WE SAY NO MORE! That was the rallying cry at the Honey Jam Concert finale’s stirring rendition of Minister John King’s classic “How Many More”. Led by Larix, Rhea Layne and Sirrah, the performance began with beautiful stirring melodies, then all of the artists who performed that night joined them on stage, acting as a choir passionately insisting that we must not tolerate the level of violence we’re seeing in Barbados, declaring with fists in the air “We Say No More!”
In attendance was legendary video and feature film director Director X who spearheaded a movement called Operation Prefrontal Cortex, to promote meditation and mindfulness as a means of reducing violence by offering coping skills to quell the urge to lash out. X is a decades long personal friend of producer Ebonnie Rowe, who met him at the age of 17 when he was involved in her mentor programme in Toronto for at risk Black youth called “Each One, Teach One.”
The finale was only one out of 15 dynamic performances that wowed the crowd at the 9th annual Honey Jam Fundraising Concert at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination. The concert raises money for a non-profit artist development program.
Everything kicked off at 6:00 with a blue carpet mixer in honour of Independence featuring art by Alanis Forde, music by DJ Diamond and lots of door prizes. Once the show started promptly at 7:00, the audience was treated to an eclectic mix of dynamic live performances.
Host Caroline Reid said “it was only appropriate that with the show so close to Independence that it take place in a venue named after Errol Barrow, the father of Independence.” This was more of an unplugged Honey Jam, more intimate, up close and personal. The artists voices filled the room as act after act took the audience on a moving musical journey that had their wrapt attention.
In marking their 9th year, their first sponsor Blueprint Creative, who were the ones who encouraged the idea to start Honey Jam in Barbados, sent a “love letter to Honey Jam’ read onstage declaring their long time support before Ebonnie Rowe was introduced.
Producer Rowe was emotional as she spoke of her deep appreciation for the support they have received over the years and that she felt her work with the young artists was the “light of her life”. She went on to say that she didn’t want this to be the last Honey Jam season but in these difficult economic times it was becoming increasingly challenging to sustain the initiative which provides mentoring, networking, educational, promotional and performance opportunities to emerging young artists and musicians.
