Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Peter Ashbourne (left) on keyboards and son Jeremy on drums, with a member of the Petros Band at Alternative Jam, held at RedBones the Blues Café, New Kingston, last Friday. - photo by Colin Hamilton

Friday night's 'Alternative Jam' at RedBones the Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, was as much a send-off party as a concert. And so it was fitting that, near the end of it all, after persons such as Seretse Small, as well as Wide Grin, among many musical units, had made their contributions, the person who was being given a musical send-off and his mother combined for a public swansong.

"I could not let the evening pass. Let's play one song together. Come Jeremy," Rosina Moder said after From The Deep, in which Jeremy Ashbourne plays drums, had wrapped up. "Just one. Just a little goodnight song for the audience," she said, taking out a recorder.

"I think you have been the most attentive audience I have seen in a long time," Moder said to the many persons still sitting and watching the action on stage, while a few conversed on the lawns, indicating that a full house had lasted through to the end. "We did not have a break. You sat it through," Moder said.

Change of seat

And Jeremy Asbourne, who will be going to Austria to study, changed from the drummer's seat of From The Deep at the rear of the stage to the percussionist's seat at the front, guitarist Norman McCallum in the centre and Moder to the right. McCallum and Moder starting Redemption Song and Asbourne joining in on the opening vocal line "old pirates yes they rob I.".

Moder went high on "triumphantly" in the second verse and the three ended to cheers.

It was not quite the end of the night, though, as Asbourne said "no, I am not going to sing", picking up an acoustic guitar and taking a seat again to do support duties for the poetry of Ganja, who ended each of his pieces, which included Sing and Say I Told You and Omniliteral Paradox of I with a repeated "ites" which was picked up by a chuckling audience. He turned out to be the final performer of the night.

And the night's lead singer for From The Deep after urging "puddung de 45" and stating "crime an' violence we no inna dat" in song summed up the musical impact of Ashbourne's impending departure. "We ago miss him, y'nuh. Who can play drum like Jeremy? Me naa badda talk. Me no want nobody get vex," he said.