Michael Reckord, Contirbutor
Charmaine Limonius. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
DESPITE CONTRARY predictions by the weatherman, there was little more than a drizzle on Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the St. Andrew Parish Church Hall, Half-Way Tree. But while 'blessings from heaven' outside the hall was minimal, inside it there was a generous outpouring of love and music.
Judging by how they sang along, their laughter, and the dancing, the large audience appreciated the offering from the many perfor-mers. These were Peter Ashbourne and Ashes, Charmaine Limonius, Wayne Armond, Harold Davis, Pat Gooden, Michael Harris, Cmdr. John McFarlane and Ossie D & Stevie G.
MC'ing duties were rendered by the ebullient Ed Gallimore. Not only did he integrate the various sections of the concert into a cohesive, joy-filled whole, but he continually handed out spot prizes to randomly selected members of the audience. The first went to a lady with red shoes; the second was supposed to go to a man named Obadiah or a woman named Geraldine, but no one confessed to having those names. Towards the end of the function, he also presided over the drawing of the main prizes, a stay at a hotel for a family of four and Sunday brunch at another.
The occasion was the annual concert organised for the Sunday Schools of the St. Andrew Parish Church, by the Friends of the Sunday Schools. There are three of them, one at the church, one in Kencot (the St. Clement's Mission Sunday School), and one in Majesty Pen (the St. Thomas Mission Sunday School). About 150 students attend the three Sunday Schools.
Peter Ashbourne and Ashes, the evening's backing band for all the singers, kicked off the show with a light, jazzy, unnamed number. Singer/guitarist Wayne Armond, minus his guitar, followed, singing first The Way You look Tonight, and then a medley of songs in tribute to the late Desmond Dekker. Armond, like many of the other per-fomers who came later, had the audience singing along.
OTHER ACTS
Next up was Charmaine Limonius, introduced by the MC as a lady who had taken leave from her job at the United Nations to sing. Her contributions to the concert, Eres Tu and Where There is Love, I'll Be There, were full of emotion.
Michael Harris then sang his own co-written composition, Oh, Lord of My Soul, a beautiful gospel item with a complex melody, followed by a jazzed-up version of the Gershwin classic Summer Time.
Playing keyboards and singing, Harold Davis took the concert to the intermission with a dynamic, audience-accompanied medley of 'oldies,' mostly from the rock steady and ska eras. They included Let's Go and Have Some Fun, Puppet on a String, By De Rivers of Babylon, Wings of a Dove, Sixth an Seventh Books, and Amen.
Cmdr. John McFarlane, with Beauty and the Beast from the movie of the same name, and You Were Always on My Mind, introduced a placid, soothing element to the show, while classical singer Pat Gooden brought opera. She first sang, in French, an aria from Bizet's Carmen, then Memory from Cats and finally Climb Every Mountain.
The closing act was the duo Ossie D and Stevie G, the former a singer/dancer, the latter a guitarist. The two had the audience singing, clapping, and bouncing along with their exciting renditions of Put a Little Love in Your Hearts, Rollin on The River, and - after shouts for an encore - the Toots Hibbert hit 5446.
The Vote of Thanks was given by Mrs Carole Willis, President of Friends of the Sunday Schools.
