New Category : Music

Carnival bands will not boycott parade

Carnival bands will not boycott parade

Tue, Apr 19th 2016, 06:07 PM

DARIO Terrelli, president of the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association, confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that carnival bands will not boycott this year’s festival.

Last week, the association complained when it appeared that the Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) would let the National Insurance Board (NIB) participate as an independent group in the parade without having gone through the same certification process that other groups endured.

However, BNFC Chairman Paul Major confirmed that NIB would participate through an already registered company, thereby putting to rest the association’s concerns on the matter.

“There was never a boycott of a parade,” Mr. Terrelli told The Tribune yesterday. “We boycotted the decision to let NIB enter the parade without coming through the right process. What we did was to apply pressure, but we will continue with one parade.”

Nonetheless, Mr. Terrelli said his association has other complaints, such as the government’s continued failure to provide it with seed funding “as promised.”

“We are still seeking seed money,” he said.

“The prime minister told us that he would support us for a minimum of three to five years. Every festival receives some sort of seed money, whether it’s the Cat Island Rake N’ Scrape Festival association, Junkanoo association or others. Every festival in this country receives money and we haven’t received that.”

Mr. Terrelli said for 150 people to participate in the parade, $50,000 is needed to make it successful.

“You’re talking about trucks, equipment, foods, drinks, importation of items so customs duties are paid onto it; the parade itself needs $12,000 minimum,” he said. “So we’re not just asking for money to make a profit. We’re asking so we can put on the best performances so the world can come.”

With the carnival parade less than a month away, Mr. Terrelli, who heads the Rhythms group, said costume sales are better this year compared to the same point last year.

“Costume sales are far better than last year in terms of people giving deposits,” he said. “There are about 25 plus costumes already purchased or deposits made towards it just from people outside the Bahamas.”

Dr. Beverton Moxey, head of the Masqueraders group, agreed, telling The Tribune his group is “doing exceptionally well”.

“We’re well ahead this year compared to last year,” he said. “Last year people were very slow because carnival was new and people didn’t know what to expect. People weren’t sure how it would come off. When they saw this was going to happen there was a mass influx of people at the last minute.

“But we started from last year with the whole planning for this year’s festival and then with the launch of our costumes in January. We’ve seen international sales come in but the lion’s share of purchases is from local participants. We expect to be as strong if not stronger this year than we were last year.”

Other band leaders who spoke to The Tribune offered a less rosy assessment of where things stand at the moment, however some said sales this year match sales up to this point last year.

For instance, Ann Balfour, head of the group Xstacy, said she expects sales to pick up soon.

“Things are beginning to pick up this week,” she said. “Persons are calling and registering online. It’s the same as last year. What I find is Bahamians are just last minute people. They tend to come at the 11th hour so things will probably pick up in the last week.”

Carnival runs May 5-7 in Nassau.

By Rashad Rolle

Tribune Staff Reporter

Baha Men thrill Mexico
Baha Men thrill Mexico

Tue, Apr 19th 2016, 05:29 PM

Junkanoo Carnival electrifies Grand Bahama
Junkanoo Carnival electrifies Grand Bahama

Sun, Apr 17th 2016, 11:11 AM

Turnquest: Carnival road march planning flawed

Turnquest: Carnival road march planning flawed

Fri, Apr 15th 2016, 10:37 AM

The "boycott" of this year's Junkanoo Carnival Road Fever event by band owners will only "create confusion" among revelers and could even sway them against participating in the parade, according to Free National Movement deputy leader Peter Turnquest.

He said the carnival bands' decision to instead host their own road march, "goes right back to the fact that the planning (for Junkanoo Carnival) seems to have been flawed". However, Turnquest added he doesn't necessarily believe it's a bad idea for the march to be wholly organized by the private sector.

"If, in fact, the bands decided that they are going to 'boycott', for lack of a better word, the so called official road march and go and do a private function, obviously that is going to create confusion in the minds of the revelers and some will be inclined not to participate," he said.

"I think at the end of the day, the concert part of this program will probably go off fairly well but the way the whole Junkanoo Carnival concept has been promoted, the road march is an integral part of it - and so to the extent that the band owners are not comfortable or satisfied, that has got to have some effect.

"I don't know that the whole package will receive the same kind of enthusiastic support that has been promoted and expected."

Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association President Dario Tirelli told The Nassau Guardian on Thursday, the association decided to take the "drastic measure" for a number of reasons, including the fact that they were not given seed money this year.

Tirelli said band owners want to have their own parade on the same day, and the association has already made a request to Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade.

Turnquest said although there probably will be a level of participation for any road march event, he attributes the "chaos" happening now to poor planning and communication.

"In terms of the planning, they started just in January," he said, "Previous to that, even the [festival] commission said they had no instructions as to even start planning for this thing - and so, late again. We come up with some plan and obviously there has not been adequate communication between all the moving parts and so you end up with chaos."

Turnquest questioned what exactly the government promised the carnival bands in terms of seed money and whether the bands have been "let down once again by this government, who seems to not be able to help themselves, but to overpromise, and fail miserably".

In the wake of Tirelli's comments, Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) Chairman Paul Major said that since the bands have decided to "privatize" the parade, the commission supports that and there will not be another parade to boycott.

In a statement on Thursday night, the BNFC said, "It has always been the vision of the BNFC to move towards a privatization model for some aspects of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, including Road Fever."

Turnquest said he agrees.

"You know, millions of dollars later, I'm glad - happy - to hear the chairman finally understands that this whole entire affair from the get-go ought to have been left in the hands of the private sector," he said.

"The fact that the government has invested so much money that we can ill afford is in my mind - an indictment on the government in the first instance because they are the responsible parties - but upon the whole organization."

Turnquest said private entitles have already proven they are capable of putting on "mega concerts" and parades with "some level of success" and he's glad the BNFC is beginning to understand that "these kind of activities are best handled, best managed, in the hands of those who have a direct and vested interests in ensuring their success".

Major had confirmed earlier this month, this year's entire carnival budget will be around $7 million. This, after government spent $11.3 million on the inaugural festival, going over its initial budget of $9 million.

This past Sunday, Prime Minister Perry Christie dismissed the criticism over capital spending on Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and insisted that the festival will have a "significant impact" on the economy. He also said that carnival has created new business opportunities for the carnival bands.

Carnival 2016 is set to take place on Grand Bahama on April 14-16 and on New Providence on May 5-7.

Dana Smith

Guardian Staff Reporter

7m budget for Carnival

7m budget for Carnival

Fri, Apr 8th 2016, 11:11 AM

THE government will spend about $7m to host this year’s Junkanoo Carnival, Bahamas National Festival Commission Chairman Paul Major told The Tribune yesterday.

His statement came a day after the BNFC revealed that international artists Destra, Wyclef Jean and Tarrus Riley, among others, have been contracted to perform in the festival.

He said the artists would be paid at their international market rate: about $30,000 for Destra, a Trinidadian soca singer, and about $70,000 for Wyclef Jean, a Haitian-born Grammy-award winning artist.

Early last month, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe told The Tribune the government’s carnival budget would be “around $3 million”; however he did add that “work on the final number is still being done”.

Last year, the government spent $11.3m on the inaugural festival, going over its initial budget of $9m.

The announcement of a lineup that features major international artists also contradicts what BNFC officials told The Tribune last month when they said no big name international artist would headline the event.

At the time the revelation was a surprise, considering last year Mr. Major and Mr. Wilchcombe said having international artists is critical to attracting tourists.

The BNFC had been working for “a couple weeks” to secure the international artists, Mr. Major said yesterday, adding that negotiations were very delicate.

While the final lineup of entertainers has now been made public, Mr. Major denied rumours that last year’s headliner - soca singer Machel Montano - will be back to perform this year.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, “the down home flavours” of Bahamian sounds will be mixed with a Caribbean fusion of soca, reggae and Latin vibes during three nights of non-stop music.

Regional soca artists Ricardo Drue, Kerwin Du Bois, Farmer Nappy, Rupee, Fadda Fox, Patrice Roberts, Skinny Fabulous, Bunji Garlin and Lyrical will hit the stage during the three-day festival in New Providence from May 5 to 7.

Bahamian performers, including Elon Moxey, the Blue Band Connection, Willis and the Illest, Veronica Bishop, Ira Storr, Funky D and Puzzle will also perform.

In Grand Bahama, where the carnival kicks off on April 15 and 16, Bahamian top performers Stileet, DMac, Geno D, Jay Mitchell, Julien Believe, Visage and Ronnie Butler will be joined by international acts Fadda Fox, Shurwayne Winchester, Olatunji, the press release said.

“Events will be bigger this year than last year,” Mr. Major said. “It will be more exciting. There will be a tremendous amount of new local material by local artists with international and popular acts that will draw Bahamians and tourists alike to our country.

“We’ve embarked on a strategy that promotes this as a destination event or events, not as one promoting artists. We’re not having a Babyface show or an Al Green show,” he said, referring to two American r&b singers.

“Tourism has been spending money for months now through its inaugural channel to promote Junkanoo Carnival.”

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

Wesley Bell Ringers celebrate 35th anniversary year with handbell festival and workshop

Wesley Bell Ringers celebrate 35th anniversary year with handbell festival and workshop

Wed, Mar 30th 2016, 12:00 PM

The Wesley Bell Ringers will celebrate their 35th anniversary with a focus on reviving the Bahamas National Handbell Festival (BaNaHaFest), by assisting churches with getting handbell choirs started, or revived, as well as assist other campanologists (bell ringers) who are seeking to improve their handbell ringing skills.

The Wesley Bell Ringers and Jubilee Bell Ringers of Grant's Town Wesley Methodist Church will host the (BaNaHaFest) on April 2 at Grant's Town Wesely Methodist Church on Baillou Hill Road and Chapel Street, with handbell ringers from Methodist, Baptist, Assemblies of God, Brethren, Salvation Army and Anglican churches.

David Allen, a master campanologist from Orlando, Florida, who has written two handbell ringing books, and has led handbell ringing workshops in six Canadian provinces and 48 American states will be the guest clinician. Allen is a member of the Handbell Musicians of America (formerly the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers), which includes South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas.

The handbell workshop will end with a grand massed handbell-ringing concert on Sunday, April 3, at Golden Gates World Outreach Ministries on Carmichael Road.

The workshop will cater to children as young as five through adult and cover beginners, intermediate and advanced handbell-ringing skills. Even though it is geared toward churches, the workshop is open to anyone, even if they don't own a set of handbells. The cost of the workshop is $60 per individual registrant with a special registration fee of $50 per individual registrant for groups of six or more.

BaNaHaFest 2016 will be held in the memory of the late Dr. Jewel Sonja Dean, its founder.

Handbell ringing was introduced to The Bahamas in the 1970s by the late Kayla Lockhart Edwards. It did not truly take flight until Dean started the Wesley Bell Ringers in August of 1981. During the 20 years she directed the Wesley Bell Ringers, she also began the handbell movement by helping other churches start handbell choirs and introducing handbells into the government schools.

The Wesley Bell Ringers played in many churches, hotels and concerts around New Providence, throughout the Family of Islands and across the United States of America. They attended handbell ringing workshops in Florida and began the Bahamas National Handbell Festival in the 1990s. The Wesley Bell Ringers even recorded an album and became a member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR).

Marilyn Tinker directed the Wesley Bell Ringers for a five-year period. It was her vision that a feeder children's handbell choir be formed. When Trevor Bethel became director during the Wesley Bell Ringer's 25th anniversary, he decided to form the Jubilee Bell Ringers in the spring of 2007, a feeder group for the Wesley Bell Ringers. The group was named by Deaconess Tezel Anderson. Today, every member of the Wesley Bell Ringers was a previous member of the Jubilee Bell Ringers.

As the Wesley Bell Ringers prepare to celebrate its anniversary in October, their idea of the workshop and festival is to assist churches with getting handbell choirs started or revived as well as assist other campanologists who are seeking to improve their handbell ringing skills.

For more information regarding the workshop, contact the Grant's Town Wesley Methodist Church office at 326-8092 or by e-mail at gtwesley@coralwave.com. You may also visit our Facebook page "The Bahamas National Handbell Festival".