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The smile on Marjorie Whylie’s face as she “buss a move” on her way out of 22 Jerk on Thursday night summed up the mood of the jam session. It was the fundraiser put on by Music Unites Jamaica Foundation for singer Della Manley, who was critically injured in a car crash in Montego Bay, St James, in March. And the icing on the cake, especially for organiser Rosina Moder, was the fact that Della Manley herself was present.
“The wonderful thing is that Della came ... she was here! I feel so rewarded,” an excited Rosina told The Sunday Gleaner. “I heard a whisper ... the family said ‘Maybe’. And then tonight I heard ‘She’s coming’. I feel rewarded from the universe ... from God. Here she is and we can see that she is recovering. I was sitting next to her ... she recognises all of us. She enjoyed the music ... when Boris Gardner was singing ... when DiMario was singing. She was not embarrassed, she felt honoured. It’s a gift from God that she is here after what she has gone through. I will never in my life forget this evening.”
Rosina, a respected musician and the wife of musician , composer and songwriter Peter Ashbourne, stated that many prayers were sent up for Della Manley after the accident which saw her being airlifted to Kingston for treatment and being in a coma for an extended period.
“I know Della before she started recording and I appreciate her as a singer and a songwriter. And, when I heard of this accident, I was so devastated. It happened just before our 30th anniversary concert and, during the concert, I asked the people for a moment of silence to put out a prayer for Della’s recovery. And we kept praying and praying ... and here it is, Della was at the concert. I can’t believe it. Here she is, she is recovering. And, recovering like this cost a lot of money, so I wanted us, the musical family, to show that we care. How can we better care than to put on a nice, versatile concert?”
Rosina shared that all the performers, musicians, engineers worked for free and that all the money collected will go straight to the family for the recovery fund for Della. She thanked 22 Jerk for allowing her group to collect a donation from attendees. Each week, the jam session, which is run by Jeremy Ashbourne and Omar Francis, is free of cost.
PERFORMANCES
A diverse group of performers gave of their best on Thursday to a delighted and appreciative audience. There were legends like Marjorie Whylie, Boris Gardiner and Bongo Herman whose different styles all shared the similar hallmark of excellence. At 80, Marjorie Whylie’s movements have slowed down a bit, but the life and elegance of her fingers show no sign of ageing. Her fingers glided friskily over keys, making melodious music which seemed to radiate through her entire being. The audience had nothing but applause for the maestro.
“Oh yes. I had a good time tonight,” a smiling Whylie told The Sunday Gleaner on her way out.
Boris Gardiner performed fan favourites such as Forever My Darling, I Want to Wake up With You, and Someone Loves You Honey, and it was a sing-along. He told The Sunday Gleaner that he was so committed to the cause that he came out of his sick bed to perform.
“I know what Della is going through and it could happen to me to, so had to put in my little worth. I wish her all the best ... a full recovery. The accident was really bad,” Gardiner said.
He, too, enjoyed the jam session and he gave a short update on his current status.
“I am still pushing along. I am now in my 80s, but when I sing I don’t feel it. When I warm up, I could go on for another half an hour. I enjoy performing, especially when I have a crowd that is into this sort of music,” the singer, songwriter and bass player said.
Another octogenarian, Bongo Herman, rocked the crowd like the pro that he is with covers of songs such as Get Ready Rocksteady, and the mesmerising beating of his bongo drum.
Dub poet Mutabaruka told the story of a song that he and Della Manley recorded together, but have performed live only once – years ago at Redbones in St Andrew. On Thursday, he recited a poem “that has been around for whole heap a years” and which he heard as a child and vowed to record in a studio “when mi grow big”. Titled The Monkey’s Disgrace, it tells of a conversation among three monkey discrediting the theory of evolution. The author is unknown.
Janine Jkhul, a singer and songwriter, who is an integral part of Music Unites, was both performer and co-host. She played the ukulele on a song that she wrote while in Bali, and she also caressed the strings of her guitar on others, including Fire, while accompanied by a band led by Peter Ashbourne. She introduced Charmaine Limonius, who she declared was one of her own role models.
Limonius, who one patron said reminded him of “the lady from Moana”, performed Rebel in Me, Winds of Hope – a song composed by Peter Ashbourne and sung by the late Karen Smith – and, especially for Della, Ashes on the Window Sill. Rosina and Peter Ashbourne united for When you Love, and singer Sandra Morgan-Crawford had fun with Almost Like Being in Love and Route 66. Up-and-coming singer, Karbon, did a cover of Junior Byles’ Fade Away, and DiMario McDowell turned in an entertaining set.
Black Zebra band did a full set and, prior to their taking over the stage, a representative from the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport brought greetings from Minister Olivia Grange.
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