Hey, when was the last time you had one of those moments where you feel that feeling, that extra special 'feel-good' feeling that old time Jamaicans aptly describe as 'like when yu glad bag burst'?

I'm having one now. I'm beaming with pride and pleasure after watching the 3rd annual Show Choir Canada National Championships last weekend. The event is a major competition for high-school choirs and is a bit like TVJ's All Together Sing, but different. For one, it's much bigger - not surprising because Canada is also much bigger. And, unlike the Jamaican version, it's not a live televised event.

My glad bag was approaching the point of explosion because I was among the loudest screamers in the auditorium on the weekend, as Wexford Collegiate tantalised the audience with an amazing performance that copped three out of six group sectional prizes, five out of six individual prizes as well as earned them the overall second place; with the top prize going to Etobicoke School for the Arts (ESA). My teenage son Jesse is one of the standout performers in the 'Wexford Gleeks' team so yu done know who was making the most noise in the place. The top contenders Wexford and ESA are both arts focussed secondary schools. They're like the high school equivalents of Edna Manley College that I wish we had in Jamaica.

parental pride

Look nuh, I could go on at length about that; but hey, let's just call that bickle for another box! Jesse dropped some wicked dancing and sweet singing on the weekend and his older brother Daniel is doing great work at the prestigious National Theatre School in Montreal, so I'm basking in my extended moment of parental pride. As for Jesse's oldest brother, before I go there, let's go back in time a bit. Unnu ready? OK, come falla mi!

The year is 1984, and dub poetry is a fairly new and vibrant genre. Mikey Smith, Mutabaruka, Poets-in-Unity and Jean Binta Breeze are among the more known local purveyors. Arguably, the local dub poet creating the most buzz though, is a fiery barefooted Ras called Oku Onuora. With an album due for release, tours Europe in the works, and feature performance lined up on the next edition of Reggae Sunsplash, Oku is blazing. For the very young, Sunsplash was the biggest thing in the days before your 'Reggae Sumfest' - which, as far as I'm concerned is whole heap of sum and nuff-nuff fest but not enough reggae; but that too, is food for yet another box!

powerful single

We're still in '84, and Sketches - a riveting, rhyme-and-rhythm depiction of urban crime and violence, that was first published by Onuora in his 1978 book Echo re-emerges as a poignant and powerful single on his groundbreaking album Pressure Drop. One Owen Blakka Ellis, a young Ras who calls himself 'Iblacka Tafari' is a percussionist and backing vocalist with Oku's backing band AK7, and he does a special solo rift as a DJ on that particular track.

Now, fast forward to 2013 and that same Blakka, now a bald head, is the proud parent of another young Ras named Joel Jawara. He's Daniel and Jesse's older brother and is an actor, martial artist and dub poet, now getting ready to launch the music video of his dub poem Hatta Sketches. And yes, you guessed it, Hatta Sketches is a remake/remix and updated treatment of the original poem, performed in tandem with the veteran master Oku Onuora himself.

Maybe I'm just biased because I'm a parent, but I think the track wicked. Don't take my word for it though listen to it yourself and tell me what you think. Another reason I'm elated is because I'm landing back on the rock today. Yes! And I'll be joining veteran drummer Bongo Herman, Turner the Magician, Hilarious Dancing Granny and comedian Pretty Boy Floyd in a rollicking laugh-fest tomorrow night at Comedy-Tainment at Red Bones Blues Cafe.

If unnu come join in the fun and laugh wid wi, is that time mi glad bag going to really erupt!

box-mi-back@hotmail.com