Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Pam Hall - File

When Pam Hall sings I Was Born a Woman at Hope Gardens, St Andrew, later today, there will be a moment that has been 20 years in the making.

Harold Butler, who composed the song, which is on the soundtrack of the movie, Children of Babylon, will be part of a band which will provide the music for Hall.

She told The Gleaner that "there will be one special thing happening. I will be singing I Was Born a Woman. For the first time ever Harold will be performing".

There is no special reason why it is has taken up to one year shy of the song's 20th anniversary for them to do it together, even though Hall said they had performed together at jazz sessions before.

Hall is one of the featured vocalists at Blues on the Green, put on by the United States Embassy to culminate its 2008 Black History Month celebrations. Nora Jean Bruso is the main performer, with To-Isis, the Maurice Gordon Group, Fab Five Band and Michael Sean Harris also in the Jamaican contingent.

However, while Hall said, "I am really grounded in reggae, but my earlier memories are of jazz and ska (and she does point out that "ska is very jazzy too")," she said, "blues used to hurt my belly when I was a little girl.

"I just felt so uncomfortable, maybe because of the emotional content. But coming into adulthood, way into adulthood, I learned to appreciate it," Hall said.

So for her 20-minute performance at Blues on the Green, Hall said, "I will be doing bluesy sort of stuff, maybe blues with a jazz inflection. I don't consider myself a blues person."

It has been about three years since she performed at Hope Gardens and Hall said "they need to make more use of that lovely place".

It will be a busy weekend for her, as on Sunday she will be doing Jazz in the Gardens at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston. Naturally there, Hall, who counts the jazz set, Testament, with guitarist Ernie Ranglin among her albums, will be doing more jazz-style material.