Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Dancers from the Creative Kids Learning Academy make magic with their coloured hoops at 'Jazzin On The Lawns'. -
WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
THE LIGHTS illuminating the stage set-up on Immaculate Conception High's lawns came on after the scheduled 7:00 p.m. start, even as the changing lights on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, regulated heavy evening traffic outside the main gates. Inside, the human traffic was sparse, the few mostly parked in white chairs provided.
They waited through Misty Blue and Earth Angel, seeming to agree, as far as waiting went, No Pain, No Gain. Here and Now was an appropriate song for the evening's host, Maurice Henry, to announce "We are few in numbers, but we are going to have a good time," just past 8:00 p.m.
HONOURING DENNIS BROWN
And they did, the Unique Vision band starting off by honouring Dennis Brown with Here I Come and Should I. Before slipping into backing band mode for the rest of the night, they ended with a run of Manhattans' hits, warm applause coming after the final one, Kiss and Say Goodbye.
There was a swing from the towering Manhattan skyline to the lower profile of four dancers from the Creative Kids Learning Academy, the children holding their large, coloured hoops at the ready as they stood in formation on the lawn in front of the stage. They did coordinated moves to intermittent applause, which peaked as they ended.
Charmaine Limonius accompanied herself on guitar for Evening Time, even as a brisk evening breeze blew across Immaculate. The guitar went and Vision came in as Limonius put feeling into her high yet full, sometimes lilting voice in the lover's lament "don't it make my brown eyes blue." There was applause for the first line of At Last, the reggae of The First Cut (Is The Deepest) following, glitter near the hems of her black pants shimmering. She ended with Dreamland, playing along with the band.
Henry contributed Left With A Broken Heart and Someone Loves You Honey, laughter coming as he changed the refrain to "someone loves your money."
There were no words from saxophonist Gilbert Bellamy and guitarist Cyril Fletcher, the former standing to blow and the latter seated low.
June Lawson, accompanied by Andrew Marsh on keyboards, lifted her voice into Autumn Leaves and swayed as she declared "I am in the mood for love." Lawson laughed at the end of the slower Ain't Misbehaving and there was a spring of applause for Summertime.
UPTEMPO SHAGGY ODE
Guitarist Maurice Gordon rocked Bam Bam along with Unique Vision. He lifted his legs during the uptempo Shaggy ode to summertime, then settled into his own Ragamuffin Blues, playing a rapid passage before Vision did it dubwise. He introduced Antonia Ross, dressed all in white, who smiled as she informed "loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful" and lamented "don't know why you didn't come."
Gordon rocked Ba Ba Boom Boom festival style to end.
Dimario McDowell spent his time on the lawn and in the audience, singing parts of Wildflower to various ladies, squeals rising as he took a knee in front of one. He tugged one from her seat to sway together on One In A Million, getting a line or two from persons in the audience.
There was a band change for the final performers, Jay Douglas and the All Stars, the horn section carrying the first ska song before Douglas took to the lawns with The Way I Do. There were cheers when he said "God bless this beautiful island Jamaica," Douglas going on stage for Wonderful World. He showed nifty legs on I'll Take You There, done reggae style, and the members of the audience stood for Tempted To Touch, as requested. They stayed standing through a ska medley, including Sammy Dead and Amen, before the Tom Jones' promise "I'll never fall in love again."
The All Stars ended with One Love.
