Guitar, vocals, sax, share lead at Redbones

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

In an unusual Thursday night experience, saxophonist Dean Fraser, guitarist Seretse Small (who did double duties as he was also the on-stage host) and singer Ellan Neil shared lead duties, the Jammarockaz Band quartet holding down the rhythm section.

The performers engaged the full house at Redbones Blues Café, New Kingston, with a mixture of covers (Neil sang Just The Two of Us and What's Going On in the latter part of the concert's first segment, Fraser segueing into Redemption Song close to the end of the night) and originals, Small utilising Fraser's presence to the maximum to close with his P 21.

Then there were Neil's humorous Jamaican adjustments to popular songs, Fly Me To the Moon receiving the 'yard style' adjustment "when a gal have a man/she do everything fe make sure him alright".

However, although as a unit the aggregation went over very well, it was the individual musical pyrotechnics which took the audience over the top. Among those were Kamla Hamilton's keyboard breakouts, into which she put head movement to keep her stylish black hat bobbing to top off a constant grin, one foot forward as she approached the instrument like a badminton player receiving the serve.

Small and Fraser alternated at points and there were also moments when they stood guitar to horn at a frenetic pace, notably on P 21, making for a striking visual and aural experience.

Fraser gave his audience a good look from many angles, especially on Redemption Song, which followed Lotus Blossom (which Small introduced as one of the saxophonist's favourites), where he used the full width of the Redbones stage in his crossing and recrossing.

General goodwill

The feeling of general goodwill was underscored after intermission, when Neil sang happy birthday to Terrence and Shamara, who shared a dance to go with their special day. And when Neil went Jamaican in celebrating her favourite things, the outright merriment level turned up considerably. Neil sang:

"When the bills come that we can't pay

And we get so mad

We just remember some of the finer things

And we don't feel so bad...

Coconut water and pudding...

Wondering if the West Indies will ever win..."

And just after intermission, after outlining his continuing mission to make Jamaica officially the live music capital of the world, Small honoured the venue.

"Give it up for Redbones," Small instructed. "I do not know what I would do in Jamaica without Redbones. It is an audience in a sometimes very dry land. You can perform and have an audience."