JonesMichael Reckord
, Gleaner Writer
THE MONTHLY Jazz in the Gardens concerts at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel have not only taken root, they have grown, blossomed and bloomed.
At last week's session, the 'flowers' took the form of a huge audience.
Perhaps the patrons were attracted by the promise of an excellent line-up of artistes. Rupert Bent (guitar) was the leader of a band which included these other well-known names: Jon Williams (keyboards and violin), Desi Jones (drums), Mikey Fletcher (bass) and Noel Seale (congo and bongo drums).
PLAYERS IN THE GAME
These fine instrumentalists would have been enough to pull out for many jazz aficionados, but there was more, three vocalists and a poet, an abundance of riches. Two of the singers, Cindy Breakspeare and Demario McDowell, are also popular; the third, Asyl, is moving toward the limelight.
The poet, I Am (real name Francis Coleman), is no household name, but in an interview he revealed that he had been having a lot of publicity since being 'discovered' by Michael Anthony Cuffe, the emcee for the evening, four years ago. He has been interviewed on radio, appeared on television in a panel discussion and been featured on the Discovery cable TV channel.
In his opening act, the farmer/philosopher/poet, who admits he is more a philosopher than a poet, performed two social commentary pieces. One begins, "It's a struggle to survive within the confines of these politicians"; the other, "400 years, and still the bucky master philosophy, black people still a wear wig..."
Cuffe introduced the band as 'the original Mutual Jazz Players,' referring to the regular 'Jazz in the Basement' sessions at the Mutual Life building some decades ago. They were very popular and the many grey-haired patrons at Sunday's concert would have remembered them. Happily, there were about as many younger folk in the audience, proof of the music's resurgence here.
After an up-tempo rendition of Here, There and Everywhere, the band launched into the more reflective, original number, Jamaica Jazz, a Bent composition, one of the many original works we were to hear for the evening. Latin Safari, a Williams original which, as the name suggests, has a Latin flavour.
THE BAND SHINES
The band then played a standard All the Things You Are, which turned out to be a segue of sorts into Asyl's set of three standards, A House is not a Home, Summertime and God Bless the Child. Asyl, who has sung with the Fourth Street Sisters, and was the winner of the Kingston leg of the 'Diva Search', conducted a couple of years ago, has a good voice, fine styling and a wide range. She, however, has an affected manner, and that, combined with her practice of singing with her eyes closed, created an emotional distance between her and the audience. She might have learnt much about warmth and communication from the evening's other singers.
Asyl was followed by the band playing a Fletcher original Mikey's tune which, not surprisingly, leans heavily on the bass. A heavy downbeat underlies a pleasant melody, with Williams doing terribly complicated things on the keyboards with the tune.
The half-time break gave the audience an opportunity to sample the hotel's snack fare. No doubt culinary artist Nancy McLean, the executive producer of the concert, oversaw the nibbles as well.
THE SHOW CONTINUES
Two original numbers, Coming Alive (Bent) and Joshua (Jones), preceded Breakspeare's set of three songs. Cuffe introduced her a as "A performer who enjoys what she does," a fact that she clearly demonstrated, though she qualified the statement saying, "I'm not really a jazz singer, I'm a jazzy swinger." The former beauty queen is steadily improving as a singer, and she was as pleasant to look at as she was to listen to.
The ebullient, romantic Demario McDowell, "A guy who's at home in just about any genre of music," as Cuffe called him, was a good choice as the last of the three singers. His naturally amiable personality and experience in musical theatre have honed his penchant for engaging the audience in his performance.
Everyone, especially the ladies, enjoyed McDowell's humorous, varied deliveries of Spain, Don't Worry, Be Happy, Overjoyed Over You, and What a Wonderful World, this last done Louis Armstrong-style.
