St. Thomas native son Jon Lucien had two albums released in 1999, and several of the same songs appear on both. And therein lies the story of a lifetime.
We don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but the CD's were released in the same month and, at first glance, looked very similar. In truth, they are very different.
"Sweet Control: The Best of Jon Lucien" was released on the Razor and Tie label. The cuts consist of material from Jon’s albums recorded for RCA in the early '70s and two songs, "Sweet Control" and "Mother Nature’s Son," from his work for Mercury in the early '90s. If "Dindi," "Hello Like Before," "Lady Love," "Rashida" and "Listen Love" were the soundtrack of your love life, these recordings will flash you back — not a bad idea for most of us.
The second CD is called "By Request," on the Shanachie label. It features new versions of a number of Jon's best-known songs. As the review in JazzTimes said, "These beautiful arrangements of classic and original Lucien lyrics are powerful, joyously romantic and captivating." But there is more to the story.
The life span and experiences represented between these two albums have not been easy ones for Jon. The tragic deaths of his daughter and son and other family members and other issues have served to give his voice and lyrics more resonance.
These two albums offer a unique opportunity to listen to some of same songs as recorded at the height of the artist's youthful power and then again as interpreted through the introspection of middle age. In the early recordings, his voice is vibrant and sexy. In the recent ones, it's like aged scotch: warm, smoky and mellow.
For a full range of Caribbean music, check out www.parrotfishmusic.com.
Mr. Fish

St. Thomas native son Jon Lucien had two albums released in 1999 and several songs are the same on both – what’’s up with that?
We don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but both CDs were released in the same month and at first glance looked almost the same. But, in fact they are very different. Sweet Contol/The Best of Jon Lucien was released on the Razor and Tie label and contains material from Jon’s albums recorded for RCA in the early 70s. Two songs, Sweet Control and Mother Nature’ s Son come from Jon’ s work for Mercury in the early 90’s. If Dindi, Hello Like before, Lady Love, Rashida and Listen Love were the soundtrack of your love life, these recordings will flash you back – not a bad idea.
The second CD is called By Request on the Shanachie label. This album features new versions of Jon's most famous songs. As the review in JazzTimes said: "These beautiful arrangements of classic and original Lucien lyrics are powerful, joyously romantic and captivating."
But there is more to the story. Jon’s life in between these two albums has not been easy. The loss of his children and family members and other issues, have served to give his voice and lyrics more resonance.
These two albums give us a unique opportunity to listen to songs recorded at the height of the artists youthful power and again through the introspection of middle age. In the early recordings his voice is vibrant and sexy. In the latter, his voice is like aged scotch; warm, smokey and mellow.
For a full range of Caribbean music, check out www.parrotfishmusic.com.
Mr. Fish

A St. Thomas woman arrested two weeks ago on vehicular homicide charges in connection with the Oct. 31 death of a Danish tourist made a brief appearance Thursday in Territorial Court to learn that the V.I. Justice Department has yet to file a formal complaint against her.
The admission by attorney John Wilks startled Judge Ishmael Meyers who administered a severe tongue-lashing to both the Justice and Police departments.
"There needs to be better coordination between the police officers and attorneys at Justice," Meyers said.
He questioned why it has taken three months for the Justice Department to compile a complaint to charge Vannessa Joasaint with vehicular homicide. Two weeks ago, traffic officer Enid Edwards arrested Joasaint on a bench warrant issued by the local court.
"If there is enough evidence to support an arrest warrant, there should be enough for an information to be filed," Meyers said.
The judge ordered attorney Wilks to get together with Edwards, who is reportedly off-island, and compile the formal complaint so an arraignment hearing for the defendant can be scheduled.
Meyers also vacated an arrest warrant he had issued for Joasaint who failed to appear at the scheduled 9 a.m. arraignment. She later showed up but could not plead to the charge of vehicular homicide because of the lack of a formal complaint. Joasaint is being represented by attorney George Ethridge.
Joasaint was charged in the accident that claimed the life of 41-year-old Ryan Krog, a visitor from Denmark who, with his wife, was crossing the airport-access road near the Island Beachcomber Hotel when the fatal accident occurred.

Margarita's
Cruz Bay has a new Mexican cafe and cantina located where the Garden of Luscious Licks used to be. Margarita's, the creation of Phil Hoffman and Greg Beer, seats 40 to 50 customers and has been in business for five weeks.
"What I like about being small is I can still do special orders," Hoffman said.
Diners can choose from quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos and chalupas made with homemade seasoned dough. Beer offers a visitor a sample of filling for the popular grouper taco with jalapeño cream. For dessert on the dinner menu there's Mexican apple pie — fruit, spices and sweetening rolled in a tortilla and fried crisp.
In the days to come, Margarita's will add an afternoon taco bar featuring fresh fried taco shells and seven different fillings.
Of course, there are margaritas. Hoffman said he scoured the restaurant trade shows stateside to come up with four frozen concoctions that swirl colorfully in the bar dispensers. A passing waitress says mango margaritas are a favorite, but customers can also choose among strawberry, classic lime, and a "green iguana" made with orange juice and blue curaçao, all served in cobalt blue cocktail glasses.
With pepper and cactus lights strung across the bar and party favors for the kids, Margarita's offers an atmosphere of fun to go along with the owners' creative Mexican fare.
Functional Furnishings
Walking or driving, those traveling uphill from the Cruz Bay Bulkhead can hardly help noticing the mahogany four-poster bed in the window at Functional Furnishings. Store owner Claudia Hartshorn says she has sold three of the pricey pieces of furniture to walk-in customers alone.
"I've sold three king-sized beds in the past two weeks," she said on a recent day. "Being on the street is a definite advantage, because people go by every day, and I put out new stuff every day."
Hartshorn said she opened the showcase shop in November to display her original hand-painted furniture. Since then, she has added several services that are making life on St. John more attractive and convenient.
Customers can browse and order from catalogs and have the shipping arranged through the store. "I have a good, reliable freight forwarder that will get it here for you in a week," she pledged.
Those wanting to create a new room decor can peruse the fabric samples in the shop. Hartshorn offers design consulting services, too, and will visit a client's home and make recommendations for such things as complementary furniture upholstery or slip covers, curtains and accents.
Editor's note: Open for Business will report regularly on new enterprises on St. John. If you have or know of one, let St. John Source know and we'll spread the news to the rest of the world. Call or fax to 776-4812 or e-mail to source@viaccess.net.

Lawrence Lockart and Evelise Gomez, former V.I. Daily News Athletes of the
Week, were victorious in running of the 18th Annual Three Kings Miler Road
Race in Frederiksted on Saturday.
Lockhart a graduate of the St.Croix
Educational Complex and a freshman at Alabama State University where he was
the number one runner on the cross-country team, took the early lead in the
race which follows the exact route of the St.Croix Festival Adult Parade.
At the 800 meter/half-way point, he started to put distance on the rest of
the field and cruised across the finish line at Fort Frederik in 4 minutes
and 19 seconds, a personal record.
Jabari Goodwin finished strong in second
place in 4:28; Greg Johnson was third in 4:38; George Cannon fourth in 4:41
and Leopold Frederik fifth in 4:48.
Gomez, a freshman at the St.Croix Educational Complex, had four women on her
heels as she worked to get to the finish line first in 5 minutes and 23
seconds.
Rachel Witty was second in 5:26; Theresa Harper third in 5:40; Jawanna Goodwin fourth in 5:53 and Jude Woodcock fifth in 5:59.
The Finishers Male:
1.Lawrence Lockhart 4:19; 2. Jabari Goodwin 4:28; 3. Greg Johnson 4:38;
4. George Cannon 4:41; 5. Leopold Frederiks 4:48; 6. George Willocks 4:48;
7. Ivan Henry 4:48; 8. Jonathan LeTang 5:05; 9. Julien Pierre 5:10; 10.
Barrymore Berley 5:15; 11. Wes Whitehurst 5:44; 12. Joseph Lestrade 5:50;
13. Ryan Stutzman 6:14; 14. Edrick Adams 6:19
The Finishers Female:
1. Evelise Gomez 5:23; 2. Rachel Witty 5:26; 3. Theresa Harper 5:40; 4.
Jawanna Goodwin 5:53; 5. Jude Woodcock 5:59; 6. Janice Brown 6:00; 7. Jkiwa
Goodwin 6:09; 8. Azaleah Galiber 7:34; 9. Marie Elise Witmer 7:47; 10. Susan
Armstrong 8:10; 11. Cathy Bennett 8:28
Awards:
$100 to Top Male and Female from V.I.Track & Field Federation; $75 Foot Locker Gift Certificate to top Male and Female school finishers from V.I.Pace Runners; $50 Gift Certificate to second place male overall from
Annapolis Sailing School; $50 Gift Certificate from Kicks to second place
female overall; $25 Gift Certificate to third place male overall from Urban
Threadz; $20 Gift to third place female overall from ABS Printing; two free
lunches raffle for all participants from Under da Tammin Tree; $15 cash raffle to all participants; Raffle Gift Certificate from Ice Cream Decadence; medals to top four male and females; V.I.Pace Runners
Certificates to all participants.
For more information call V.I.Pace Runners 777-0258 or visit:
www.virginislandspace.org

Denise Blanchette, Elena Shabah, Marlon Williams, Kent Bradbury, Leopold
Fredericks, Drew Villamagna, Kevin Burton, George Cannon and Wallace
Williams dedicated their early Sunday morning long-distance run to the
memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they completed The Martin Luther
King Jr. Fort-to-Fort 25 kilometer run.
The run was organized by The Virgin Islands Pace Runners. The non-competitive run is held annually and was run under ideal
conditions.
For more information call V.I.Pace Runners 777-0258 of visit:
www.virginislandspace.org

American Airlines announced Wednesday plans to offer non-stop service between Boston and St. Thomas.
The flights will between Boston’s Logan Airport and St. Thomas’ Cyril E. King Airport will start Feb. 18. Service will operate on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays each week, said Acting Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly Hodge.
"The continued increase in airlift from the Northeast Corridor speaks of the strength of our tourism product, especially with respect to this market," Hodge said. "This makes it even easier for visitors to travel to our American islands, even just for long weekends."
American Airlines also offers non-stop service to St. Thomas from New York’s JFK Airport and Miami and non-stop flights to St. Croix from Miami.
Hodge said a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for American’s inaugural flight from Boston. For more information on American’s flights to the Virgin Islands call 800-474-4884 or 800-433-7300 or visit the Internet site at www.aa.com. More information on the V.I, can be found by calling 800-372-USVI.

American Airlines announced Wednesday plans to offer non-stop service between Boston and St. Thomas.
The flights between Boston’s Logan Airport and St. Thomas’ Cyril E. King Airport will start Feb. 18. Service will operate on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays each week, said acting Tourism Commissioner Monique Sibilly Hodge.
"The continued increase in airlift from the Northeast Corridor speaks of the strength of our tourism product, especially with respect to this market," Hodge said. "This makes it even easier for visitors to travel to our American islands, even just for long weekends."
American Airlines also offers non-stop service to St. Thomas from New York’s JFK Airport and from Miami and non-stop flights to St. Croix from Miami.
Hodge said a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for American’s inaugural flight from Boston.
For more information on American’s flights to the Virgin Islands call 800-474-4884 or 800-433-7300 or visit the Internet site at www.aa.com. More information on the Virgin Islands can be found by calling 800-372-USVI.

Virgin Islands Promise, an affiliate of Gen. Colin Powell’s initiative America’s Promise, is being started in the territory.
Sen. Judy Gomez said V.I. Promise is being organized to "mentor, protect, nurture, teach and serve" the youth of the territory "so that we can build leaders who are truly prepared to direct our islands in future years."
V.I. Promise aims to incorporate the efforts of individuals, churches, public and private organizations too improve the lives of the territory’s youth through academic, spiritual and social enrichment, Gomez said.
The project will be launched with a youth prayer rally on Jan. 29 that will begin at 4 p.m. in Rothschild Francis "Market" Square and end with a program at Emancipation Garden. For more information call 693-3667.

A World alternative to Sinbad? About this time last year, St. Thomas was starting to buzz with rumors that Sinbad might, just might, be considering bringing his 5th annual Soul Music Festival here over the Memorial Day weekend. At the moment, anyone who knows anything about whether he's re-eyeing the island for Soul Fest No. 6 is keeping mighty quiet. And there never has been a public accounting of how profitable the 1999 event was from either the local business or government perspective.
Enter Steve Bornn, who thinks we all need something out of the usual to do on Memorial Day. Head on out to Magens Bay for World Jam, he says — "We haven't heard of anyone else coming in that weekend."
Bornn, a publicist before he became an impresario, teamed up with Bill Grogan two years ago, after Barnacle Bill's bit the dust, to form a not-for-profit entity they called CEAP and pronounced "keep." The initials stand for Cause Effective Arts Program, and their idea was to produce performance events as a means of raising funds for other not-for-profit organizations. Its big splash was the Magens Beach Jam last Martin Luther King Day with daylong live music including performances by Tito Puente and his band and Zydeco Express out of New Orleans. It turned out not to be a money maker, but it generated lots of goodwill and public awareness of the arboretum by the beach. Later in the year, CEAP brought in the Danish Polcalypso Orchestra for a series of mostly free performances around the islands.
World Jam is still very much in the planning stages, Bornn admits. He's not ready to name any names and is actively appealing for more corporate sponsors. But, hey, that's more than impresario Mark Adkins, publicist Donna Adkins and their big brother Sinbad are doing. Far as we know.
Shades of ebony and ivories: Pianist Awadagin Pratt, who has recital dates at Tillett Gardens Wednesday, Jan. 26, and at Nazareth Lutheran Church on St. John the night after that, is the epitome of the introspective, intellectual classical musician. At the age of 26, he won the most prestigious piano competition around, the Naumberg, which is considered more of an indicator of professional promise these days than the venerable Van Clyburn playoffs. He's been hailed by top music critics of the world for his sensitivity as well as his strength, his careful research as well as his unique interpretations.
His parents didn't ask him if he wanted to study piano as a child; they told him. They made him take violin and tennis lessons, too, and he turned out to be better than good at all three. He grew up listening almost exclusively to classical music at home and says that's still 80 percent of what he tunes in to today. His heroes include Glenn Gould, Leonard Bernstein and Bishop Desmond Tutu. And he's been quoted in interviews as saying he finds popular music "boring."
A role model any mother would love her son to emulate.
However, the sons may already be ahead of them.
Today, at 33, for better or for worse, the imposing Pratt is still known as much for his flowing locks, informal fashions and custom-built low piano stool — years after he added them to his repertoire — as he is for his music. Turns out he's a real person in other respects, too. He notes matter-of-factly in an interview on his web page (www.awadagin.com) that he often practices the piano at home with the radio and/or the television going at the same time. And he confessed to Piano & Keyboard magazine last year that about a week and a half before the Naumberg competition began he was having allergy problems as well as practicing problems and said to heck with it and went out drinking with friends. Upshot: "When I got up the next morning, my nose was clear, and the music was there."
If the kids want to go hear him, though, it's okay. It will be a lot like listening to Mozart or Glenn Gould in their time — nobody can accuse them of being conformists, but their credentials are tough to top.
Tickets for the Jan. 26 performance at Tillett Gardens are $25, with optional dinner available for $30 more. Call 775-1929 or e-mail to tillett@islands.vi for reservations. Tickets for the Jan. 27 recital at Nazareth Church are $15 for students $25 for others. Call 779-4322 or 776- 6777 for reservations. And take that part about reservations seriously.
A jam for all tastes: Even though New Year's is a bit old, coming up Saturday at the Reichhold Center for the Arts is not one but two shows being collectively called a "Turn of the Century Jam." And a most tasteful jam it is being touted to be.
Top music of the Caribbean by top bands of the Caribbean is the emphasis, with three of the latter on tap: St. Thomas' own Jam Band, St. Croix's China Dan and Square One out of Barbados. There are shows at 6:30 ("if you're an early bird") and 11 ("if you can party all night") p.m. Clearly aiming for a crossover audience, ads are emphasizing the Reichhold as "a place to party" with "an atmosphere that's safe." Tickets are $25 for the whole house, both shows, open seating.
Budweiser and Knight Quality Stations are the sponsors, and the spots running on KQS flagship station WVWI are clearly targeting the non-traditional band jam attendee. Things like "I lose my balance on a barge," and "If you are curious why the awesome Jam Band is awesome, what Square One mean when they say Faloma ding, ding, ding, or why China Dan makes you scream. . ." Assuming the usual awesome army of Jam Band devotees will also be there (well, for the second show, anyhow), this may be quite a night to remember.
Tickets outlets are the Reichhold box office, Nisky Pharmacy, International Records & Tapes, and Rave and Footlocker in Tutu Park Mall.
Read any good books lately? If one of them happens to have been Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full," you are in luck! That's the tome that will be the topic of discussion at this month's meeting of the St. Thomas Book Club, on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Frenchtown Deli cafe.
Wolfe's irreverently insightful 1998 novel, his first since "The Bonfires of the Vanities" 11 years earlier, is a return to his Southern roots, focusing on a former Georgia football star who's become a middle-aged conglomerate king with a young and demanding second wife and a staggering load of debt. Sub-plots involve a young father laid off from one of the magnate's companies and a present-day black football hero accused of date-raping the daughter of a pillar of the Atlanta white establishment. "Networks of illegal Asian immigrants crisscrossing the continent, daily life behind bars, shady real estate syndicates, the cast-off first wives of the corporate elite" and other Wolfe originals also populate the work.
Actually, you needn't have read all — or any — of the 744-page (hardcover) bestselling novel to join in the discussion or just listen. The club meets on the last Thursday of each month at the cafe, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and the public is always welcome. You can buy a cup of coffee or deli fare, or not, as you choose. There's always an opportunity for trading or borrowing others' recently read books, too. To learn more, call Diane Moody at 777-6244 or e-mail to her at mmoody@islands.vi.
Play at Cinnamon Bay: Carabana Ensemble Theater Company's production of artistic director Clarence Cuthbertson's play "Tituba: A Slave Story," will be presented each Thursday night, Jan. 27 through April 27, at the Cinnamon Bay amphitheater in the V.I. National Park on St. John.
The one-woman "monodrama with music" is a portrayal by Carabana co-founder Carla Sewer of a historical figure, Tituba, an Afro-Caribbean woman whose seemingly supernatural powers triggered the infamous Salem witch hunts in New England in the 17th Century. Cuthbertson also directs the drama. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and last about 50 minutes, with discussion held afterward. Admission is free and open to the public.
Playing at "Cinema Sunday": This weekend's Sunday movie at the Reichhold Center is a 1998 French film written and directed by Francis Veber, who co-wrote the screenplay for La Cage aux Folles. The picture is titled The Dinner Game in English, a polite translation of the French Le Diner de cons, which one New York reviewer translated as "The Schmuck's Dinner." The premise of the film is politically appalling — that a group of bored upper-class elitists get together at one another's homes regularly for dinner, taking turns inviting a guest who is unaware that he or she is a candidate for dim bulb of the decade.
Happily, the film does not subject the viewer to any such atrocity, because the hotshot whose turn it is to lead the lamb to slaughter throws his back out and has to cancel. His guest arrives as scheduled, and, flattered at having been invited even if the dinner is off, proceeds to settle in and "help" his hapless host. What ensues is, by all accounts, quintessential French farce — wry, slapstick humor that knows no bounds and nothing of subtlety.
The film proved to be a huge hit at home, ranking as the second-biggest box-office draw in France last year (after "Titanic"). In America, where Dreamworks has already signed on to produce a remake, it's an "art house" attraction. It's in French with English subtitles. Showtime Sunday is 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 7. Admission is $5.
Green cookbook food for thought: The reference is not to St. Patrick's Day, which is still the better part of two months away. What we're talking about here is the annual "Afternoon on the Green" food fest at the University of the Virgin Islands, which is a mere three and a half weeks off, even though it's traditionally been held in August.
A decision was made last summer to relocate the event to the winter part of the calendar, and it's scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 13. You can wait awhile to decide whether to attend — or even whether to contribute a favorite dish or local beverage. But you're fast running out of time if you want to do the latter and also get your contribution documented in the annual cookbook of Green recipes. The cookbook is sold at the event, and it has to be produced and printed first, so while the deadline has yet to be announced, it's not far off.
"Afternoon on the Green" emphasizes ethnic cuisine — and the more ethnicities represented, the better! For a "per taste" fee, attendees make their way along table after table of soups, entrees, vegetable dishes, breads, desserts and other taste treats from all corners of the world. And that's before you even get to the drinks. So if you have a time-tested family favorite recipe, consider sharing it with the rest of the world community of St. Thomas, while getting into print in the process. To find out more, call UVI special events coordinator Dion Carty at 693- 1053.
After 40 years, a Cuban opening: On Feb. 18, when the Charlie Musselwhite Blues Band will be playing a nightclub date in Tillett Gardens, the Tillett Gallery will preview an art exhibition that should attract a lot of attention. It's a showing of original works by five contemporary artists who still live and work in Cuba. Now, if this were Miami, you know what would happen. Of course, it's not. After the preview, there will be an evening opening reception on Feb. 19 and a tea time reception on Sunday the 20th. The show is a joint presentation of Arts Alive and the Society for Latin American Art and Culture.
Hispanic art dealer Gloria Frank, of New York and St. Croix, brought the artwork out of Cuba with U.S. Treasury permission and will be at the receptions to discuss the artists and their work.
A festival of film and video: The Reichhold Center has released a tentative schedule for its Virgin Islands Film and Video Festival set for Feb. 6-12. The offerings, from or about themes of Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, are intended to "foster better understanding among different peoples and cultures," according to Reichhold staff member Pamela Toussaint.
There'll be a premiere screening of a film version of Oliver Samuel's "Oliver & Pinocchio" for openers. The rest of the week will featuring viewings of the film documentaries "Speaking in Strings" and "Soul in the Hole" both by Lilibet Foster, the video features "Natural Forces" by Erik Zucker and "In Black and White" by Jon Gold, the video documentary "Ninth Street" by Rick Cowen, the short subjects "Hair Stories" by Yvette Smalls and "Street Stories" by George Cox, the works-in-progress "Bomba" by Ashley James and "Sunday Driver" by Leah DiBernardo, and the feature films "If You Only Understood" by Rolando Diaz and "Fawns" by The Still Bros.
Last-minute reminders:
* Thursday brings the first full moon of 2000 and the last total lunar eclipse until 2003. There's a party at Coral World capitalizing on these phenomena, with Kary "Starman" Williams and his powerful but portable telescope as a main attraction. He'll be set up on the upper deck of the Underwater Observatory to let guests have a look at the moon and other heavenly bodies, with color commentary on the "totality phase" from 12:05 to 1:23 a.m. There'll be moonlight music by the Starlites and Dominica's Brisbane and his Soukous Fire, with local reggae artists Phantom Cat, Steely Man and Zaba adding to the entertainment. Party time is 8 p.m. Admission's $15 at the gate.
* Rhythm 'n' blues artist Chanté ("This Moment in Time") Moore headlines a show Friday at Palms Court Harbourview that will also feature singer Gina Thompson and Def Comedy Jam/BET Star Circuit comedians Paul Deese and Rod Thompson. The local talent will be comics Allan Haynes and Sasso and St. Croix vocalists Terrance Gumbs and Sonia Rivera. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door; outlets are the hotel, both Modern Music shops, Champs, 3 G's Jewelry Repair and Winston's Barber Shop. As an alternative to taking your car up or down Solberg hill, you can park on the waterfront by Local Bodyz, where there's to be shuttle service every 15 minutes beginning at 7 p.m.
To be seen by the herd: With this installment, Scene & Herd returns to weekly Wednesday publication. It will be posted in the Source each Wednesday night with previews of arts and entertainment events open to the public on St. Thomas and St. John. To have material considered for inclusion, submit it in written form by Monday of the week preceding desired publication date. Fax to 776-4812, e-mail to jetsinger@viaccess.net, or leave a telephone message at 776-4812 for a callback.