My Chosen Few

Greetings to my faithful readers across the globe - Barbados, Canada, Ghana, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.👋

Well the revellers have discarded their feathers and beads, wiped clean the glitter as the last lap for the Crop Over season recently ended.  It is now time for Cricket Played Louder and the Barbados Royals' colour is PINK! No wonder we began with a loss to the St. Lucia Kings in their BLUE and YELLOW - two of Barbados' national colours...well ultramarine and gold to be exact. I'm bitterly disappointed. 

So enough about cricket. Back to Crop Over - Barbados' premier cultural showcase and a major summer tourist attraction.

Congratulations to veteran bandleader Betty West on winning the Best Festival Designer title and with it the Robert Weekes Award for this year's effort, "Soca In de Mas". Well-deserved, I say. 👏 

Here she is in all her splendour, still playing mas in her 70s. Take a bow, Betty!

                            Veteran bandleader, Betty West led Soca in de Mas from the front

That being said, for me the action was in the kaiso category and I'll share a few of my chosen few now.

First up is Niqa with a song this year entitled, "The Chosen Few", which got her into the calypso monarch finals this year.  👏

I first heard her last year's song late in the 2022 season and loved it!! Listen up.  Still bouncing around in my chair as I listen. 

The other two faves of mine this year also found a place in the calypso monarch (Pic-O-De-Crop) finals. Loved this from day one...Teri's "Cat Piss and Peppa" (i.e. Pepper) - and even my 100-year-old grandmother can't tell me what it means. From the content it has to mean "ruction" - quarelling and contention. 

                     Calypsonian Teri, had one of the more popular calypsos for Crop Over 2023

The heavy hitter for me this season was rendered by the man, who placed second in the Pic-O-De-Crop competition, the inimitable Adrian "AC" Clarke with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram".

                       Adrian "AC Clarke rocked the 2023 Crop Over season with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram"

So who outsmarted the Kaiso jungle this year? None other than "Anansi" who spun his web and trapped all contenders with his "picong" verse, in "Brain". It was outstanding. Kudos to Ian "iWeb" Webster on another calypso crown - his fourth. Honestly, I thought it was "The Country Ain't Well" version 2023 and I only really listened to it on competition day and realised it was well-spun.

Calypso Monarch 2023, Ian "iWeb" Webster beams broadly on receiving his 4th Pic-O-De-Crop trophy from Prime Minister the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley and sponsor representative Samuel Gaston of Courtesy Garage. 

I wasn't very enthusiastic about this year's "party songs" - too old for the bashment rhythm. I might put out a joint. All I'll say is Quan de Artist with "Waistline" was deemed the Tune-O-De-Crop. Second was Chief Diin with "Yuh Know Da" and the one I sing along with - although I know it's got to be bad for people's health - Leadpipe and Jus Jay's "Brain Freeze". Now this one has a truly international sound and it won Starcom Network's The People's Monarch award based on fan votes. .  

                                  An ecstatic Leadpipe (right) and Jus Jay enjoying their 2023 success

Until next time...

What A Trip!

Warm greetings to all who visited the blog over the last few months from Barbados, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and USA. I know it's been a while. Work. Life. Travelling. Yes - travelling. I was over and away a couple of months ago.

I'll share some photos from my trip. I'm not great at selfies, so I apologize.

I began this blog last month, planning to regale all with my misadventures. For the first time ever I missed my flight - not that I'm the one who checks in first, but I make sure I'm not the last. The outgoing flight was delayed and although we made very good time, I missed my check-in time by 5 minutes. How annoying is that? 😠

Then my first day I got lost - well I took a bus in the wrong direction. 🤦🏽‍♀️ I was in a multilingual country. Some people didn't speak English though. Aaarrghhh.😒

Well, the couples who preferred to snog on each landing rather than go down in the elevator with me ae not worthy of comment. FYI...they didn't look like me. I think there were only 3 instances of that though. 

Then there was the Mom with the little girls and none of the little ones wanted to sit next to me. Come to think of it, the mother preferred to sit next to one of her girls. Hmmmm. Oh my. 🙊 They didn't look like me either. It's a good thing my perspective can be sardonic.

To top it off, one of my poorly packed suitcases actually toppled over on the escalator and knocked me over too. Good grief. 🙄

And I don't like flying so every air pocket was a mighty prayer. 🤢

Still, I survived. I eventually found my way around on terra firma and I had no unpleasantness at my hotel - or any real issues with any of the service providers on the continent.  

Here are those images I took - few though they are. It was a rainy morning.

                                                              Street Scene

                                                          The Clock Tower

                                                                Loving the historic architecture

Note that I've not said where I visited. Some may recognise it. Some may not. It's a pleasant, quiet city. 

Until next time.

Shalom.

Celebrating A "She-ro"

    

Today is National Heroes' Day in Barbados - and here I am attending meetings in Switzerland. This means my welcome today is not from a bright and sunny Barbados. Still, I thank everyone who visited the page from the United States of America, Barbados, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Sweden. 

I am taking longer to update "Keeping Buzzy" as I do not find the time to do so now. I am grateful to the faithful who check in on occasion to see what's new - and it's usually not anything at all. 

Now, back to the topic. This is not my first post celebrating Barbados' National Heroes.  It will however reveal my acting debut!  

                                                 Damsels bedecked in historical costume

The Right Excellent Sarah Ann Gill was not only a National Hero of Barbados; she was also a Hero for Methodism in Barbados and for the right to religious freedom in the British colonies of the 19th century.

The story of Sarah Ann Gill takes place 200 years ago, when she stood up to the local planter class that wanted to curb religious belief systems promoting the concept of equality of mankind - the Methodists were thought to be filling African slaves with notions of freedom from slavery and were felt to be sympathizers of the Abolition movement. At the time, African slaves were chattel (property) and were treated as such - made to work the land; they were not educated; marriage was not encouraged as the strong were needed to procreate to increase the labouring population. So the planter class chased off Rev. Shrewsbury, the Methodist Minister of the day, with his very pregnant wife.

                               The Shrewsburys fled the machinations of the planter class in Barbados around 1824

With this void in the Methodist leadership, Sarah Ann Gill, a free woman of colour, stepped in and kept cottage meetings - to keep the faith alive. I'll say no more here. You can view the link to the Aldersgate Service for 2022, at which the film debuted. The Heather Headley production begins at 43:21. I enjoyed the service that preceded the viewing so I'm not discouraging anyone from watching the full 2 hours of it. May you be richly blessed.

                                   

                                            Male cast members in their historical costumes

And on the topic of film in Barbados. I pause to pay tribute to the singer of the theme song, Island In the Sun, which was filmed in Barbados in 1957.  The singer and actor in the same film, Harry Belafonte, died on April 25, 2023, age 96. May he rest in peace. 

                              Harry Belafonte and Joan Fontaine in a scene from Island In the Sun

So many of the entertainers I admired growing up are passing on. A sign of life. 

Until next time.

Peace.

Queens of Hearts

 Best wishes to everyone who visited the page, contributing to more than 4,200 visits.👋 

Thank you.🙏

Best wishes to all for 2023. 

The year did not begin very brightly for Barbados' entertainment industry as we lost our First Lady of Song, Carolyn Leacock. A well-attended, moving tribute was held for her at month-end. You can follow the link to hear her award-winning rendition sung with her brother, James, at one of the Caribbean Song Festivals in the 1990s. Barbados has an outstanding singing tradition    

                                              Barbados' First Lady of Song, Carolyn Leacock

In January, another moving tribute was given for Singing Francine - mentioned in the December blog. This is the link to one of my fave renditions by her - Run Away, a song about escaping spousal abuse.

                                           Francine "Singing Francine" Edwards

While January wasn't that bright, the month of February began on a more optimistic note with us all looking forward to Rihanna's half-time show at this year's Super Bowl. I was preoccupied watching Outlander and didn't see the live performance; i watched the edited version the next day. I thought she did a good job. I enjoyed the suspended stages and the pyrotechnics. 👍 You can click on the link to view it all again

                                 The incomparable Right Excellent Robyn Rihanna Fenty

With her global announcement of a second pregnancy. as the close of February (her birth month) fast approaches, I salute her and her growing family. She had a dream and she lived it. More power to this stunning and talented Bajan gal.

Cheers.  

As Chapters Close, Others Open

Greetings to all who visited the blog over the last month. My posts are now infrequent. Between preparing lunch on Sundays, preparing for the next week on Saturdays, watching kdramas in my spare time... I don't get on the blog very much.

Of course, I'm quite disappointed that so few people visited the page featuring young Barbadian athletes. 😞 Kudos to them all. 

To those who visited the page from the USA, Barbados, Canada, Germany and Greece. Special greetings to you.

I always enjoy the Christmas season - the music, the music...did I say the music? It is stressful for some, but it's the one month when I'm not bothered by whatever challenges arise. December is my birth month and this year I treated myself to this... 

it was as lovely to taste as it was to look at. 

Even as I celebrated, others were coming to the end of their line. We lost some persons who were outstanding in their fields. The month began with the passing of Irene Cara, actress, singer, dancer, whose breakout performance was in the movie Fame, 40 years ago. 

 Viewing the video still makes me smile broadly.

Then in the Caribbean we heard the news of the passing of Singing Francine, whose parang Christmas songs I love to hear during the season. She is Barbados-born but went to Trinidad as a teenager and became an exponent of the calypso artform winning the Calypso Queen title in that island. I featured one of those parang songs in 2018.

And then the month ends with the news of the passing of the legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele. Around the same time there was the news of the death of another outstanding calypsonian in Trinidad, Black Stalin (stage name). One of my fave calypsos by him is "Bun Dem". Listen here.

Trinidadian Calysonian, Black Stalin

Brazilian Football Legend, Pele

And then the month ends with the news of the passing of pioneering female news anchor, Barbara Walters, and Pope Benedict.

                                        Pioneering Newswoman, Barbara Walters

                                                    Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Just as some chapters closed in 2022, there will be new beginnings for others in 2023.

Here's to a fulfilling New Year! 🍷

Saluting Young Champions 🏅

Greetings as usual to my readers from all parts of the globe - Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Nigeria, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam. If I had to invite you to Barbados, we would look like a United Nations meeting! Blessings to all 🙏🏽.

Today I'm saluting this nation's sporting champions. 

Since July 28, 2022, when the Commonwealth Games began, it marked the commencement of eight weeks of success for Barbadians in different disciplines - and different meets as well.

I begin by toasting one of our golden girls. Track athlete Sada Williams, who trains in Jamaica, won the Commonwealth Games 400 metres in a Championship record of 49.90 seconds. You can click the link to see her golden run.  Look at her, hardly breaking a sweat as we say in Barbados. That means she was very cool about it. 

                 Sada Williams on her way to the finish line at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Another Barbadian female was also in winning form - at another meet and in the discipline of cycling.  She is Amber Joseph who in mid-August won a gold and 2 silver medals at the Pan-American Track Cycling Championships in Peru. 

                                                   Barbadian Female Cyclist: Amber Joseph

Zane Maloney, still a teenager, has been making his mark on the FIA Formula 3 Circuit. He ended his season on three consecutive wins after some issues in earlier rounds to end the tournament in 2nd place overall.  Keep flying the flag for the 246 Zane. 

                            Zane Maloney, a young Barbadian on FIA Formula 3 Circuit.  

Now to some guys who have found their winning ways since the Hero CPL 2022 began on August 30, 2022.  It is a complete turnaround for them as they were at the bottom of the points standings last year.  In the previous year they were 5/6.  Not encouraging. So I wasn't following. Still, I kept hearing the news clips and they won game after game after game.  At the time of writing, they had played 9 games and won all 9.  So, props to them. 👏🏽 

Of course, they have one more game and then the qualifiers. So it does not mean they will end up champs. Still after the last 2 years, a top 4 finish is creditable.  To emerge the overall winner would be the icing on the cake. Good luck to them.

                                        The Barbados Royals 2022 T20 Squad
 

I finish with the song Champion by Trinity Clarke - herself an international champion, having once won gold and silver awards at the World Championships of Performing Arts. Click to view a behind the scenes video as she sings. .

Cheers to Barbados' sporting Champions. 🥂

Until next time...

2022 Crop Over Music Is Sweetness Galore 🎶

Greetings to those who visited the pages from Barbados, Canada, Greece, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, USA, United Kingdom and Vietnam 😎

This is the most festive weekend in Barbados. It is the climax of our annual summer festival, Crop Over. 🎼🌞

There will be parties or shows all weekend long. Tonight is the finals of the calypso competition. On Monday, costumed revellers parade on one of the highways. Follow the links for scenes from 2019. It has been two long years since they got to enjoy the sun, the music, the drinks and sometimes even the rain. 

Perhaps being housebound for much of 2 years allowed the creative juices to flow for the calypsonians this year. The music is lyrical, melodious, unbelievable good.

I will begin on a light note. This one is by the Road March grandmaster, the Mighty Grynner. When I first heard it a couple of months ago, I wondered where they found it in the archives. It sounded so much like the Grynner of 35 years ago. That is an awesome thing. He won three successive road march titles on two occasions - 1983-85 and 1988, 1989, 1990. The melody of Grynner Behind Her is sweetness can't done. 

                The Mighty Grynner - Barbados' Tune-O-De-Crop (Road March) Grandmaster 

I would not be surprised if a woman wins this year's Calypso title. TC is ever consistent. This year she is the Kaiso Reporter.

        According to Terencia (T.C.) Coward-Thompson she "is an advocate for the nation" this year 

I'm always impressed by Chrystle Cummins-Beckles Holder, who has never won the local calypso title but is a repeat regional calypso queen. This year she is singing about all those things that drive her Crazy. Fantastic arrangement. 👍👍

  Chrystle Beckles-Holder has one of the most melodious arrangements of the 2022 Crop Over season

The reigning calypso monarch is William "Classic" Waithe. He has another witty and catchy socio-political commentary, Duh Get In which means "They Get In". It's simply classic. 

                                                            This is a Classic performance

I would love to feature Mr. Blood, who also has an excellent kaiso and is a performer. Perhaps the two year drought of new calypsos made us hungrier for what is on offer this year. To me, this is possibly the best set of final's tunes I've heard in more than 30 years of following Barbados' calypso finals. 

Still, I am saving my final spot for one of my fave local artistes, John  Yarde, who is a newcomer to the competition. He's remembering all those who have passed with a rendition that will live past the season. It is one of the first songs of the season to catch my attention and live in my memory. He's performing too early to win, in my opinion. Yet, I wish him and all of them good luck. It is such a fabulous pic-o-de-crop. 👍👍

                                  This is a rather suave image of Pastor John Yarde

'Til next time.🎆🎵🎺