As we approach the year’s end, here’re some of the things that has been going on in the Montreal Caribbean entertainment scene.
It’s full compliment from my 12th annual Christmas show “ISLAND CHRISTMAS RIDDIMS” on CKUT 90.3fm December 25, (remember to tune in) to Jamaican singer win The X Factor UK 2018 and the death of another calypsonian,”The Mighty Composer”.
In Trinibago’s dialect we would say “Wey D Parang Gone”, A phrase that we shouldn’t take likely.
Parang is a popular folk music originating out of Trinidad and Tobago, this Christmas season genre was brought to Trinidad by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian and African heritage, something that is strongly reflected in the music itself. Over the years Parang music eventually merge with Soca music creating “Soca Parang”.
Here’s a list of some of my Christmas soca music “Soca Parang” favorites: Put Jesus In Your Christmas, Yvonne, A Piece Ah Pork, Parang, Parang, Santa Looking For A Wife, That Eh Working Here Tonight, Hurrah Hurray, Anita, Spanish Woman, Black Cake Lover, and the list goes on.
Tune in to CKUT 90.3FM on Christmas Day from 7am to 3pm for an abundance of Soca Parang music hosted by Yours Truly. Remember to check out attend “Parang Jam” hosted by West Can and Digital Movements on December 15, at V Lounge.
Another win for the Caribbean. As Soca lovers focused on Trinidadian Soca artist Olatunji, Jamaican singer Dalton Harris Wins “The X Factor UK” 2018.
During the finals on December 1, Dalton Harris, 24, performed Donna Hathaway’s classic “A Song For You” as the audience erupted in cheers and applause. Some fans were even shedding tears as the young singer hit the high notes.
Dalton Harris marks the first time that a Jamaican singer is winning the X Factor UK, a talent show founded by Simon Cowell, who called Harris’ performance at the finals as one of the best he has ever seen on the show.
Wednesday December 5, as I’m writing my article I got news that Fred Mitchell, better known in the calypso world as Mighty Composer, died at around 4am today at his Barataria home after suffering with a heart condition for the past two months. He was 83.
Composer was perhaps best known for his 1969 calypso classic Child Training, a song that had many an audience in stitches. His other songs included Supposin’, True or Lie, The Weak Man, The Vikings, Perseverance, Carnival Fever, Workers’ Lament, Black Fallacy, Talent in the Waist, Too Fast and Leave Meh Man Alone.
The Cedros-born singer became known to calypso lovers as the “Uncrowned Calypso King” mainly because of the number of times he was named runner-up at the national monarch competition.
Island Facts : – Dec 15th 1997 – UNESCO enlisted Morne Trois Piton National Park as a World Heritage Site. The park is the first and only enlisted natural site in the Eastern Caribbean.
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Preparing for the Holiday Season with music
