by YVETTE BEST

THE SHOWDOWN between Jazz-Z and Myles-Z Gittens is set to be the highlight of the Scotiabank Junior Calypso Monarch Finals on July 25.

Jazz-Z promised to bring the defending monarch "down, down, down" all season, but the battle lines were officially drawn when the seven finalists were announced on Sunday night.

Even though the two are competing for the junior title, Myles-Z was one of the leading cheerleaders for Jazz-Z when he brought down the place with his crisp rendition of Junior Competition. The house rules, which restrict encores on judging night, prevented him from getting a well-deserved encore.

The euphoria in the Gittens household is not mirrored in the Clarke home with Lil Az and Small One. Excitement over Lil Az's landing of a final place in the 13 to 18 category was tempered by Small One's failure to advance in the younger group and the expected tears, which fell freely, were touching.

Even though she did not make it through, Small One's diction was much improved since her appearance at the first tent at Lester Vaughan School on June 14. Small One is very determined and resilient and is sure to be back, however.

There were few surprises in the list of eight to 12 semi-final, but one expected Lil Nik to be listed as a reserve, at least. He continues to improve in terms of vocals and confidence on stage and he should not let this obvious disappointment stop him from coming again.

Tall Boy continues to be a delight to watch and hear, and is performing much better now that he seems to have accepted, and is more comfortable with his height.

Dazzle is also worthy of mention. She was in extremely good voice when she rendered Yes We Can, but might want to watch her ballad-like ending in the next round.

It is anyone's crown in the 13 to 18 category with the graduation of Sir Ruel to the adult competition.

All eight finalists must be looking to up their games to make it in the standings, but the race is really not as wide open as it might seem. Shaki-K and Thandeka are definitely the front runners.

The break did Thandeka well and she is back with a bang. Her self-penned Tell Me has all the elements of a good social commentary, and is one of the better songs in the competition.

Shaki-K is right up there with her with Don't Tell Nobody. Writer Dale Rudder did well to capture the trauma which children who are molested go through, from the perspective of the victim, the perpetrator and the unbelieving adults.

Both she and Thandeka have done well to portray their respective characters and command the attention of their audience.

All that said, it is a competition and one has to wait to see what the contestants will bring on the day, and there is never any telling what the judges are looking for.

The finalists in the Scotiabank Junior Calypso Monarch Competition are as follows:

Eight-to-12 category: Sammy G, Nubian Queen, Dazzle, Tall Boy, Jazz-Z, Young G, Confetti with Candy Princess as the reserve.

13-to-18: AC, Cher, Lil Az, Leah, Jahailer, Shaki-K, Thandeka, CoCo and the reserve is Jewel.