Caricom award forces
Sparrow to reschedule

VALENTINE'S DAY will come just a tad early for Sparrow fans this year, as he is due in Barbados on February 14 to receive The Order of Caricom, the highest award conferred by the Caribbean Community.

As a consequence, Sparrow has had to cancel one engagement here and bring forward another, since the time of the Caricom conferment could not be ascertained up to yesterday.

Speaking to the Daily Express last Friday, Sparrow said he regrets having to miss particularly the show Under the Trees at Hotel Normandie, where he had been the headliner for the past six editions of the Valentine's Day concert.

Normandie proprietor Fred Chin Lee said the continuing inability of the Caricom Secretariat in Guyana to confirm the time at which Sparrow will receive the award caused the hotel to reschedule the Valentine's show to February 13, in order to guarantee Sparrow's performance.

Chin Lee said the hotel was eager to maintain the seven-year-old tradition of Sparrow headlining the cast and had tried without success to find out if both events were compatible.

"But it has been impossible to find out exactly what time the conferment is taking place," Chin Lee said. "And this is after many calls to the Caricom Secretariat in Guyana over a period of at least two weeks. The most recent call was on Wednesday this week and yet no one there could confirm the schedule.

"The Normandie has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Calypso King of the World for many years and would be the last person to present any obstacle to Sparrow's enjoyment of what has to be his finest moment to date.

In fact, we were among the first to congratulate him on this singular achievement.

"We are also confident that his many fans here will share our unequivocal support for Sparrow's induction into the most senior league of Caribbean scholars and statesmen and would not be unduly inconvenienced by having to see him perform on the night before the originally scheduled date," Chin Lee said.

The show, titled Men Who Love Women, also features the honey-voiced Baron, four-time national calypso monarch The Mighty Duke and crooner Kenny-J, with music by veteran bandleader/arranger Ed Watson and his Orchestra.

A special midnight surprise to usher in Valentine's Day is in store for all patrons.

Showtime remains at 8.30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Sparrow said he had not confirmed arrangements for an appearance with the Maljo Humorous Tent for its Valentine's night spectacular at the Centre of Excellence, but would have to cancel that one outright.

Home