Michael Reckord, Contributor
School of Music student Sean Richards showed that he was on his way to being a master of the classical guitar at an 'Evening of Musical Elegance', held at Alfred Sangster Auditorium, UTECH, Old Hope Road on Sunday August 28. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
SURPRISINGLY, THE 300 or so patrons who waited for the 6 o'clock concert, Evening of Elegance, to begin in the Albert Sangster Auditorium, University of Technology, on Sunday did not get restive though they waited for an hour.
Perhaps they sensed that they were in for a delightful evening, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Constant Spring, which was staging the concert as a fund-raiser for their many charities.
MC Gerry D, who said the delay in starting was because of "circumstances beyond control," started the function by running a little competition for a give-away, one of many for the evening.
Kiwanian Maurice Henry, an amateur singer with a fair voice, was the first performer. With tracks backing him up, he sang Sweet Caroline, Help Me Make it Through the Night, and You Sheltered Me From Harm.
School of Music student Sean Richards showed that he was on his way to being a master of the classical guitar. There were a few fluffs, but his items - including Girl From Ipanema, It's Love That I'm Feeling and No Woman Nuh Cry -demonstrated his excellent fingering. The music seemed to flow like a stream from the instrument.
Then came the professionals. The first of these was the singing group To Isis, which brought four young men for the occasion instead of the usual six.
With their usual high energy and beautiful voices (especially in unison), the youths sang nine songs, one of them a-cappella because of a temporary equipment failure. The most interesting of the songs were the poignant It's Real, the bouncy reggae number Strength of a Woman, the spiritual Thank You For Your Faith in Me and the soulful Dream Weaver.
Backed by Paulette Bellamy (violin) and Ykengale (keyboard), the versatile, ebullient Velia Espeut sang eight songs and brought the show to what could be called a climax, except that the concert did not end when she left the stage. She organised duets and little mini dramas with various other performers, the first being Henry with whom she sang You've Got A Friend.
Later, she called on singer Dimario McDowell, saxophonist Dean Fraser and singer/saxophonist Dwight Richards. She sang, Lean on Me, Turn the Lights Down Low, and one of the great songs of the last century, Bridge over Troubled Waters.
So great was the impact of the segment, that fears that the show could only go downhill from there would have been reasonable. Happily, the performers who succeeded Espeut maintained an acceptable high.
When Gerry D brought Fraser back on and called him a super star, he was certainly not referring to the artist's current size, which has diminished considerably in the last couple of years.
Accompanied by Chris McDonald on keyboard, Fraser played and sang the Paul Simon hit Diamonds on the Sole of Her Shoes, among others. His duet with Richards as they played and sang the sentimental Dance With My Father brought the audience to their feet in a standing ovation.
After a short break, 'Touch of Elegance' (Bellamy, Ykengale, McDonald) played a range of items, including the patriotic I Vow To Thee My Country, the Eric Donaldson hit Cherry O Baby and a medley of Jamaican mento tunes.
The evening ended with the romantic McDowell singing a number of songs to the ladies in the audience. They clearly loved it and a couple danced with him. But he charmed and thrilled everybody with Celebration Time, What a Wonderful World (delivered Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong-style) and O Happy Day.
The concert closed at 10.15 p.m., not a moment too soon for some who ran for the exit as the last notes sounded. Monday morning was just hours away and the late start had disrupted some timetables.
