Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

It was a beauty-queen reunion, as Miss Jamaica World 2006, Sara Lawrence (left), fresh from giving birth, join reigning Miss Jamaica World, Yendi Phillipps (centre), and Terri-Karelle Griffith, who won the title in 2005. The beauties were among guests at the Port Royal Music Festival on Saturday.

The 2007 CVM-TV Port Royal Music Festival closed with 'Jazz on the Harbour', held at Morgan's Harbour Hotel, Port Royal, on Sunday night, with eight sassy little lasses in top hats, grey tailcoats on over black pants hot stepping to a jazz number to open.

Desi Jones on drums, Dale Haslam on bass, Othneil Lewis on keyboards and a humorously described 'Hurricane Dean' on steel pan started out uptempo, pan leading for most of the songs and bass taking the first solo.

Smith and Jones wove a percussive pattern in an extended exchange to applause on Sly Mongoose and Haslam started Just The Two of Us, with Dean putting pep into his steps as the music got intense.

On Take 5, Jones leaned back to take the hi-hat on a high, the bass drum thundering into a crescendo that moved the audience before they ended with Lewis' Godspeed, the keyboard player's mouth moving in time with his dancing fingers as he soloed.

New hopeful voice

The band settled into support duties for an all-female lead line-up, beginning with the new, hopeful voice of Misha, which needs more work, starting off with Sade's King of Sorrow. She showed good stage presence, the breeze which tugged at her flowing skirt as it did at the hemlines of Empress and Suzanne Couch not hurting. Misha delivered two originals, Beauty of Love, which she smilingly described as flirtatious, and So Into You, the beat swinging into reggae close to the end.

Empress took the evening off the strictly jazz path, doing as much choreographing of the crowd's response as below par singing, as she opened asking, "Do you want to get funky with me?"

After One Draw, she went original, exhorting the audience to sing about the "paradise", which they did.

Empress then took the evening down the sensuous song path, encouraging Arthur, who came up from the audience, to "run your fingers through my hair" and dismissing him after he had followed the instructions.

Then, she did My Rastaman, adding the threat of a shoe in a sing-off over said Rastaman with a back-up singer. A few rapid body twitches were added before she closed with Street Life.

Strong applause

Suzanne Couch returned the evening to music without additives, sitting behind the keyboard and playing as she opened with Lifeline, quiet music and delivery moving the audience to strong applause at the end.

The Answer is the Same got a wonderful dancehall touch, Smith contributing heavily on percussions.

After The Wonder of it All and What Tomorrow Brings, Couch stood to sing and sway confidently on very high silver heels, Smile meeting the audience's approval before she closed with Love Reaching Out, at the end of which she reached out with both arms as the audience applauded.

After intermission, Della Manley's frame seemed too small for her guitar as she faced the lights of Kingston across the harbour and sang City Lights in her controlled, expressive, memorable voice.

She informed a very appreciative audience that Ashes on the Windowsill was the first song she wrote, Lewis leading on piano as she said "your time".

A one-song break from her material saw impressive percussions from Smith, then Manley's I Know connected and Bittersweet was met with applause.

Ended on a crescendo

Della went uptempo to celebrate that "sometimes you win" but, when she said goodbye, a call for more had her strapping on black guitar again to do Book of Rules. She said that normally she did it with Smith, but as for the other musicians "you will see how good they are". They were, as Della delivered the haunting song in a clear, near conversational tone to a very attentive audience.

Kathy Brown on keyboards led a musical world tour, leaning to her right as she delved into high notes on the opening uptempo number. Latin Groove explored the Cuban influence, Smith and Jones combining for explosive moments.

The theme song from the Flintstones cartoon was done dancehall style, Brown extending her left hand to Smith and smiling as he played. South Africa got into the mix before Afro Blue, Smith displaying dexterity and rhythm in an extensive solo, before song, concert and festival ended on a crescendo, to cheers.

Some patrons enter the Port Royal Entertainment Centre, Port Royal, on Saturday, for the music festival. I Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer-