Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Keisha Patterson, who assures she is no 'psycho', performs at the Bunny Brown Experience concert, held at the Stella Maris Prep School Playfield, Shortwood Road on Sunday, July 10. - WINSTON SILL/ FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
WESTERN BUREAU:
BUNNY BROWN and his chosen few - the persons selected to perform with him at the Stella Maris playfield, Shortwood Road, St. Andrew - provided a good experience on Sunday evening.
The audience which gathered, occupying two-thirds of the chairs provided with a few persons choosing to stand, was for the most part sedentary and sometimes near sedate in swaying with satisfaction throughout the Bunny Brown Experience. Whether this was due to the proximity of the church or the distancing of certain spirits, with only a non-alcoholic bar, is anybody's guess.
GOOD MUSIC
Incorporated provided the wide range of music required.
Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, host for most of the first segment of the concert, had no problem whipping up support for "good Jamaican music".
And there was laughter when he complained about musical 'coitus interruptus' - the 'wheel up' syndrome which permeates many stage shows.
There was no 'interruptus' or withdrawal syndrome at the Bunny Brown Experience, which began in daylight in keeping with its scheduled 6:00 p.m. start. Although there were pale blue skies, the memory of Hurricane Dennis was very much present, so Pinkney opened with Many Rivers To Cross, in recognition of the waters that rose. And, with two female harmony vocalists in tow, he ended with a song from and for one who is recently gone, applause greeting Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father.
Mary Isaacs, the first of three female performers for the night, was emphatic in declaring herself a Natural Woman, while Toni Anderson's Just The Two of Us was accompanied by co-ordinated moves from Fab 5's hornsmen.
Prilly Hamilton, once with Third World, got the handclaps going and sustained them throughout his first song, the members of the audience singing along with the claim to Our own song. There were yelps of delight for his following R&B selection and the rockers of Should I featured exceptional drumming from Grub Cooper.
Ossie D and Stevie G, the latter on guitar, hit a humorous note with a pretend ditching of Ossie D, who then disclosed that he had won the lotto, in a take on the current television advert. There was no fooling around with their music and their moves, though, flashing coordinated legs and alternating verses carrying the duo through True Love and You Me Love.
They earned an encore, for which Ossie D was transformed into a collarless Roy 'High Priest' Shirley on Feel Good.
DiMario McDowell's trio of love songs hit a vocal peak in the centre with Unchained Melody, for which there was enthusiastic applause, while former Chosen Few member Richie Mac took the Experience down into the mineshaft of his bass with Practise What You Preach.
The Experience then soared to new and commanding heights with Bunny Brown himself, who did an extended rendition of Change Must Come. He settled into the rockers of Talk About Love and Sea of Love, before again taking the audience onto a commanding high with Always and Forever.
FINAL FEMALE PERFORMER
He introduced Keisha Patterson, the night's third and final female performer, and she scaled the vocal ladder with At Last. Patterson was dramatic in delivery of her second song, saying - love has a lot of drama. This guy says I am psycho. I say psycho 'You aint seen nothing.' At the end, she said, "I don't think I was psycho at all."
Boris Gardiner brought the Bunny Brown Experience to a smooth end with Let's Keep It That Way, Johnny Ace's Pledging My Love and It's So Nice To Be With You, singing his way down the steps and across the lawn to press flesh on I Wanna Wake Up With You.
Frankie Campbell of Fab Five experienced 'goodbye interruptus', as his wrap-up was interrupted by calls for more Boris and Gardiner obliged, borrowing Campbell's bass and singing one more Johnny Ace song.
There were apologies from Gregory Isaacs, who is on tour. The Bunny Brown Experience ended just before 10:00 p.m., the smell of boiled corn helping to send the experienced home.
