comment: "... King of Carnival was a conceptual disaster, a mishmash of concepts and themes slammed together with money and Brut force. This king and a lot of the Big Guns seem to go over the top with size weight,mechanisation , and pyrotechnics to cover up a lack of creativity..." MacFarlane's "India" king being the sole exception. And yes indeed the reality that not one band "produced" one of the most important historical facts, the end of the TransAtlantic slave trade, is tragic and could be a sad indicator that "substance" is waning in the mas. Thank you for highlighting the irony. A bit of hope is Minshall was indeed on deck to bring out a band called "Canboulay" (very close to the theme of your dismay) but he and MacFarlane were "competing" for the same mas makers of the Callaloo Company in both of their late (Minshall later still) intentions to produce a band. I hope to see me, you, MacFarlane, and Minshall, in the full mix in Trinidad 2008.
Bless.
hey cb
nice to know somebody out there missed my post. lol
i know what you mean about the experience another funny thung is a friend sent me on version by email then another friend gave me another (better) version of his phone so there might be about 3 versions.
2008 if God wills it i will be there!
as for the big 200th Anniversay i will post some stuff on it in the future.
I missed you in TnT.
Did you get to see Dimarche Gras, hands down I know they wouldn't have given it to Marie Bhola but she deserved atleast 2nd place.
All the fuss about the 1 song was really better in the end.
First Dimarche Gras I didn't fall asleep on!
DOUGLA_1
Minshalls Canboulay is a concept that has been talked about for decades.
I dont know if its a production that might be too big for Minshall at this stage in his life, or if its a concept that has too many aspects to depict.
but right now im not sure if as a people Trinidad and Tobago aare even ready for such a cultural monument.
BAGOGYUL
i watched Dimarche Gras on the net and while the lady was good and the crowd loved her you know hoy it go she have to pay up first .....she still young.
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