Installed with a few new faces, Byron Lee's Dragonaires thrilled the audience at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) lunch-hour concert last Friday. The band's name, emblazoned in red and gold on a banner as part of the backdrop, pronounced the name change.
Noticeably absent were percussionist/vocalist Carl Brady, frontman Oscar B and drummer Derrick 'Legion' Stewart.
Uniformly attired for the most part in red satin shirts and white pants, the members, led by Lester Hinds in full white, delivered various genres of pop music, including calypso, soca, ska and reggae.
With the introduction of Tiney Winey, lead singer Jomo Primo, in paying homage to the late founder of the band, declared, "Byron Lee's spirit still lives on," inviting the audience to get up and dance.
Not to be outdone, a group of Meadowbrook High School students and teachers en route from an educational field trip, added to the atmosphere and a 75-year-old woman having a good time in the front row was called to centre stage and delighted the audience with her soca moves.
Etana's I Am Not Afraid was soulfully covered by the female singers after which the band segued into a medley of the Dragonaire's ska staple, including Sammy Dead, Oil In My Lamp, Wings of a Dove and My Boy Lollipop.
Classics
The calypso genre was dominated by some of Mighty Sparrow's classics. The band delivered songs such as Jean and Dina and Mr Walker to which the largely mature audience jumped and pranced while dutifully following the instructions of the lead singer.
After about 45 minutes of non-stop music and dancing, BOJ's public relations executive, Ellan Edwards-Neil, teased the audience, saying that the band had completed a set and it was time to go. There was a resounding 'no' from the almost-packed auditorium.
She then introduced a group of seniors, dubbed "the recycled teenagers", who unabashedly danced to every song the band played. Edwards-Neil announced that there was a special request, at which Byron Lee's Dragonaires introduced the ever-popular ballad, Wonderland by Night. It featured a trumpet solo by Hopeton Williams, an 18-year veteran with the band. A couple seated in the middle of the auditorium hurried to the front and waltzed majestically to the well-arranged piece.
The final presentation was a medley of rock 'n' roll songs featuring various dance moves, including the 'mash potato'. The band's lead singer repeated a few acrobatic jumps, spreading his feet 180 degrees in the air.
The students, seemingly enjoying every moment, lined up one behind the other and danced in a circle to the end, after which they filed out after the seniors to their buses.