2 months ago
26
The cultural links between Jamaica and St Lucia got stronger on Sunday with the staging of the concert A Moment of Music with Luther François & Friends at Hope Gardens. Hundreds of Jamaicans and at least a few St Lucians took part in the experience.
Seated on white chairs or lounging on the grass, patrons enjoyed clear skies from the 3 p.m. start until sunset. As the concert wrapped up, one attendee called it “awesome,” echoing St Lucian MC Janella Precius’ promise of “an unforgettable musical journey.”
She later elaborated, stating, “The Right Excellent Luther François is the St Lucian National Hero, and an esteemed musician as saxophonist, flautist and composer. As the founding figure of the St Lucian Jazz Festival and a distinguished alumnus of the Jamaica School of Music, Mr François’ return to Jamaica, represents a homecoming and a celebration of our shared musical heritage.”
She added, “As part of his visit to Jamaica, Mr François will conduct music workshops with students at the School of Music at the Edna Manley College and the Alpha School of Music, with the aim of inspiring, educating, and elevating the next generation of musicians, creating a lasting impact on our musical community and empowering deeper regional connections.”
Special greetings were brought to the concert by St Lucia’s honorary consul to Jamaica, Vitus Evans and on behalf of Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange. Both congratulated Music Unites Jamaica Foundation (MUJF), an organisation headed by musician and educator Rosina Christina Moder, for staging the concert in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
Minister Grange’s message, read by David Brown of the Ministry of Education and Youth, highlighted the MUJF’s efforts to advance music education, promote Jamaican composers, and foster cultural exchange.
The first item of the backing band, E-Park Band, led by Peter Ashbourne, was Shuffle City, a lively tune, dedicated to the late band leader, arranger, producer, and educator Desmond ‘Desi’ Jones – a founding member of the band. It was followed by a ska medley. They were just two of a feast of items delivered by a host of singers and instrumentalists.
The former included Boris Gardiner ( Jamaica Farewell, featuring Rosina Christina Moder on recorder , Don’t Take Away, I Wanna Wake Up with You, and It’s So Nice to Be With You); singer, songwriter and recording artiste, Janine Jkuhl Coombs, who is the deputy director of MUJF and the chief coordinator of the concert (Coffee and Fyah); Duane Stephenson, ( Better Tomorrow, Black as Coal and Cottage in Negril); and Charmaine Limonius ( Winds of Hope, which was a tribute to the late popular singer Karen Smith, and Freedom Street).
The main instrumentalists not yet mentioned included pianist Orville Hammond, saxophonist Dean Fraser, and keyboardist Marjorie Whylie, who was a lecturer in the late 1970s at the School of Music to both François and Fraser.
With musicians like these, and there were many others on the bandstand, the standard of the performances was unsurprisingly high throughout the evening. But the undoubted highlight came in the final 20 minutes when three compositions of Bob Marley, Jamaica’s unofficial musical National Hero were performed.
Bob’s Three Little Birds was sung by Charmaine Limonius and Boris Gardiner, accompanied by Moder on her recorder; Redemption Song was played by Fraser and François, and one of the world’s most popular peace anthems, One Love, was movingly played by the saxophonists and sung by nearly everybody, on stage and off. Awesome, indeed!
English (US) ·