Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Clancy Eccles Jr. does vocal work at Live Music with Harold Davis and Friends, at Andy's Place, Twin Gates Plaza, Eastwood Park Road, on Saturday. Also in the picture are Harold Davis on piano, and Glenroy Samuels on guitar. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
ANDY'S PLACE in Twin Gates Plaza, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, is compact enough to be intimate, yet not so small as to be marked 'caution claustrophobic'.
The stage is close enough to where the seating in wooden chairs begins for performers to reach out and touch the listeners with their music without doing Elastic Man contortions, with the bar to the rear so that those who chose high stools and high spirits have a direct line of vision.
And old vinyl LPs around the edge of the ceiling indicate that it is a music joint.
On Saturday night that line of vision was with a beaming, singing Harold Davis on keyboards and his Friends Andrew Thompson on drums, Dale Brown on bass, Ian Hird on saxophone and flute and Steven Golding and Glenroy Samuels taking turns at guitar.
FRIENDLY JIVING
Davis handled most of the vocal duties, which included not only singing but comments that set the tone for a night of friendly jiving, with Hugh Jay, Clancy Eccles Jr. and Ossie D stepping up for a 'one tune', Ossie D's contribution being an excellent interpretation of No Woman No Cry.
"I need some guitar. Ah feel ah need some guitar," Davis said after the response of the appreciable and appreciative audience required a 'pull-up'. The jolly bunch sang along to Dance, Dance, Dance' and Steven Golding came-up out of the audience and set up while Davis was leading Shanty Town.
It was a chorale on Puppet On A String, Davis saying at one point, "Me a give yu di drummer now" and Thompson duly soloed. Golding came in on By The Rivers of Babylon and Davis said 'see de G ya'. Hugh Jay took a verse before the clap-along began.
"You know, back in my era, there is a certain set of songs that appeal to me. And by extension Ian. I can't talk about the rest of the band, cause dem sorta young. But every now and then there comes a tune that appeals to you and you say it wicked. Like da tune ya," Davis said,
and he started John Legend's Ordinary People.
REWIND!
When he hit the chorus there were cheers and calls for 'rewind!', but Davis kept going. His voice soared on the bridge and so too did his passion. "You need to put down the piano and just sing!" one man shouted and Davis smiled.
"You guys know the difference between oldies and old school? Oldies is 'Up On The Roof' and them tune deh. While 'old school' is like dem tune here," Davis said and started Lionel Richie's Truly to applause, at points his left hand coming off the keyboard and going up with expression.
Ian Hird, who had taken a seat after playing saxophone earlier, returned with the flute, playing to cheers from the audience. There was a huge drum solo from Thompson as well.
Golding was back up for Guava Jelly and Ossie D was first up to do No Woman No Cry, Golding taking the second verse. Ossie D asked 'baby mothers', sisters and wives 'don't shed no tears' to end.
THE CLASSICS
Glenroy Samuels of Fab Five strapped on his guitar as Clancy Eccles Jr. said "Tonight I am going to do a classic," delivering Waiting In Vain. Samuels went husky for Beres Hammond's One Dance, Davis singing back-up, following up with She Loves Me Now.
Davis took back over on lead vocals for a medley of 'old tune', beginning with Stand By Me and continuing with Cupid, Up On The Roof and Spanish Harlem, on which Davis gave the goods. "Ladies, let me tell you the truth about this song. This song is a player's song. Back in the day we boys were required to learn this song so we could sing it in your ear and pretend we wrote it," he said.
"I'll leave you with that," Davis said when he was finished, but the calls for more would not be denied and Hird was up again on saxophone and the live music party continued past the midnight hour.
