Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Althea 'Da Chick' Hewitt - FILE
ALTHEA 'DA CHICK' Hewitt and Dwight Richards utilised the dance floor around which tables were arranged at Curphey Place, Swallowfield, St. Andrew, in different ways on Saturday night.
For Hewitt it was terrain she traversed in sometimes sinuous fashion, as she sang and interacted with the seated audience, shimmering, near silver pants glued to her generous glutes, blonde-ended locks framing her smile. For Richards it was a space he filled with clutching couples, who swayed to a medley of songs that included Under The Boardwalk and Cupid.
They worked in sync with the same band, which was set up on a raised stage above the dance floor for the Pre-Christmas Fété
SWEET SLEEP
There was applause as Hewitt bounced along gleefully, singing There is Always Something There to Remind Me. On Feel Like Jumping she went over to one older gentleman who was taking a pre-Christmas nap at the pre-Christmas fété, rubbed his shoulder and asked 'you aright sweetie', without interrupting the song.
The nodder nodded yes.
The glitter on her matching bustier top shimmered merrily along to 54-46, Hewitt hitting it 'four times' with a hand on a saucy hip and another over her head. She went slow and groovy with Movie Star, dipping into Jamaican language as she sang you may not drive a big flashy cyar/but me love you. The slow groove of 'Weeping Willow' followed.
Hewitt delivered delicate, delectable, delightful hip swishes to 'Fever', again dropping in some 'Jamaicanese' as she sang "when Daddy set for the cutlass/she said Daddy don't you dare". She ended on the refrain "what a lovely way to burn", taking it down low and slow. "Did you get the message ladies? Give the man dem fever!" Hewitt said, smiling.
LAID-BACK VOCALS
I Can't Help Falling In Love With You was delivered with laid-back vocals over an uptempo rhythm, Hewitt facing the band and leaping to set the required speed. It was an extended rendition of the song, as Hewitt got various persons to sing the first verse, to sometimes humorous but always appreciated effect. She ended the song and her performance by coaching all along in the same verse.
A full red clad Dwight Richards pointed his trumpet to the night sky in an open-air section of Curphey Place just past midnight and played the opening notes of Wonderland By Night, the band soming in seamlessly shortly after. Two couples got up to dance and the lights were turned down as Richards played his way to the stage. A third couple rose as he reached the centre of the dance floor and by the time Richards went up on the stage with a leap and a bound, seven couples were swaying.
They were joined by many others as Richards sang Nice Time, playing the trumpet on the second verse, the horn also being utilised where appropriate on the invitation to do rocksteady. He went deep with the call "this is the time when we should live as one brother", many voices spelling on the refrain 'u-n-i-t-y'.
And there was unity of a different sort as, without pause, Richards went into a medley of slow songs, beginning with Stand By Me, even more couples coming onto the dance floor. 'Cupid', Under The Boardwalk and Chain Gang came in the same vein. When the medley ended the dance floor emptied. "If Mr. Jimmy Cliff was here tonight he would do this one for the ladies," Richards said, putting a lover's twist on Rebel In Me, three couples making a go of it.
ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS
He ended with a long 'love' to strong applause.
It was back to the trumpet for 'I Shall Not Be Moved' and I'll Fly Away, as recorded on his new album. "In keeping with the Christmas season I hope everybody in the house got a bonus this year," Richards said, smiling. "This song is all about the Christmas."
With that he sang and then played on the trumpet an impassioned Oh Holy Night, locks that were pulled back bouncing behind his head. Richards spread his hand, trumpet in the right, leaned back, closed his eyes and sang "night di-", not finishing the last word.
I wish you a Merry Christmas, he said, then sang the second syllable, the audience applauding.
