Mellow music flows at Women in Jazz

Performers hold hands and take a bow after the Women in Jazz concert at Little Carib Theatre on Saturday night. From left are, concert organiser and singer Janine Charles-Farray, keyboardist Chantal Esdelle, tenor pannist Keisha Codrington, and double second pannist Natasha Joseph

Women in Jazz was billed as a fund-raiser for SHIP, Bishop Anstey’s alumnae charity. The show, which took place at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook last Saturday, was a solid evening of good musical performances with female talent in the spotlight. The concert featured Chantal Esdelle and her band Moyenne, Janine Charles-Farray, Natasha Joseph and Keisha Codrington, who recently arranged the winning performance of her family band, the Codrington Pan Family, at QRC’s Pan Challenge.

Esdelle, with Moyenne members Douglas Reddon on bass, Junior Noel on hand drums, and Kevin Sobers on tenor pan, started the show with Kaiso Kaiso and La Mejor de Mi. Esdelle’s breathy vocals lent sweetness to the mellow Love Changes. The musicians took turns in the spotlight, each garnering applause for their solo runs.

The band was joined by Codrington on tenor pan and Joseph on double seconds. Their instrumentation added another level to the set, as they showed off their skills on Princess Charming, Forever in Love and Congalypso. Codrington also played timbales.

After a break, Moyenne returned, bringing on singer Charles-Farray, who was a highlight of the night with her impressive jazz vocals and charming stage presence. Her set included All of Me and Don’t Take My Man. When she was done, the audience showed their loud appreciation. 

The band continued with Out of Thin Air from their new CD project, New Hope from their first album, and a song dedicated to Haiti’s earthquake victims, with soaring vocals from Esdelle. The rest of the second set included more performances from Codrington and Joseph, including Wotless and Terror’s Pan Harmony, on which Moyenne members got behind their own pans, Esdelle on tenor and Reddon on double seconds, joining the featured pan women, with Joseph on PHI pan, for a sweet take on the calypso classic. They ended the evening with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. - http://www.guardian.co.tt/entertainment/2011/11/25/mellow-music-flows-women-jazz-0