Born and raised on the lively twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago, Cesco Emmanuel discovered his passion for music and the guitar at age 13. He has been a student for more than seventeen years at the Graham Newling Classical Guitar School and is currently pursuing his advanced studies with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London (ABRSM). His first taste of band life came at 16... 

I’ve been a fan of electronic soul artist Kattronique for many years now, so it was with great pleasure (and surprise!) that I received a message from her expressing interest in appearing on Sweet Han’, sent the same time that I had also sent an invitation to do exactly that via social media! (cue Twilight Zone theme)… Several weeks later and I’m happy to announce that she... 

Tonight, on Episode 11 of “Sweet Han’: Caribbean Cooking with Sarina”, my guest cook will be Petra Laptiste of Carifrique.com. I first came to know Petra about two years ago as a result of her work in Japan promoting Caribbean culture. In fact you can view that post (and a video of one of her Tokyo television appearances) at my post Pholourie & Chopsticks: When Tokyo and Trinbago... 

Corey Wallace a.k.a Coreysan is one of the Grand Dons of the local electro music scene, however his music really defies any one category. From his official bio: Corey Atheleny Wallace a.k.a Coreysan has been involved in music since 1987. This self-taught musician’s musical explorations are as diverse as Trinidad and Tobago, his homeland. As a Trinidadian musician/artiste, observing his global/universal... 

This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalAfter the frenzied crescendo of Carnival Tuesday all merriment and debauchery ends (or is supposed to end) with the ushering in of Ash Wednesday and the start of the Roman Catholic observance of Lent. My father tells me that ‘back in the day’ all sound stopped at midnight and no calypso would play on the radio with the... 

This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalI was talking to a Brazilian friend a few years ago and she was surprised at some of the differences between our Carnival and theirs. You see it was a few weeks ago when she decided to look and see what costume/band she should play with. She was shocked when all the Trinis were like, whoa you are way too late. You see, here Carnival... 

This entry is part 7 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalJ’ouvert (joo-VAY) is the start to the Carnival celebrations. It begins in the pre-dawn hours of Carnival Monday and lasts until daybreak. J’ouvert (which is a Creole corruption of the French Jour Ouvert – day opening) is also known as ‘dirty mas’. It seems to symbolise us going down to our rawest most... 

This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalDimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition) and prize money and a vehicle bestowed. Also the King and Queen of the bands are crowned, where each band to parade costumes for the next two days submits a king and queen, from which an overall winner is chosen.... 

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Image from the Trinidad Guardian If you are getting the sense that Carnival is one big long party you are right! So it only makes sense that one big long party would be made of many many big long parties as well. These parties in Trinidad are called fetes and are attended by hundreds sometimes thousands. Fetes feature the biggest... 

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Exodus Steelband performing in Trafalgar Square, England – photo by bram_souffreau It seems that every time a North American program wants to denote the ‘tropics’ you will hear the sound of a steelpan. It doesn’t even to seem to matter if the ‘tropics’ are in the Caribbean on a cruise ship or... 

Tobagonian-born, Houston-based pannist Rony Perry has been a friend of mine since the late 90′s. We first came into contact via my old venture “De Rumshop Lime”, a Trinbagonian chatroom which he eventually came to co-moderate, and where he also eventually met his wife! In the past he’s shared with me the music of his uncle, Alston Jack (who some of you may remember from his... 

This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalIt is hard to imagine Carnival without music. And the definitive music of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is soca. So what is Soca Music? Well, why not let Soca Superstar Machel Montano say it in his own words? From Caribbean Music 101 (the original link no longer works unfortunately): What is Soca? Soca is a modern form of calypso... 

This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago CarnivalWith only a few days before ‘High Mas’ it is time again to shine a spotlight on Trinidad’s largest cultural festival, Carnival. Where did the word “carnival” come from? Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival... 

Yes, Virginia, there is an alternative Trinidadian music scene. Over the last few weeks it’s been my hope to bring to light the reality that when it comes to musicians in Trinidad one size doesn’t fit all. Although homogeny may be the name of the game on the airwaves (especially at this time of the year), on the ground, the young and not-so-young, continue to give expression to their soul’s... 

The man. The myth. I only partially kid For the past few years curiousity has gnawed at me wondering who the force behind the local food blog “Bring It To The Table” was. Not only was the quality of the photography above and beyond, he always seemed to know where the latest and greatest ‘underground’ happenings were. And his use of video was groundbreaking in terms of the... 

One of the expected joys of hosting my own regular G+ series, is being able to shine a spotlight on the diverse musical talent we have fostered here Trinidad & Tobago. Last week it was sitarist Sharda Patasar and this week it is the duo of Buffalo & Back. Comprised of Jeff Wight and Andrew Mc Intosh, the currently UK-based duo have quickly amassed a passionate fanbase via social media and... 

I am so excited to announce that on this week’s episode of “Sweet Han’: Caribbean Cooking with Sarina” I’ll be highlighting the compositions of local sitarist Sharda Patasar. Daughter of legendary local sitarist Mungal Patasar, Sharda is strongly forging her own path in this traditionally male dominated arena. Trained in Classical Indian music her most recent music projects... 

Photo Credit: Mark Lyndersay Some call her the godmother of ‘Brown Beauty Blogging’, others call her Afrobella, and a few others still call her Patrice. I call her all of the above, and now I can add ‘Sweet Han’s first Cookalong guest’ to the list! We started our respective blogs at the same time, and though apart geographically, we’ve always been connected –... 

November 3rd, 2012 was the launch of Souk: Trinidad & Tobago Drinks Festival, mistakenly billed by some as the first in Trinidad & Tobago (I seem to be the only person that remembers More Vino’s first and only deVine festival). Pesky details aside, Souk was nevertheless a multi-sensory feast for all who attended. Doors opened at 4p.m. and didn’t close until the following morning.... 

I first met musician/producer Navid Lancaster in 2001 when a demo cd of homerecorded tracks of mine landed in his possession. Out of our first collaboration a long-standing and true friendship arose. So, when I needed a composer for the opening sequence to my series “Sweet Han’: Caribbean Cooking with Sarina” he was my first and only choice. Navid has made a few small appearances...