Arts & Culture

Chef Nigel Spence on Jerk, Caribbean Cuisine and Beating Bobby Flay

Talking Reggae with I Wayne

Jamaican native I Wayne has taken a versatile path to the top of reggae, mastering both reggae and dancehall rhythms, and sometimes a fusion of the two. His newest album, Life Teachings, debuted at #5 on the Billboard Reggae Chart. …

Singer Belo on Social Conscience and Rebuilding Haiti through Music

By Alexander Britell (Photos: CJ) Since his first album, Lakou Trankil, in 2005, Haitian singer Belo has seen his star soar, finding a global following for his mix of traditional Haitian, jazz and reggae styles. Belo, whose real name is …

Elijah Bowe Talks Elite Bahamian Cuisine

By Alexander Britell Simply put, Nassau’s Graycliff is one of the elite restaurants in the Caribbean, and a unique culinary experience — indeed, it was the first five-star restaurant in the region. At its helm is Executive Chef and Grand …

Bahamian Naomi Taylor Sings Pure Jazz

Classically-trained singer Naomi Taylor is working to grow the jazz culture in the Bahamas with her vintage sound. Taylor, who spent much of her music career singing classical and choral music under the direction of Cleophas Adderley. She’s now working …

Painting the Future of Bahamian Art

Ashley Powell is part of a growing movement of young Bahamian artists, the first of whom, photographer Lyndah Wells, CJ talked to last month. Powell, who is currently furthering her art studies at the Art Institute of Atlanta, is working …

Shakespeare Finds a Home in Nassau

Above: a production of The Tempest in 2009, the festival’s first year (Photo: Shakespeare in Paradise) A piece set on an island, sometimes prone to storms. It’s not The Tempest, but the work of husband-and-wife team Nicolette Bethel and Philip …

Author Maggie Harris on “Kiskadee Girl”

Author Maggie Harris, whose 1999 poetry collection, “Limbolands,” won the Guyana Prize for Literature, has returned to the place of her childhood with “Kiskadee Girl,” published by Kingston University Press, a memoir of her time growing up in Guyana. Caribbean …

The Bahamas, through Lyndah Wells’ Lens

The Bahamian government’s Public Treasury is putting Bahamian art on the stage with an upcoming exhibition, “Bahama Mama,” featuring the works of female Bahamian artists and the way they see the women of the island. One of the featured artists …

How Grammy Winner Dion Parson is Bridging Jazz and the Caribbean

By Alexander Britell It’s not easy to innovate in any musical genre –- but Grammy-winning drummer Dion Parson, a native of St Thomas, is doing just that – bringing together the worlds of the Caribbean and jazz and creating what …

Ed Robinson on the Global Art Form

Ed Robinson occupies several seats in the world of reggae—from a long career as a reggae drummer to broad work now as a reggae singer. It’s taken him from his native Jamaica to Brooklyn, which he now calls home. Caribbean …

Qshan Deya and the Power of Reggae

Qshan Deya, the “volcano trumpet,” is part of a younger generation hearkening back to the roots reggae music of the past. A native of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Union Island, Qshan’s career has seen him go from his home …

Talking Reggae with Ossie Dellimore

Reggae star Ossie Dellimore has built a varied career in the art form with albums like “Freedom’s Journal,” “Reggae Music” and the recent single “Gone So Far.” The native of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ style is at the cutting …

CJ Spotlight: Major Daps

Born in Clarendon, Jamaica, Major Daps is working on a synergy of the roots reggae music of the past with that of the present. In this CJ Spotlight, we talk to Major Daps about what makes his music and what …

For Bahamian Women, a Story in Art

Above: Lyndah Wells’ The Walking Reds (Courtesy of BIS) The Bahamas’ Public Treasury Department has turned its first five floors on Nassau’s East Street into an art gallery featuring the works of Bahamas’ female artists. Entitled “Bahama Mama,” the exhibition …

How to Define Reggae

Above, from left: Major Daps, Ossie Dellimore, Ed Robinson, Qshan Deya (Photo: Caribbean Journal) What is reggae? It’s a word that has a meaning simultaneously static and dynamic. To answer the question, Caribbean Journal talked to four major reggae artists …