Article by: Noel Thompson, Star Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Cuban-born American singer/songwriter Jon Secada proved that he is not just an ordinary entertainer when the spotlight shone on him at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, held at the Iberostar Resort in Montego Bay, Wednesday night.

Delivering what was deemed by most, if not all the patrons, as a masterpiece, Secada was the only act of the night who earned an encore and a standing ovation.

The music was superb, the song selections were great and the jazzy rhythm was just what the audience wanted. His music sounded somewhat different from the everyday songs, but the enthusiasm and professional manner in which he conveyed the message in each number simply could not go unnoticed.

Danced flawlessly

The evening started off with medical doctor Kathy Brown gracing the stage, playing a number of jazz and contemporary music. Her fingers danced flawlessly across the keyboard, her eyes closed and one could tell she was in touch with the universe as she transcended the waves to the audience.

The doctor's musical prescription, which included Amazing Grace, a Jamaican medley, Take It Easy and Latin Groove, was just the right dosage for what was yet to come.

"Thank you, good evening everyone," she said modestly, as she rambled a bit about her musical career. "I like all kinds of music, African and Cuban."

She glanced across the auditorium and signaled the engineer twice to pump the volume up a bit further and away she went.

Changing the pace somewhat was Robin Banks, who flew in from Toronto, Canada, to make her second appearance on the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, having first graced the Jamaican stage back in 2007.

Showing her penchant for rock 'n' roll and the blues, she opened her act with Troubled Mind, followed by other selections from Ray Charles, which earned her a warm reception.

When three-time Grammy winner Jon Secada was introduced, it was a dose of musical hypnosis that was injected in the minds of the audience. Secada commanded keen attention as he gave an exceptional rendition of Chances Are intertwined with ad-libs.

Females screamed aloud, as if they could hardly contain their composure. But Secada was only warming up.

Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World was next, except that it was done in a softer tone than Armstrong's coarse and husky vocals, which we have been accustomed to.

His career started as a songwriter. "I wrote a lot of songs for a lot of artistes, but I never knew when I was going to start singing." And with that said, Secada asked the audience to listen carefully to the words of his original - Letter From My Friend - a love song that has a delicate beat of  salsa and blues.

Secada walked off stage into the audience, boldly saying he wanted to sing his next song to a female. He picked Debra Costelli, from Rhode Island and walked back on stage to serenade her with You and Your Spanish Eyes before ending his 75-minute performance with Just Another Day.

Link to original article: The Jamaica Star