Good ole' 'Folks' Good ole 'Folks' in the Little Theatre

Jamaican Folk Singers performing 'Carry Mi Ackee Go A Linstead Market'. - Michael Sloley

THE JAMAICAN Folk Singers opened their concert season with a brilliant performance on Friday at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

The concert started at 8:00 p.m. with the Jamaica Folk Singers giving a rendition of some Jamaican gospel pieces before a fair-sized crowd.

The group sounded like a well polished church choir - delivering their selections with professionalism. At one stage, they were accompanied by a guitarist who helped to create the feeling of a Sunday afternoon in deep rural Jamaica where a family had gathered to sing.

The dances were well choreographed and the dramatisations had the audience in stitches. They were not only humorous though as along with them came a nostalgic feeling of old Jamaica. To complement their performance, the group had costumes for every theme of Jamaican life they depicted.

Popular folk songs such as Bread In the Oven and Carry Mi Ackee Go a Linstead Market were combined with less popular ones such as Guava Root a Medicine and Elena ­ the effect was a unique performance. The song Elena provided the most humour as characters playing 'Mother and Daughter' argued over what a Cerrasee vine looked like.

The second segment of the group's performance was even more humorous than the first. The Folk Singers started off with a gospel piece Daniel's God Surely Will Deliver that had a satirical view of revivalist worship. Judging from the audience's huge applause at the end of the piece there was apparently no one in the building that wasn't impressed.

After the gospel piece it was time for the males to show off their talents. Their song proclaiming the age-old saying Woman a Heavy Load certainly went down well with a least one member in the audience who whistled in agreement as the men complained. They gave the men more reason to laugh with the piece Woman Grumble too Much. Then, came the women's turn and they made use of it - with pieces that left the females in the audience quite pleased.

The piece The Wedding saw the Jamaican Folk Singers at their best. A rural wedding reception was the setting- the result more laughter.

A gospel piece closed off an excellent evening filled with fun, laughter and impressive performances.

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