Jazz at Christmas

       In (good) entertainment-starved Guyana, there was a welcome notice of a Jazz Concert at the Theatre Guild of Trinidad-based Guyanese Ruth Osman. She had a beautiful melodious voice but the volume of synthesizer tended to be a bit too loud – I was tempted to tell the Player to lower it when I saw the entertainers liming outside the Ladies during the Interval.

 The attendance was poor and a lot of the audience came late, the actual start being 45minutes late. I understand last year, Paul Keene-Douglas, a Trinidadian raconteur did a few skits and the thing was a sell-out. This year, unfortunately the musical pieces were punctuated with young women doing liturgical dances – one maybe two might have been ok – the looks of their faces deadly serious even though I think one of the songs was extolling the joy of the season – but 5 or 6 was way too much- as R leant across and said during the third dance—not bad if it was your 8yr old dancing but too little to hold a non-Christian audience.

I was thrilled to find out that (yet) another Guyanese – Lord Melody and the Lords had written and performed one of the popular Christmas songs - but of course in the ‘golden age’ of Guyanese culture- the 1950’s - part of the song goes:
Church Bells are ringing ,
dah, dah dah Santa Claus' on his way ..Merry Christmas to you dear...
Happy holiday...