Articles

Rudder 6.5: A birthday party with a statement

Published

7 years ago

June 5, 2018

BY: JELANI GRANT

David Rudder said he normally celebrates his birthday quietly, but this year the Calypso legend brought back his birthday party/music show. For his 60^thbirthday, he held the Rudder 6.0 show so he could perform for his fans all night. ”It was more of just doing Soca and Calypso, but also Rhythm & Blues and Folk and stuff I grew up listening to and shaped my writing style,” he said. Rudder said the intent of his musical selection was to take listeners back to the vibe of the 1990s. “This one was more of a reflection of not just my life, but the life of the people who I serve,” he said.

For his 65^thbirthday, Rudder 6.5 is scheduled to perform at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on June 9th in celebration of a music career, spanning more than five decades, which has traveledbeyond the West Indies to influence the world. Rudder 6.5’s first show was held in Trinidad at the Hotel Normandie. He said he intended to perform, “65 songs, one song for each year of my life, but time ran out for the license we have, after midnight we couldn’t go on.”

The show set for early June will include Rudder‘s Contra Band, an eclectic group of local musicians including long-time musical director Jeremy Ledbetter, and award-winningCuban-Latin jazz trumpeter, AlexisBaro.

Rudder’s legendary music created a unique blend of calypso, pop, jazz, and blues that surpassed the boundaries of culture, genre, language or geography. This distinctive sound may have been the reason the Sony Centre paid attention to him during a time where the Caribbeansound was not recognized universally like genres such as jazz and classical music.

Rudder said he performed at the Sony Centre when it was called the Hummingbird Centre, the first time a West-Indian performer would hold a large venue at the center. “This was one of the best acoustically tuned halls in the world, I did songs without a microphone,” he said. Rudder said that night, fourteen years ago, was a tremendous success not just because of the performance but the change he would see in the demographicsof performers. “It was a changing time in the life of the Sony Centre because it opened up the doors for different ethnicgroups to perform on a weekly basis,” he said.

Heavily influenced by the Shango rhythms of his childhood, singer/songwriter Rudder said the stage has always felt like home since he started performing at nine-years of age. “I understood that the stage was life from early on. When I was nine, I stepped on stage for a school competition and it was the most peaceful feeling, a peace I had never felt before,” he said.

Rudder’s lyrics have captured the essence of being Trinidadian, Tobagonian, and Caribbean. His music has gone beyond its roots in the carnival circuit of Trinidad. For instance, when he released Rally Round the West Indies, the hit song became a unifying anthem for the West Indies cricket team and region as a whole. Today, Rudder says he still has so much more to give. “I feel like there are so much more doors to open, I’m still kind of a child in a toy shop, looking at new wonders and everything to reflect on even if it’spainful,” he said.

“I’ve found, because of the state of the nation, especially in Trinidad, [Calypso] has reflected the pain underneath all of the joy, but everything is such a lament that it turned people off,” he said. But with this pain, Rudder said younger artists, such as Turner or Kes, have rediscovered melodies that he believes will reflect the same stories in a different way.

A recent recipient of the key to the city from Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, Rudder brought a significant component of Caribbean culture to the forefront and will bless Torontonians with a night of entertainment guaranteed to shake the floor. The Sony Centre has posted a small clip of Rudder performing at Normandie, but in order to feel truly fulfilled, fans should already have secured tickets.

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Junior Contributors

How are current trends shaping our world? Foreshadowing 2025

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

TOCaribNews

Credits: raw.pixel

BY AMARI SUKHDEO

As we look toward 2025, it’s natural to wonder how current trends will shape our world. Drawing from technological advances, societal shifts, and environmental challenges observed in 2024, we can outline some plausible developments. By connecting these to existing evidence, we can better understand why these changes are likely.

Smarter AI, beyond assistants

In 2024, AI systems became more personalized and efficient, with companies investing in AI models that function locally to reduce delays and energy use. By 2025, we could see AI systems embedded in everyday tools. For instance, AI in healthcare already assists with diagnostics; next, it may empower wearable devices to provide personalized treatment suggestions based on real-time data. This isn’t just speculation; investments by tech giants like Google and Microsoft into smaller, faster AI models in 2024 lay the groundwork for this leap forward.

Climate action driving everyday innovations

Extreme weather events and rising global temperatures made headlines in 2024, pushing governments and industries to accelerate renewable energy efforts. Solar panels and wind farms became more efficient, and electric vehicles (EVs) gained broader adoption as costs fell. In 2025, we could reasonably expect community-level energy storage solutions, like localized solar grids in neighbourhoods, offering resilience against power outages caused by climate disruptions. The sharp drop in renewable energy costs in 2024 suggests this trend will only accelerate.

Job markets evolve with AI

The growing use of AI in hiring processes was evident in 2024, with more companies testing conversational bots for initial candidate screenings. By 2025, these bots could standardize equitable hiring practices, focusing on skills rather than credentials. If trends from 2024 hold, candidates might submit work samples directly analyzed by AI, bypassing biases inherent in traditional resumes.

Space exploration as the next frontier

Private companies made significant progress in space technology in 2024, with initiatives like reusable rockets and plans for lunar missions advancing rapidly. In 2025, commercial space tourism could become a niche industry, offering suborbital flights for high-net-worth individuals. More importantly, the ongoing development of satellite networks for global internet coverage—spearheaded by firms like SpaceX—may revolutionize connectivity in rural and underserved areas, fulfilling the promises set in motion during 2024.

Social media’s evolution

The spread of misinformation and rising concerns about mental health dominated conversations about social media in 2024. By 2025, we might see stricter regulations and innovations in platform design aimed at promoting responsible usage. For instance, algorithms may prioritize verified information or feature built-in mental health support, echoing growing public demand for ethical practices observed last year.

The predictions for 2025 are rooted in developments already in motion. Rapid strides in AI and renewable energy, coupled with societal responses to climate challenges, social media, and space suggest a future where technology is more integrated into daily life and becomes a norm. However, navigating these changes will require continued investment and ethical oversight.

https://www.eckerson.com/articles/predictions-2025-everything-is-about-to-change

Junior Contributors

AI can be a helpful tool, but it can’t replace the special qualities that make human storytelling unique

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

TOCaribNews

Photo Credits: Diana Grytsku

BY YAHYA KARIM

It has recently been found that people take a strong dislike to any stories that are labeled AI generated, even if they were truly written by a human. This might come as a surprise, but it shows how we feel about AI in creative work, such as writing stories.

The study, led by Haoran Chu, a professor of public relations, tested out how people would feel after reading two similar stories, one written by a human and one written by an AI. The participant in the study would find a label indicating which writing was AI generated, and which was written by a human. Through the experiment they switched the labels, so the readers thought they were reading an AI version of the story, when in fact they were reading the human version.

When people saw that it was an AI generated story, they seemed less interested. Even though what was written was almost identical, people did not feel that connection with the AI writing. They felt less connected if it was written by a machine.

The study found that stories written by AI can convince people just as much as those written by humans, especially when it comes to topics like health. However, AI doesn’t make readers feel as connected or immersed in the story. This is something that human writers are better at doing.

The study shows that people still really value the “human touch” in storytelling. Even though AI can write text that is clear and logical, it doesn’t have the same: emotional touch, creativity, or personal feel that humans bring to their writing. When we read a story, we trust human writers to make it feel relatable, which is something AI struggles to do.

In the future, AI might be great for writing simple facts, or basic information, but when it comes to creating deep, emotional stories humans still have the advantage. AI can be a helpful tool, but it can’t replace the special qualities that make human storytelling unique.