Keisha Patterson thrills the audience at 'A Starry Night' concert held at Jamaica House lawn on Friday. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
A half-moon glowed golden, high above Jamaica House on Friday night. Elsewhere in the velvet sky, a multitude of stars twinkled, their presence justifying the name of the function taking place on the lawn, 'A Starry Night'.
Lights were not only in the heavens; the house-full hills encircling the Liguanea Plain also twinkled. And you walked in from the gate to the lawn area along a driveway lined with dozens of person-high, spaghetti-like tubes of lights - white ones on the left, red ones on the right.
Ahead is a brightly-lit stage tucked under a three-storey-high rubber tree. It has a tent-shaped backdrop of white cloth which looks pink because of the lights on it. Later that balmy night, the backdrop is to become a kaleidoscope of fast-moving, ever-changing colour, thanks to a five-minute "light show" with a musical accompaniment, The Little Drummer Boy.
Different genre of artistes
The performers for 'Starry Night' - the third in what the organisers plan as an annual series - included jazz, pop and show music singer Keisha Patterson and reggae singer Dwight Richards. Among the instrumentalists were guitarists Seretse Small and Wayne Armond, keyboardists Kathy Brown and Chris McDonald, trap set genius Desi Jones, and bassist Sherwayne Thompson.
The music was excellent, but the large, well-dressed crowd (the ticket dictated a lounge suit for the men) seemed more focused on the food and drink. Those were to be found in abundance in about a dozen tents on the periphery of the large lawn.
The food was delicious. The Gleaner can testify to the tastiness of the rather oily peanut soup, the fried rice, curried conch, veggie rolls, shrimp rolls and spicy noodles. Unfortunately, there were no cakes to be sampled after the dinner. By then, there was nothing but moist crumbs on the numerous tables in the cake tent.
Exotic dishes
In other food venues were exotic dishes like chicken saffron and garlic sauce, fried egg plant, Asian wrapped fish, Tamari beef fillet, jerk chicken and jerk port. Drinks, fruit juices and wine flowed freely in other tents.
With the mere $5,000 entrance fee, you could feast for the three hours that the concert-cum-supper lasted.
Its planning committee was headed by Reynold Scott and organised on behalf of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Island. Patron was former Governor General of Jamaica, Sir Howard Cooke.
Norma Brown Bell, the emcee of the entertainment package, told the audience that the proceeds would go to support the Pringle Boys Home with its 27 boys and the Mt Olivet Boys Home, with its 18 boys.
Patterson is on stage now, in a body-hugging pink dress, all grown up, years away from the Jamaica Junior Theatre musicals in which she first wowed audiences with her talent. Her personality is ebullient, her voice strong and smooth as she sings her set of songs - Cheek to Cheek, Jammin, Girl From Ipanema and At Last. Later she returns with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Again (reggae style) and others. She's versatile, an upcoming star.
High-powered musicians
Brown-Bell introduces the next act, Dr Kathy Brown and Friends (Jones and Thompson). The emcee tells us that Brown has just returned from New York, where she played with some really "high-powered musicians."
The trio plays scintillating stuff, a couple well known pieces of pure jazz and some African and Latin flavoured tunes written by Brown herself. Her Latin Groove draws lots of applause, and God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen and Carol of the Bells (jazz style) reminds us of the Christmas season. The three were to return later with a Jamaican carol, Rock De Baby to Sleep.
As if he has not just rushed to Jamaica House from another event at which, The Gleaner was to hear the following day that he was "fantastic," the energetic Richards explodes on the stage with Signed, Sealed, Delivered, his locks flashing as he sings. He's backed by Dale Haslam, Armond, Jones and McDonald.
The first half of his set, which includes She's Royal, U-N-I-T-Y is Unity, 5446 That's My Number and O Holy Night, is enthusiastically received. But the crowd response is even greater when Richards delivers his gospel medley - Something Down Inside of Me, De Holy Ghost Power is Movin', I Am Under De Rock, Something in My Heart Like a Stream among others, and, finally, Amen.
The segment sees people singing along, clapping and dancing. Richards is so busy singing he seems to forget he's holding his saxophone in his hand.
"A Starry night" ends with a sing-a-long of Christmas carols, the words of which are displayed on a large screen beside the stage.
Dwight Richards in his element on Friday night at 'A Starry Night' concert held at Jamaica House lawn.