Fantastic North Coast Jazz

Young Gyerlini Clarke opened the session with a cool and soothing delivery of I Look to You from the pen of Whitney Houston, Moody’s Mood For Love by Amy Winehouse, I don’t know how to love him from the movie Jesus Christ Superstar and Bob Marley’s Is This Love.

She was warmly received by the crowd.

Keyboardist Adan Hagley and his band raised the tempo in the session a few notches with their performance of Snarkyish, an original composition, Good Morning, Breakout, Centro Habana and Cheers to Life. Their last number was most pleasing to the ears, and the crowd showed approval with lusty applause.

The band is made up of Dareem Chandler (drums), Rodney Alexander (bass), Miguel Charles (guitar), Daniel Ryan (tenor sax), Aviel Scantlebury (pan), Joshua Pasqual (trombone) and Tony Woodruffe (alto sax), Next up was the 2017 Carib Breakout Artiste Adana Roberts who thrilled with her looks, moves and renditions. She began with her own composition Love The Skin I’m In, then continued with A Woman’s Worth by Alicia Keyes, Rihanna’s Love on the Brain and India Arie’s Video, before moving closer to home to deliver Marley’s Is This Love, Andr? Tanker’s Sayamanda, D Journey (Ella Andal and Devon Matthews), Sugar Bum Bum (Lord Kitchener) and Caribbean Connection (Merchant).

Adana then switched to some R&B numbers and had the crowd dancing to To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn and Michael Jackson’s Rock With You. So thrilled was the crowd that they called for an encore. Obliging she finally closed her performance with JC Lodge’s Someone Loves You Honey.

Pannist extraordinare Ray Holman came on with his band and delivered jazzy versions of Bazodee, Commemoration, Someday my Prince Will Come. He then did a pan solo of Oh Danny Boy after which the band joined him to close with Pan In Harmony, Georgia and an original of his, Charlotte Street. Needless to say patrons danced like first time on Charlotte Street.

Veteran jazz artiste Mavis John followed with a wonderful performance of Jazz in the Callaloo, I Want to Dance (Ella Andal), Dream of Me (Mac & Katie Kissoon), Ben Lion (Andre Tanker), How Can I Love Again (Tony Wilson) and Fools Rush In (Johnny Mercer), then gave way to her back-up singers Jamila Hypolite-Mitchell and Carla Gonzales to entertain with their singing of Your Love is My Love (Terry Linen) and Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley) respectively.

John then shocked the audience when she got her keyboardist Michael Ming Low Chu Tung to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen/ Yip Harburg) in a duet with her. The crowd roared with approval. She then did a jazz version of Shadow’s Tan Tan, followed by her signature song You Are What Love Is, Morena Osha (Tanker) and closed with the popular Guantanamera by Cuban Jos? Mart?. It was truly a fantastic performance.

And as if the show couldn’t get any better, up came Vaughnette Bigford and immediately had the crowd merrily dancing. She delivered All Night Long (Lionel Richie), You Better Be Careful (Merchant), Rocking Chair (Gwen Mc- Crae), I’m the One (Roberta Flack), Can You Love Me (Kalyan), Hey Sister, Soul Sister (Patti Labelle), Voulez-vous Coucher Avec Moi (Lady Marmalade), We Want To Live (Carl & Carol Jacob), Born to Shine (Carol Addison) and Pata Pata (Miriam Makeba).

DJ John Gill then kept patrons in the mood for the late arrival of Nailah Blackman who completed the total local cast that entertained at the event.

It was suggested by the organising committee, comprising Louis Lee Sing, John Gill and Margaret Gittens, that patrons prepare for the last weekend in May 2018 for the next show.

The event was staged in collaboration with the Blanchisseuse Village Council with a mission to develop a bed and breakfast industry in the community, and catering to both local and foreign visitors.