Veteran music teacher Iris Whittaker watches the performances. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

It was, of course, fit and proper that a score of Jamaica's best musicians thought of honouring one of the island's finest music teachers, Iris Whittaker, who turns 90 this year. The thought took form as a musical tribute in the garden of The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Sunday evening.

Delightful as the concert turned out to be, it did pose some challenges. Whittaker is quite frail and the concert, which began at 6 p.m., ended 4¹/² hours later, at 10:30.

Though she was sitting up front by the performers' podium, the best spot to bask in the warmth of the love she had inspired, she must nevertheless have been stressed. The show's length was taxing even on younger folk. A few began drifting out long before the show ended.

Then, too, the evening, which started off as pleasantly cool, became increasingly cold as time passed. Members of the gratifyingly large audience were dancing on the spot around 10 o'clock not only in response to the music but also to keep warm.

Still, the positives of the concert far outweighed the negatives, and no doubt, Whittaker will remember the good hours rather than the uncomfortable minutes. She'll certainly remember Errol Lee who, backed by his Bare Essentials band, serenaded her as One in a Million. According to Barry Colhoune, President of the Lions club, which organised the concert, it was Lee who gathered the musicians together for the tribute. He did a great job. Among those giving of their considerable talent free were well-known singers Karen Smith, A. J. Brown, Veila Espeut, Keisha Patterson and Noddy Virtue of Rising Stars fame.

Instrumental ensemble

With the witty, ebullient Jenny Jenny as emcee, the event began with lively music from the trio Touch of Elegance (Paulette Bellamy, Jon Williams and Alex Martin Blanken). They were followed by another instrumental ensemble, Desi Jones (drums) and his Skool Band, playing energy-giving jazz.

With so many performers slated to perform, the instructions must have been to keep their sets short, and the third item, Burrulace playing As Time Goes By on keyboards with his accustomed flourishes, Liberace-style, was the shortest of the lot. (He doesn't like the keyboard, he explained afterward; his instrument is the piano.)

Up next was Dr Kathy Brown, who had no problem with the keyboard. After informing the crowd that she first studied classical music, then pop, then jazz, she played a mix of the three. There was Marley's Jammin and Get Up, Stand Up followed by her own dynamic, textured composition Latin Groove.

"The great Peter Ashbourne," as the emcee termed him, was up next. He and the backing band delighted all with the jazz standard Satin Doll and the mento standard Dip an Fall Back.

gutsy, gusty version

Husband and wife team Sonny Bradshaw (piano) and vocalist Myrna Hague performed the smooth Here's to Life and a gutsy, gusty version of That's Life. They were going off, but returned in answer to the crowd's calls to do 'the old chestnut,' as Hague put it, Fly Me to the Moon.

Espeut was her usual effervescent self, joking and dancing around in her silver top and black slacks as she sang. First it was Let's Stay Together, then Take the Ribbon From My Hair, then, in an amusing duet with Everton Pesoa, Lean on Me. They walked off stage leaning on each other.

Smith, who followed, kept the energy sky-high with the reggae hit of yesteryear, What Sweet Sensations. She went religious with Knocking on Heaven's Door and the Ernie Smith tune I for Jesus. Bringing back Ashbourne to the stage, she spoke of how they both wowed audiences at the recent St Lucia Jazz Festival, then, with him playing the keyboard, she sang, with sweet sincerity, Someone to Watch Over Me.

This led to the intermission, during which dozens of friends and well-wishers crowded around the guest of honour greeting her and husband of 65 years, Frank.

The second half of the concert featured powerful playing of the saxophone (She's Royal) by Dean Fraser. He then sang the Paul Simon hit Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, interrupting the singing to play his instrument against Dwight Richards' trumpet.

Powerful singing

In his set, Lee and his band were complemented by various singers, then came Virtue (in red, white and black) singing powerfully When You Sing to Me, Come into My Love Zone and I Want to lay You Down on a Bed of Roses. Patterson, in a gold dress, danced as delightfully as she sang Night and Day, I'd Like to Run Away From You, and Misty.

The final act was Brown, in a dark suit, summoning up much feeling in the audience as he sang You Raise Me Up, Time to Say Goodbye, Love People More than Money, You Captured me Without a Fight and finally, his own composition My Father My Friend.

All in all, despite the temperature, it was a wonderful, emotionally warm evening for a lady who has been teaching music from 1942.

Karen Smith is in a dancing mood during her performance at 'Musical Delights - A Tribute to Iris Whittaker' at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Sunday.