E Man Grooving; Concert Review
Last week Dr. Kathy Brown played two concerts of Jamaica folk and improvised music to large audiences in Paramaribo, Suriname. But, last year she made her overseas debut at the Island Soul Festival in Toronto, Ontario. The following is a review on the latter.
As part of Harbourfront's "Island Soul" festival, we were treated to several free performances. The first two were afternoon shows, featuring one veteran of Jamaican music and one relative newcomer.
Ernest Ranglin and Kathy Brown both gave excellent performances on this sunny afternoon.
They both played music that is restrained and refined, which was fitting for the mellow atmosphere around Harbourfront. Kathy Brown is a pianist who had a remarkable back-up plan; she is also a medical doctor in her native Kingston, Jamaica. This afternoon was her Canadian debut, and she had the compatible and versatile Jason Wilson and Tabarruk backing her up.
Long time Jamaican-Canadian drummer Everton "Pablo" Paul has been playing percussion regularly with Tabarruk, and the two drummers (Paul plays hand drums in this band) gel seamlessly for a steady rhythm section that did not interfere with Kathy Brown's piano playing.
Brown opened with a tune called "Rasta Journey", which combines elements from older melodies such as "Rastaman Chant" and "Rivers of Babylon". That was followed by a cover of "Get Up Stand Up" that was introduced as a Bob Marley song, but it was barely recognizable. It was a treat to hear a cover like the well worn "Get Up Stand Up" played with significantly different arrangements from the familiar Wailers versions. This was followed by an unusual take of "The Flintstones" theme. Kathy's eclecticism shifted to the appropriately titled "Latin Groove" which, Kathy said, was inspired by Cuban rhythms which used to be very popular in Jamaica.
A cover of "Afro Blue" came next. While the familiar notes trickled out from the stage, Kathy and Tabarruk got to stretch out a little. Kathy described the track as "a song of communication" which seemed fitting. The last song was another instrumental cover of a Wailers hit, "Could You Be Loved?" which featured the pianist and Jason Wilson the organist trading off keyboard licks.
Kathy Brown was very well received by the surprisingly attentive crowd. Daytime Harbourfront audiences are often a finicky bunch, composed of as many tourists out for a stroll as there are fans of the artist performing. Holding this audiences attention was no small task, but Kathy Brown's piano playing provided a rare moment of an audience listening closely to a relatively unknown musician..
Pictures at www.flickr.com/pictures/emangrooving
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