Rootsman, the calypsonian who popularized Miami Carnival with his hit, “Miami Vibes,” passed away, yesterday, after years of ill health. According to a family member Yafeu Osei known in the calypso world as Rootsman passed away gently while sitting in his wheelchair at his home in San Juan, Trinidad & Tobago.
During the 1980s, Seymour Simpson, a Jamaican, promoted Rootsman at disco clubs in Brooklyn. Rootsman then lived in Brooklyn where he participated in the Rainbow Terrace Calypso Tent on Nostrand Ave. Rootsman provided some of the most popular calypsos of the 1980s such as “Rack Meh, Rack Meh” and “On de Parkway.” Most of his party songs were played at posh nightclubs in Manhattan.

Caribbean Theater & Comedy Weekends in NY
September 19-27, 2015
The future of Caribbean theater in good hands
with Maylynne Lowe and Dennis Titus

New York City is preparing for the annual West Indian Carnival on Labor Day Weekend when over 1,000,000 revelers are projected at Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway for the carnival-parade led by Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Caribbean Theater and Comedy Weekends in NY are scheduled for two weekends later, September 19 and September 26.

 

The most popular Caribbean play of 2015, “Divorce Papers” is slated for performances in the boroughs of Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. “We can only do two weekends in New York,” says playwright Basil Dawkins “since we are booked for performances in the USVI and England from October thru early November.”

NEW YORK CITY & WASHINGTON, DC DATES
Saturday, September 19, Walt Whitman Theater, Brooklyn Center at Brooklyn College
Sunday, September 20, Cramton Auditorium, Howard University, Washington, DC
Saturday, September 26, Lehman Center at Lehman College, Bronx
Sunday, September 27, York Performing Arts Center at York College, Queens

Tickets are available online at www.everybodysmag.com; at venues box office and in community outlets. Brooklyn & Bronx $50, $55, $60; Queens $55; DC $46-$51

Although the famed Oliver Samuels and Barbara McCalla lead the cast in the suspenseful comedy play, “Divorce Papers,” Maylynne Lowe and Dennis Titus are sheer fabulous. The aging Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott and the late Miss Lou of Jamaica upon seeing the brilliant acting of Maylynne Lowe and Dennis Titus in “Divorce Papers” may proudly proclaim, “The future of Caribbean theater is in good hands.”

Actress Jean White makes an excellent point when she says, “These days theater and comedy fans don’t only see Oliver Samuels in an Oliver play, they also see young and brilliant stars … And, the creativity of the award winning playwright, Basil Dawkins.”

White is confident that children and adults of all nationalities will enjoy the hilarious roles of Maylynne Lowe and Dennis Titus in “Divorce Papers.”

Both Dennis Titus and Maylynne Lowe could have remained in the U.S. and become household names on television, in motion pictures and on Broadway but they chose to return to Jamaica to contribute to theater, comedy and nation building.

Ms. Lowe is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NY and Emerson College in Boston. She has appeared in Jamaica’s longest running television soap, Royal Palm Estate. She is a recipient of Best Actress in a Lead Role for White Witch of Rosehall. Maylynne Lowe other theater and comedy roles include After Mrs. Rochester, Uptown Bangarang, Toy Boy, Which Way Is Out and Uptown Bangarang 2.

Dennis Titus is a graduate of Edna Manley College, Jamaica. He developed his craft further in theater, film and television in the UK and USA. A friend remarked, “the opportunity of Dennis working alongside Denzel Washington in the Mighty Quinn, an experience which helped him into a dedicated professional.” Caribbean theatre critics have applauded Titus for his magnificent roles in Embassy Saga and Dolly House.

USE DIVORCE PAPERS TO RAISE FUNDS
For churches and civic organizations doing fundraising drives – you may purchase tickets in quantity for performances at Lehman (2, 310 seating capacity), Brooklyn Center (2,500 seating captivity); Cramton Auditorium and York College performing Arts Center (1,500 seating capacity.)
Call EVERYBODY’S Magazine me for more info: (718) 941-1879; [email protected]

Rum & Ting

DG White Overproof Rum
From Desones and Geddes

 

NY- EVERYBODY’S CARIBBEAN NEWS SERVICE:  “May I have a DG Overproof White Rum and Ting” was the request of guests at the launching of DG Overproof White Rum at the famed Door Restaurant in Queens, NY.
“Rum and Ting!”

  

          Back in the 1940s, during World War II, calypsonian Lord Invader composed the renowned “Rum and Cocoa Cola” hit. In the early 1950s The Andrew Sisters sold over 1,000,000 of the tune. The calypso tune became subject of articles in all the leading publications of that era from TIME to The New York Herald and today rum and Coke remains a popular drink in bars and at social events.
It is now the 21st century, year 2015, and people are asking for “DG Rum and Ting.” Not all rums are equally. They are specifically asking for “DG Overproof White Rum and Ting.”
Desones and Geddes is one of Jamaica’s most famous companies especially for its beverages such as ginger beer and sodas. Ting, a grapefruit soda, bottled by Desones and Geddes, is a product of Jamaica known worldwide.
Desones and Geddes has boldly entered into the rum industry. Connoisseurs say that DG Overproof White Rum is excellent and believe it will soon become internationally famous.

Former City Councilwoman Una Clarke, mother of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, was one many personalities who attended the VIP reception to introduce DG Overproof White Rum to consumers in New York City.

       Desones and Geddes selected Riviera Imports to distribute and market DG Overproof White Rum in the U.S.

       Riviera Imports, markets spirits, wines and beer brands from around the world. The company is a First-Tier marketer of brands that satisfy distinct consumer segments and offer sustainable growth and profit potential at each industry level. From its inception almost a decade ago, the company has built a diverse brand portfolio whose annual growth rate exceeds 20%. Riviera is led by Edward Caan, CEO and founder. Ed has over 45 years of executive experience in the wine and spirits industry, primarily at Seagram’s.

PHOTOS: Juan Reyes, John Hartwig, Henry Joseph, Hon. Una Clarke and Brian Hartwig joined others in presenting another Jamaican treasure: DG Overproof White Rum.      (photo Roland Hyde)

 MORE PHOTOS OF NY LAUNCH OF DG OVERPROOF RUM

NY-Aug 3: Jamaica’s Independence Day is Thursday, August 6, when the nation turns 53 but yesterday, Sunday, the Jamaica national anthem echoed in most churches across the U.S. northeast with sizable Caribbean and Jamaican congregation. At St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx, NY, Father Steele, a Trinidadian of Grenadian parentage, had the Jamaican anthem rendered twice much to the delight of the large congregation.

Many Jamaicans, friends of Jamaicans, descendants of Jamaicans and even members of the clergy proudly displayed the green, yellow and black colors of Jamaica. Most women dresses and headpieces consisted of the national colors too. Jamaican-Americans who are recipients of a Jamaica National Medal proudly wore them.
The official Independence Church Service of Thanksgiving in New York City was held at St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church in the Borough of Bronx. The officiating clergy representing different denominations, elected officials and the congregation came from the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and Brooklyn. Assemblyman Nick Perry journeyed from Brooklyn.
Bronx, the only borough of New York City located on the U.S. mainland, will be the venue of another major Jamaican event. It is the staging of “Divorce Papers,” the popular 2015 Jamaican play written by Basil Dawkins starring Oliver Samuels with a cast consisting of icons and emerging stars such as Ruth Ho Shing and Maylynne Lowe. It will be held at Lehman Center, Lehman College on Saturday, September 26.
The Rev. Canon Calvin C. McIntyre McIntyre, Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, while making a point at the official Service of Thanksgiving repeated a popular Jamaican proverb popularized by Oliver Samuels in the sitcom, “Oliver at Large.”
The Guest Preacher was Rev. Dr. Samuel Vassel, Pastor Church of the Nazarene, Bronx. Rev. Vassel reminded Jamaicans and other Caribbean immigrants to help the islands of their birth but equally contribute to the quality of life in the city they now dwell.
Many Jamaican organizations from Baltimore, Md to Boston, Ma celebrated independence at formal dinner-dance events and parties and concerts. The official and popular Jamaica Independence Ball is scheduled for Saturday, August 15 at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. Most likely Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller will attend.

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City at Grace Jerk Festival, Roy Wilkins Park, Queens on Sunday, July 19. He told the 20,000 fans of his Jerk Sandwich. On right is Kaci Fennell, Miss Universe Jamaica who gave demos about preparing great Jamaican dishes. New Yorkers saw Kaci earlier this year at EVERYBODY’S Mother’s Day Concert.

The mayor was accompanied by his wife Chrilane McCray who did not participate in the cooking demo.

President Obama(2015)  and President Ronald Reagan (1982)

Historic Caribbean Trips

From Wednesday, April 7 to Thursday April 8, 1982, President Ronald Reagan visited Jamaica. And now, almost to the exact date 33 years later, Barack Obama is the 2nd sitting US president to visit Jamaica and a woman, Portia Simpson-Miller, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, welcomed him.  President Obama also met with other CARICOM leaders, including another female, Prime MinisterKamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad & Tobago. How times have changed! 
There are many more contrasts between the trips of President Barack Obama and President Reagan. EVERYBODY’S Magazine focuses on them in its April/May edition. (About to print)
Flying with President Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan and the White House Press in April 1982 was EVERYBODY’S editor/publisher, Herman Hall.
His vivid eyewitness account of Reagan’s visit to Jamaica and Barbados created a demand for the May 1982 edition. Today, a treasured copy is in the Ronald Reagan Library.
Hall’s historic article of the 1982 presidential visit is reproduced in EVERYBODY’S April/May 2015 edition. You may order it in a few days from www.everybodymag.com.
“I urge everyone to read Hall’s 1982 article. You will find it informative, educational and entertaining,” says B. Wilson, a Caribbean historian. “You will get an understanding of tensions in the Caribbean of 1982 as Grenada charted its independent course. The article provides an excellent snapshot of the region and provides a lens through which to view the growth and maturity of the region.”
What was served at the dinner in honor of Ronald and Nancy Reagan that Wednesday evening? Was it a State Dinner? What music and whose music played? Did Michael Manley attend the dinner? What gifts did Governor-General Sir Florizel Glasspole and President Reagan exchange?
The edition will be released around April 20. For more info call (718) 941-1979.

 

 

The hottest calypso and soca stars including Lyrikal and Chucky Gordon together with Andrea Wright (Delcita) and Kaci Fennell, Miss Universe Jamaica will be serenading moms at this years Mother’s Day Saturday Concert.

The spectacular concert is at  Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn College, NY on Saturday, May 9 beginning at 8pm.

The superstars honoring moms are:

Lyrikal

Chucky Gordon

Nikki Crosby (Go Granny)

Becket

Biggie Irie

Delcita

Kaci Fennell, Miss Universe Jamaica

The Batingua Dancers

Joshua Boyce

The Sunshine Band