LONDON-BORN, Paris-based chanteuse Ala.ni is pleased with her performance on the UNESCO- sponsored International Jazz Day Showcase held at 22 Jerk on Barbican Road in St Andrew on Saturday, April 30.

“It was my pleasure to perform and to be a part of the organising team for this year’s International Jazz Day, Jamaica 60. Jazz is such a universal musical genre, as is reggae, so blending and mixing these vibes together, on this soil, with some of the best musicians on the island is a real musical experience and privilege for me… It was ‘freeing’. I had not sung to an audience in a live capacity since before the COVID-19 pandemic. February 2020 was my last show in France, so being able to sing and connect with real human beings again in a warm tropical paradise was a very special moment for me,” Ala.ni told the Jamaica Observer. “There were so many great moments on the night; so many. Overwhelmingly so. I am happy with the overall outcome, so my heart is good.”

The headliner shared her highlight.

“Aunty Myrna Hague’s molasses voice hit my soul deeply and the experience of sharing the stage with the energetic, poetic Sheldon Shepherd are both still lingering,” she said.

Myrna Hague, who had been in the audience all evening, went on stage for a surprise performance at the request of the organisers. Starting with Volare, she elegantly drifted her silken vocals over the air, enchanting guests even more. Her words of encouragement to the organisers and musicians who performed, whom she referred to as the “future generation of jazz music in Jamaica,” were undoubtedly among the night’s main highlights.

Janine Jkuhl opened the show with a stunning performance of jazz classic Summertime and two originals, Unstable and Coffee, opening the way for soloist Maki Kawamoto’s mesmerising traditional sounds on Japanese koto. She segued into a fusion jam with the ensemble before making her exit. This was followed by a performance of High Heel Sneakers and Bernie’s Tune (instrumentals) by ace trumpeter Marc Chillemi, saxophonist Ben Roseth (USA), and Jamaicans, Hector “Roots’’ Lewis (percussionist), Audale Martin (piano), Salim Browne (bass), and drummer Jeremy Ashbourne, who was also the evening’s programme coordinator.

Following that was Okiel Oshane’s set, which featured the funky Roy Hargrove tune, Strasbourg/St Dennis, backed by the rhythm section and guitarist Chris Campbell. It was followed by his vibrant tenor sax interpretation of My Funny Valentine, allowing the complete band to flourish.

The audience responded favourably to Herbie Hancock’s song Chameleon, which came next, during which Randy Fletcher joined on trombone, followed by Trinidadian pannist, Charlo Alfonso, who dazzled listeners with his steel pan feature, Footprints, and his next piece, In My House, which highlighted a calypso-meets-jazz marriage.

Before Chillemi’s ensemble returned with Alone Together & Fungi Mama, vocalist/percussionist Lewis delighted with Miles Davis’ So What, Eddie Jefferson’s Chicago, and Dave Brubeck’s Take 5 [Al Jarreau’s version]. Orville Hammond, globally celebrated local pianist, joined the stage next, performing a wonderful rendition of Nat King Cole’s Autumn Leaves with Ashbourne on drums and bassist Carlton Jarret.

The show flowed seamlessly into the headline act, and Ala.ni was ready to enthral with her evening’s band — Audale, Salim, and Chris, guest drummer Mark Bell (USA), and solos by Ben and Marc. She set the tone with a scaled down ballad interpretation of Ella Fitzgerald’s All Of Me; jazzy reggae Baltimore (Nina Simone cover); and a playful, poetic improv with No.Maddz’s Sheldon Shepherd on Ray Charles’ classic, Hit The Road Jack. Darryl ‘’Kuki’’ Roberts, a member of the Eye Of The Brainstorm band, then joined her for two improv pieces wherein he sauntered onto the jazz rhythms with smooth hip hop vocals in a freestyle celebrating his birthday, before handing over to Ala.ni, who sweetly closed her set with Julie London’s I’m In The Mood For Love.

Naturally, the night couldn’t end without a final improv display, which saw the band transition into a rousing jam session to close the show. This had everyone dancing to Duke Ellington’s Caravan and Thelonious Monk’s Blue Monk, performed in a New Orleans second line style.

“Music must survive! It is our one and only universal language as beings on this earth. The animals like it and make their own too. It will always unite above all else. We must protect and cherish the makers, growers of music all over the world,” Ala.ni added.