VI (Br.)
Performed on May 16, 2008
St. Mary’s, Virgin Gorda
There is something to be said about artists, up on stage, being able to connect, eyeball to eyeball if you will, with their audiences down below. The Jazz on the Hill audiences assembled at St. Mary’s School on Virgin Gorda have tended to be far removed from the main stage, up on the gentle hillside that have become the grounds of this unique May festival.
To my mind, Connecticut based American flutist Sherry Winston felt that disconnect so badly that she took to the grounds straightaway on her opening rendition to serenade the crowd up close and personal. The vehicle for this was Stevie Wonder’s “Past Time Paradise.”

Back up on stage, Winston mined her second CD, Billboard Top 10 Love Madness for “Song for my father” by Horace Silver. Gushing as she did about her lucky find, bassist Steve Clarke, she let him loose on stage. The result was a wicked solo that justified, at least in my mind, her claims of this man’s facility on his chosen instrument.
Winston uses her music as a motivational tool. Part way through her set, she put a profound exhortation out there: “All of you have a special dream…(a) purpose; live for that dream. You have to make that your reality.” In high demand at company events in the United States, Winston gets ample opportunities to share that philosophy. However, it would take another three songs, (“Morning Star“ from CD number 4, “Life is Love and Love is You“; Barbadian bassist Nicholas Brancker’s composition “Love Is…”and a dedication to the “Island Woman…” both from CD 3) before delivering that special message to her patrons.
With that, Winston introduced vocalist Laurie Ann Williams to us. Williams was an unknown entity to me. But the fact that she had etched performances with the likes of Maysa, Ledisi and Regina Bell to her resume, put me to shame.
Winston was very generous to Williams, letting her do three vocals on the trot, “Joy“, a funky salvo from Love is Life, “To Be With You“ and Stevie Wonder’s “Another Star.“
While “Joy“ and “To Be With You“ firmly established Williams’ credibility with me, it was her scatting on “Another Star” that solidified her rep. Give her the props!
At the close, Winston reclaimed her space with “Symphonic Rock Suite No. 3“, a Latin serving that was a boon for bassist Clarke and drummer Mike Thompson.
Then it was back to the grassy knoll to autograph CD’s and mingle. Sherry Winston may have come to Jazz on the Hill with a band of four. I can say to you that she departed the exotic island of Virgin Gorda with a band of many fans.
Sherry Winston band:
Winston (flute)
Steve Clarke (bass)
- Clarke has opened for Pieces of a Dream
Richard Cummings (piano)
- Cummings has played with Diane Reeves and the BVI’s own, the late crooner Jon Lucien
Mike Thompson (drums)
- Thompson, a United States Virgin Islander, has backed up pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs, Harvie S and John Patitucci
Laurie Ann Williams (vocals)