No more! That was the rallying cry during the final performance in the 9th annual Honey Jam Fundraising Concert – a stirring rendition of John King’s classic How Many More?.
The performance, led by Larix, Rhea Layne and Sirrah, began with beautiful, stirring melodies before all the artistes who performed that night joined the trio on stage, passionately insisting as they sang as a choir, that there must be no tolerance for the violence being seen in Barbados and declaring, with fists in the air, “we say no more!”
In attendance was legendary video and feature film director Director X who spearheaded a movement called Operation Prefrontal Cortex to promote meditation and mindfulness as a means of quelling the urge to lash out. He is a decades-long friend of Honey Jam producer Ebonnie Rowe, who met him at the age of 17 when he was involved in her mentor programme in Toronto for at-risk black youth, called Each One, Teach One.
The How Many More? finale was just one of 15 dynamic performances that wowed the crowd gathered in the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination for the concert that raises money for a non-profit artiste development programme.
“It was only appropriate that with the show so close to Independence, that it take place in a venue named after Errol Barrow, the Father of Independence,” said host Caroline Reid.
The event kicked off at 6 p.m. with a blue carpet mixer in honour of Independence, featuring art by Alanis Forde, music by DJ Diamond and several door prizes. Once the show started promptly an hour later, the audience was treated to an eclectic mix of dynamic live performances.
This was more of an unplugged Honey Jam – more intimate, up-close and personal. The artistes’ voices filled the room as act after act took the audience on a moving musical journey that had their rapt attention.
In marking the show’s ninth year, its first sponsor Blueprint Creative, who encouraged the idea to start Honey Jam in Barbados, sent a “love letter to Honey Jam” in which it declared its support. That was read on stage before Rowe was introduced.
The producer was emotional as she spoke of her deep appreciation for the support received over the years and as she declared that she felt her work with the young artistes was the “light of my life”.
Rowe added that while she did not want this to be the last Honey Jam season, it was becoming increasingly challenging in these difficult economic times to sustain the initiative which provides mentoring, networking, educational, promotional and performance opportunities to emerging young artistes and musicians. (PR)
