BAVINA SOOKDEO
The age-old debate over Trinidad’s curried chicken or Guyana’s chicken curry has sparked countless discussions and the occasional friendly rivalry.
On March 1, Guyanese singer Terry Gajraj is set to shift the focus with a performance that will celebrate the rich cultural ties between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Gajraj, who is the "wildcard" in Chutney Soca Monarch (CSM) finals, will bring his signature energy and cross-cultural fusion to the competition with Jam Session – a collaboration with the dynamic soca artistes Mau Brothers – twins Richard and Ricky Mau.
Jam Session is the brainchild of the brothers who aimed to create a track that seamlessly blends the musical and cultural influences of both nations.
The Mau Brothers, who are based in Brooklyn, New York, have been promoting TT's music for approximately 28 years, but took seven-year plus hiatus. They returned to the industry in 2023.
On working with Gajraj, Richard said, “It was a great pleasure and an honour to work with someone like him. He is one of the humblest persons I have ever worked with.”
Ricky echoed the sentiments, adding, “There were no challenges in recording the song. It was a real pleasure working with Terry. The creative process was so easy.”
The brothers' skills range from performing on pan, songwriting, composing and recording. One of their earliest hits, National Flag, was released in 1998 when they were part of Xtatik and the Mad Bull Crew. Since their return, they have made tracks like Party Feteing Bacchanal (2023) and Start It (2024). When Fete was Fete is their other song for 2025.
They said their love for both chutney and soca music inspired Jam Session.
“The inspiration that it gives us as entertainers, being able to fuse the two genres of music…we hope that it can send a message of true love and unity to everyone.”
Ricky emphasised the significance of the collaboration for the future of chutney soca.
“It is two different parties that came together that never knew each other personally and decided to do a project like this, and the results are exceptional.”
Gajraj, known for his iconic Guyana Baboo, was the perfect choice, they said.
“We wanted a song about unity – uniting Trinidad and Guyana (curried chicken/chicken curry), uniting the Afro with the Indo cultures, and I think we did that with this song – blending steelpan with the tassa,” Gajraj said.
For him, this was both a new challenge and an opportunity to showcase the unifying power of chutney soca music.
“The creative process was a little different from my usual style and I must say I was really happy with the outcome. All credit to the Mau Brothers; they had the concept, and I just delivered what I wanted.”
For five decades, Gajraj has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, including in India and the UK but his entry into the CSM final came as a surprise even to him. He was granted a wildcard entry, an automatic ticket to the finals, as a result of the Mau Brothers’ submission of Jam Session.
“Honestly, I d
