Articles

Rudder 6.5: A birthday party with a statement

Published

6 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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Technology

How Toronto’s Caribbean Community is Leading in Digital Innovation

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

TOCaribNews

Toronto’s Caribbean community is making significant strides in the realm of digital innovation, reflecting a vibrant and dynamic force within the city’s tech sector. This burgeoning influence spans across various sectors, including technology incubation, digital education, and entrepreneurship, underscoring a profound impact on Toronto’s digital economy.

Fostering a Culture of Innovation

The Caribbean community in Toronto is actively contributing to a culture of innovation that is pivotal for the city’s future advancements. Through collaboration with local and international businesses, startups, and academic institutions, this community is part of the driving force behind Toronto’s position as a hub for innovation. The city is home to over 70 incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces, offering programs that support startups in technology, manufacturing, food production, fashion, arts, and music.

Central to this ecosystem is the MaRS Centre, one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs, which houses entrepreneurs building Canada’s next generation of growth companies. Toronto’s impressive tech industry, supported by giants like Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Google, and Facebook, benefits from the diverse talents and innovative spirit of the Caribbean community.

Digital Education and Entrepreneurial Spirit

The Toronto Caribbean community’s commitment to digital education and entrepreneurship is evident through initiatives such as the Toronto Reference Library. This hub invites users of all ages and skill levels to explore digital creation, offering activities and workshops on topics like 3D printing, graphic novel book clubs, and crafting circles. Such programs are crucial for fostering a culture of lifelong learning and innovation, enabling community members to acquire and refine digital skills.

Contribution to the Digital Economy

In the rapidly evolving digital economy, Toronto’s Caribbean community is not just a participant but a trendsetter. This is evident in the diverse range of digital services thriving in the city, including sectors such as life sciences and healthcare. The community’s innovative spirit contributes significantly to the city’s standing as a leading North American tech hub, with a vibrant biotechnology cluster and a comprehensive network of hospitals, research institutes, business incubators, and venture capital organizations. Also, initiatives like the Caribbean Digital Summit and The LEGUP Wealth Symposium featuring leaders from Caribbean governments and the tech industry, exemplifies the community’s active engagement and leadership in digital transformation and governance on a broader scale.

The real-time table games in Canada exemplify the wide array of online services prospering under this innovative umbrella. This digital sector benefits from the technological advancements and entrepreneurial drive within the Caribbean community, illustrating the diverse impact on Toronto’s digital landscape.

Toronto’s Caribbean community is playing a pivotal role in shaping the city’s digital innovation landscape. Through a commitment to education, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, this vibrant community is contributing to Toronto’s reputation as a global hub for technology and innovation. The synergy between the Caribbean community and the broader tech ecosystem in Toronto is proof of the power of diversity in driving progress and creativity in the digital age.

Junior Contributors

Unveiling the Mysteries of the Fibonacci Sequence: Nature’s hidden code

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2024

TOCaribNews

Photo Credit: Racool_Studio

BY KAHA G. – 15 YEARS OLD

“The Fibonacci Sequence turns out to be the key to understanding how nature designs… and is a part of the same ubiquitous music of the spheres that builds harmony into atoms, molecules, crystals, shells, suns and galaxies and makes the universe sing.” Guy Murchie

This quote was utilized to pique your curiosity about today’s article topic, The Fibonacci Sequence.

The Fibonacci Sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. With the set of numbers being:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610.

One of the most remarkable properties of the sequence is its connection to the golden ratio. The golden ratio is an irrational number that is approximately equal to 1.61803398875. It’s found by dividing any number in the Fibonacci Sequence by the number behind it. The more someone goes down the sequence, the closer the result gets to the golden ratio. Here’s a small example, 34 divided by 21, which is 1.61904761905. Look how close that is!

Furthermore, it appears in many natural occurrences, from the arrangement of leaves on a stem to the shape of a seashell. Some examples are the spiral patterns of sunflower heads, pinecones, pineapples, as well as the pattern of the nautilus shell being the most famous one. Although this might seem like a coincidence, it helps nature as well by maximizing surface area, efficiency, and strength.

The Fibonacci Sequence also appears in mathematics, computer science, and art and design. In mathematics, the sequence plays a role in number theory and algebraic structures. In computer science, the sequence is displayed in algorithms, data structures, and computational geometry. In art and design, the Fibonacci sequence is displayed to create aesthetically appealing designs, like the famous “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh.

The Fibonacci Sequence is a remarkable pattern that appears in nature, art, and mathematics. Its connection to the golden ratio and its presence in nature make it a fascinating subject of study and research. This just makes me appreciate nature’s beauty and makes me regret how little we reflect on the world around us. What are your thoughts on this beautiful sequence?