Q-E-D TT takes stroll Down Memory Lane

Q-E-D TT , comprising Edward Cumberbatch, Raymond Edwards and Nigel Floyd, presented Down Memory Lane earlier this month at Queen’s Hall, a veritable course in musical time travel, charming their audience with a mix of hit songs from throughout the years. The group and its band invited the eager audience on a stroll along Junction Q, according to the narration .

The audience was taken through the eclectic set list with a series of trios and solos, each flexing different muscles and showcasing different genres. The big bang that began the show was taken straight off the Broadway stage, as Edwards opened with the playfully irreverent It Ain’t Necessarily So from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess .

A work that is as celebrated on the theatre stage as much as it is on the operatic stage, Porgy and Bess is the mere representation of musical eclecticism, with its operatic style moulded into and delivered in broken American English. It’s one of Edwards’ signature pieces and his delivery, as usual, was flawless .

In keeping with the theatrical theme, Floyd took the stage with Jekyll and Hyde’s This is the Moment, a booming ballad that speaks of independence, resilience and seizing the opportunity for greatness. And great he was, rousing hearty applause at the end .

With each of the guys’ background in classical music, it’s no surprise that there’d be some opera on the menu. Cumberbatch came forward and delivered the aria that he is perhaps best known for, Nessun Dorma (literally, No One Shall Sleep) from Puccini’s Turandot. Made popular by the late Luciano Pavarotti, Cumberbatch appeared to effortlessly glide through the difficult piece, with a clarion tone caressing the soaring high notes .

Delving into the Top 40 numbers, the group began with a thrilling rendition of Toni Braxton’s Unbreak My Heart, their rich harmonies and powerful tenor voices breathing new life into the hit ballad. Edwards then skilfully powered his way through a cover of George Michael’s Kissing A Fool, before the team launched into a series of soulful numbers from the 70s and 80s .

The trio enchanted the audience with the Earth, Wind and Fire’s After the Love is Gone, thrilling with the high falsetto tones for which is song is popular .

Dancer Jodie Akal took the stage during Edwards’ solo, Te Amo, cloyingly flitting around the seated trio, clad in a striking blue dress .

The group strived to honour Prince’s legacy with a cover of Purple Rain. With Floyd on lead vocals, they paid a worthy homage to the late soul singer. A Prince song wouldn’t be Prince song without a rousing guitar solo and Dean Williams did not disappoint. From earlier on in the show, their jaunty dialogue between the songs teased of a tribute to the “King”, none other than the late Michael Jackson. Floyd’s light voice, with its boy-band sweetness, took the audience through Man in the Mirror, honouring Jackson’s unforgettable melody and timeless message .

Q-E-D returned to the Earth, Wind and Fire catalogue with September. By this point, the musical nostalgia held full sway over a packed Queen’s Hall, as the audience began to tap their feet and dance in their seats, some even daring to get up. But the group and the band had only just begun to turn up the heat, with some vintage calypso on the way .

A homage to American music legends would not be complete without a nod to the dynamic Stevie Wonder, the group’s cover of its 1980’s Master Blaster saw that the multi-instrumentalist and expert songwriter was not left out of the evening’s festivities and showed off the band’s prowess .

Moving a little closer to home, the group tackled Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, with Cumberbatch on lead vocals, his rich, “popera” tone offering a fresh take on the classic .

Floyd then stepped to the forefront with David Rudder’s Calypso Rising, rightly placing our local musical treasures alongside those of North America and the rest of the world. The hall reverberated with the band’s sweet calypso tones, as Merchant’s Let us Build a Nation Together invoked a sense of patriotism as the audience danced and hummed along .

The brass section exploded with exuberance as the familiar opening of Andre Tanker’s calypso classic, Sayamanda rang in the closing of a spectacular programme. “Tell yuh mama, tell yuh papa, sweet soul music, down Louisiana”, Tanker’s words echoed the music, and the bliss it inspired, making the audience members want to dance even more .

The group and band took their final bows before breaking into a final hurrah, with this year’s Road March, Ultimate Rejects and MX Prime’s Full Extreme, as the audience took a final dance, chipping down memory lane, memories of Carnival 2017, and out of the hall. Musical director Richard “Char Su” Ahong, who also played bass and keyboards, was responsible for bringing everything together. Sound design was done by Marlon Jackson and makeup by Ronnie John.The evening also marked the release of the group’s first album, Q-E-D TT Live .

Visit the trio’s Facebook page for further information and upcoming performances .

Photos by Don’t Sleep TnT Events and Photography .