Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
The original Manhattans and their band thrilled at the end of a fabulous concert held at the Cable & Wireless Golf Academy, Park Boulevard, New Kingston on Sunday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
WHEN THE Manhattans closed 100 minutes of timeless music and seamless co-ordinated movement just past midnight yesterday, a standing ovation merged with the mass movement to the exits at the Cable and Wireless Golf Academy, New Kingston.
The quartet of lead singer Gerald Alston, a straight-from-the-to-tips bass Blue Lovett who was also the narrator of sorts, Troy May and David Tyson, closed with a rapturously received Kiss and Say Goodbye, the sole solo moment coming when Alston took a seat to deliver Sam Cooke's Change Gonna Come, the screams coming from the first notes through to the last.
SUBSTANTIAL PERFORMANCES
The Manhattans closed a concert of substantial performances, which began with Karen Smith just after 7:00 p.m., who ignited the audience with a 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'-ful Aretha Franklin tribute.
Hall also got Lloyd Parkes of the Jamaican performers' support band, Lloyd Parkes and We The People, to combine on Let It Be Me and rocked reggae style with Moonlight Lover and No No No, before going ska with A Little More Oil and Wings of A Dove to leave the audience in an upbeat mood.
It was a good setting for AJ Brown, to get about his "original business", as he repeated throughout his set based on his own material and very good humour. From the plaintive R&B of 'Take It Slow' to the rockers of My Father, My Friend, Brown moved to Wonderful World, complete with white handkerchief mopping his face a la Louis Armstrong, but a malfunctioning microphone cut the song short and he left with a smile. An encore was requested and Brown obliged.
Ken Boothe sang to his mother who "carried me when I could not walk" to open to good response and Everything I Own hitting the spot, but sounded as if night dew was rusting the vocal chords as he looked for the Lady With the Starlight. Boothe sounded better on the slower Speak Softly Love, although he was far from in sparkling vocal form for the rest of the evening, and before Train Is Coming said he was just coming off a European tour, via Atlanta and had come straight to the venue. The trademark nifty stage movement was unimpaired.
A pair of well-muscled Knightsmen on stage and uniformed personnel on the ground just before it, as well as a change of outfit by the night's hostess Thelma Porter, emphasised that, after a tolerable band change, it was star time. There were squeals as the Manhattans, Alston first and Lovette last, strolled on stage. The co-ordinated movements began right away and, after an uptempo pair of songs, they moved closer to the meat of the soulful matter with The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow, Lovette's bass "come what may" causing screams.
Lovette reminded all that "disco was number one in the 70s, but so was this" and there were screams as the quartet went into We Never Danced To A Love Song. They informed harmoniously that "there is no good in goodbye", the co-ordinated moves continuing as they took seats on high chairs.
Troy May took lead as the Manhattans went back uptempo with Hold On before a slow searing end.
