Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Tribal Carnival Has Season's First Costume Launch Friday Night   Dexter and Celena at last year's Tribal costume launch This Afternoon's Caribbean Camera This Morning By Stephen Weir The Big Show starts tomorrow!   The first Toronto Caribbean Carnival's Band Launch begins Friday night when Tribal Carnival, Canada's most successful travelling Mas Bands, takes to the stage at the Grande Luxe Ballroom on Bayview Avenue in North York. Doors open at 9.30 and the show is scheduled to start at 11.30 pm. Mas Bands competiting in this year’s Grand Parade hold late night fetes to introduce the costumes their Mas players will be wearing down the road. This year Tribal’s costume designs are based on the theme of Magic. “Hey Stephen, we will have 80 models on stage at our band launch, with 11 sections,” said Celena Seusahai, the Queen of last year’s parade. “I’ll be wearing the showstopper again and closing the show.”

Etienne Charles on stage in Toronto, photo by Maria Nunes Etienne Charles in Toronto Carnival. The Sound of People Madly Clapping Volume 1 By Stephen Weir with notes from Ken Bruzual Trinidad born jazzman Etienne Charles proved the old adage never listen to the Rumour Mill. Word on the street earlier this month was saying that his big venue concert was going to be cancelled because of slow ticket sales.     Although not a total sell-out thanks to Caribbean Camera support Charles’ concert turned out to be hottest ticket in Toronto last Friday night. Described as one of the most “exciting young jazz artists today” Michigan based  Etienne Charles , launched the new “Jazz at the George Series” at the George Weston Recital Hall (the Sony Centre’s North York Theatre).   Charles, his five sidemen, a guest pan player and three costumed performers, also used their first Toronto performance as the North American launching pad for their brand new CD Carnival, the Sound of A

Etienne Charles Trinidad’s Best Jazz Trumpeter Bringing His Carnival Show to Toronto By Stephen Weir For Toronto bound jazz great  Etienne Charles  there is more to Carnival than just parading through the streets of Port of Spain.    No, for the Trinidadian trumpeter, the annual carnival is a source of profound inspiration for a musical tradition that dates back to colonial times.   The 35-year old trumpeter is coming to Toronto on November 16 th  for the North American launch  Carnival: The Sound of a People   Volume 1 , his new CD and to perform it live at the 1,000 seat George Weston Recital Hall in North Toronto.    The CD, recorded in part in Trinidad, has already been released to critical success in the Caribbean. “Carnival is an ocean made up of so many different hybrid influences,” Etienne Charles told the Caribbean Camera late last week.    “ In Toronto I want to make the statement that what you hear now isn’t all there is to Carnival. This CD (and my coming

TruDYNASTY drives 24 hours to play Mas in Miami Trains. Planes. Automobiles. And, quite possibly Boats brought thousands of revelers into South Florida on the weekend to take part in the 34 th Annual Miami Carnival Parade & Concert .   Although revellers in Toronto and New York will vehemently disagree, the Miami event is often self-described as the " Largest  Caribbean  Carnival  in North America.” The big event, as it is in every carnival city, belongs to the mas band parade. More than 17 costume bands, 5 pan orchestras and blaring sound trucks took it down the road all day Sunday. Pictured: TruDYNASTY’s Thea Jackson Although no official announcement has been made as to how many people played mas at the city’s Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds or how many watched from the sidelines. Social media estimate 8,000 people were in amazingly skimpy costumes (much more women than men) and 100,000 took it all in from the sidelines. The local media who cover carnival ar