Uncajed Melodies third time at Philip Sherlock Centre
UNCAJED MELODIES will have its third season at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts on April 8 and 9. The concert is a presentation of CAJE (pronounced ‘Cage’), which combines members of two distinct musical groups, the Classical Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble of the UWI.
The ensembles are part of the programme of increased music participation and interest, instituted by senior music fellow, Peter Ashbourne, on his appointment in 2013.
CAJE is comprised of present students of UWI, some staff members of the university and a few invited guest performers, who are not necessarily graduates of the institution, all under the musical direction of Ashbourne. The group, in whole or part, performs regularly throughout the year at mainly university or university-related events, but the highlight performance of each year is the annual concert season.
THREE SECTIONS
The concert, Uncajed Melodies III, will have three sections: the opening section featuring the Classical Ensemble in performance and highlighting a performance by the newly inaugurated Wind Ensemble; the Jazz section, incorporating also ska; and the Show section, always a showstopper. The Show section will feature a loose amalgamation of compositions from musical theatre, film and stage, and highlight performances by the Vocal Ensemble, a crowd favourite since 2016.
This section will also feature a medley of TV theme songs as well as an original composition of Peter Ashbourne, based on the story Rainweaver, written by Joel Moder-Ashbourne, using the concept of narrator and orchestra (aka ‘Peter and The Wolf’), written specially for the concert and being debuted there.
The show concludes with a rendition of the Manhattan Transfer version of Weather Report’s seminal jazz fusion hit, Birdland.
CAJE has been lauded for its unique Caribbean style, driven by Ashbourne’s classical, jazz and folk sensibilities and arranging skills.
CAJE is comprised of present students of UWI, some staff members of the university and a few invited guest performers.