Soulful Sundays: Don Drummond
Ska trombonist and composer, Don Drummond, was one of the original members of the Jamaican Ska band, The Skatalites. He was educated at Alpha Boys School where he also taught. Drummond began his musical career with the Eric Dean’s All-Stars. A household name in Jamaica in the 60s, pianist George Shearing rated him one of the world’s top five [caption id="attachment_7976" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Don Drummond, image from Wikipedia"][/caption] trombone players. By 1965, Drummond had over 200 songs to his credit. He suffered…
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Looking Back at Postaday2011
A year ago, I decided to take WordPress' challenge to Postaday2011. I made the decision without even thinking about it. The next day, I wondered whether I could really hang in for the long haul and post every day, 365 days, for a year. The first month or so was pretty easy. I had returned from a life altering two weeks of travel in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho and had what felt like an endless amount of information to…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Winter
It's difficult to think of winter - the topic of this week's Weekly Photo Challenge -- when the temperature's nearly 80 degrees and I'm looking at the sea. I'm glad that I had these photos in my collection. Lately, with changes in weather patterns, winters are not as severe as they used to be. Sometimes, weeks pass without snow and we get spoiled by so -called 'good' weather. We experienced a period like this in March. Then towards the end of…
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On December 29th, Jamaicans Elected a New Prime Minister
Yesterday, December 29th, Jamaicans went to the polls to elect a new prime minister. Former PM and Leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson-Miller and the People's National Party won handily - 41 seats to 22. [caption id="attachment_7933" align="aligncenter" width="587" caption="Jamaica's new PM designate, Portia Simpson Miller, photo via the Internet"][/caption] Only time will tell if the PNP will be any different than the outgoing Jamaica Labor Party (JLP). No better herring, no better barrel, is the Jamaican expression that comes…
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Sunset at Rick’s Cafe, Negril, Jamaica
Rick's Cafe, in Negril, is one of the best places to watch the sun set in Jamaica. It's an event I always look forward to see and I've done so on many occasions. Each time, the colors with which the sun paints the clouds as it falls behind the horizon look different, deeper and more intense - purple, orange, blue. [caption id="attachment_7906" align="aligncenter" width="603"] Boats getting into position, waiting for the sun to set[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7908" align="aligncenter" width="592"] Sunset at…
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Cliff Jumping at Rick’s Cafe
Rick's Cafe has been a fixture in Negril's West End since 1974. That's when Richard Hershman, after whom the bar is named, decided to put a bar on a slice of land with a beautiful cove. It was the first establishment of its type in the West End and soon became the place where mostly visitors meet, drink and watch the spectacular Negril sunset for which Rick's Cafe is famous. To be fair, on a clear day, the sunsets any…
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The Poinsettia
Few flowering plants say Christmas (or December) the way poinsettias do. I found this beautiful one a few weeks ago at Devon House in Kingston. [caption id="attachment_7861" align="aligncenter" width="539" caption="Pointsettia, maynefoto "][/caption] The Jamaican poet, Claude McKay, wrote the following poem, Flame Heart, in praise of the poinsettia. It sums up some of my feelings since I returned home -- there's much that I've forgotten about this place but I haven't forgotten the poinsettia. Now, in addition to the traditional red,…
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December 26th is Boxing Day
In Jamaica as well as several former British colonies, December 26th is known as Boxing Day. I celebrated Boxing Day for many years before I heard an explanation of its origins. Surprisingly, it isn't about boxing. According to the story, Boxing Day got its name from the practice by wealthy British landowners from the Middle Ages of giving their servants, who had to work on Christmas Day, boxes of leftover food and gifts on the day after Christmas. I'm not…
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Season’s Greetings!
Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays! Happy Kwanzaa! Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad / Joyeux Noël! Season's Greetings! Wishing you Health, Happiness and Peace this Holiday Season and a Productive New Year of Blogging
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