Caribbean Jazz Fusion Delights Audience at KILOMBO Emancipation Village Performance

The Lowrey Leon and the Black Banana Band, with a heavy accent on Caribbean jazz fusions, had its audience tapping their feet during an evening of jazz at KILOMBO Emancipation Village, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, last Sunday.

Lowrey Leon, better known as Lowrey Worrell, musical director of the National Youth Steel Orchestra and music teacher at Foundation School, led the outfit, which also comprised saxophonist Andre Woodvine, bassist Neil Newton, jazz guitarist Darren Massiah, keyboardist Rafael Hinds and drummer Chadd Greaves.

The audience heard several songs released from Leon’s albums I am Barbados and Feature along with Woodvine, who performed some of his own music.

The opening piece was Morning Prayer from the 2020 album called Feature. Bassist Newton also stepped to the fore to do an easy listening piece called Bass Love.

Woodvine, who is also an accomplished flautist, rendered Floating from his compact disc Citronella. He did an excellent vocal interpretation of Roxy Roundabout written by Barbadian jazz pianist Adrian Clarke, who based it on an experience he had during Trinidad Carnival which caused him to rest at Roxy Roundabout.

Leon, in wrapping up the session, treated the appreciative patrons to a track titled The Park from an upcoming album and Sleeping Beauty from the EP Feature, with accompaniment from Woodvine, Massiah and Greaves.

Earlier in the show, Leon also paid tribute to the head of the music department at the Barbados Community College, musician/keyboardist Roger Gittens.

“It’s a privilege to be here today. And I can talk of a place that is responsible for everybody on this stage. I am talking about the Barbados Community College and a music programme which all of us are graduates from; which all passed through the hands of Woodvine in that programme as well,” Leon said.

“Whenever I am on stage there is a man that I have to ‘big up’. I am going to keep [acknowledging] him until they give him an honorary doctorate of music education. That is Mr Roger Gittens.

“I would dare say 80 per cent of the musicians in Barbados passed through Roger Gittens’ hands,” he added. ( JS)