For weeks leading up to this
event the hype and anticipation which was created by the tasteful, exciting and
teasing adverts used to market the event captured my attention. I thought, very briefly, every time the ad
played on radio on my drive to work, “this sounds like it’s gonna be a good
event...” and I’d remind myself to look into getting a ticket and see who I could
get to go with me. This went on for all
of three weeks or maybe more, much like most of my feeble attempts to
socialise.
 |
| Annalean and I at Jazz on the Hill |
But of course, every thought you
send out into the universe has the potential to become a reality….so two days
before the event, I got a phone call
from Annalean, my friend, liming partner, confidant; inviting me to the
event. I was all ecstatic and rearing to
go…after all it’s been weeks of me putting this out into the universe right?
This is where the positive peer
pressure came into play…
The day came about, and I had
lost my enthusiasm for an evening out; in true form I had changed my mind so
many times throughout the day, it wasn’t funny at all. Who the heck was Avery Sunshine? Was this thing going to be a sit down
affair? Was I going to be bored thirty
minutes there? Those were some of the questions I asked myself in an attempt to
justify the lack of zest for an outing.
Annalean, however, insisted that
I get up, get dressed and go to the event…and she wasn’t accepting NO. She showed up at my home to help me dress and
took me to Jazz on the Hill…
Now, I am a “soca baby”, I love soca, carnival and especially the “All
Inclusive” events…so while my interactions with other genres of music was somewhat limited, it was more so
with Jazz music. However, I decided to
keep an open mind and embrace the experience.
It was a “Wear White Affair” theme, so almost everything was white! The
setting was in keeping with what was advertised, the ambience was perfect for a
cool Sunday evening and there was an array of activities happening in the form
of visits to the various bars and food stations.
 |
| Old and new friends |
As I walked in, I saw familiar
faces which I had not seen in a while. I reconnected with my girl JD and met new people by the end of the evening.
It was show time now….the
headline act was about to take the stage….Ms Avery Sunshine if you will…never
heard of her, had no experience with her music and was totally ignorant to her
ability to deliver a stellar performance.
This lady had not just me, but the entire crowd on their feet moving to
her music, she was so interactive and engaging, she literally brought the house
down! I was in awe at her talent, her
ability to draw in her audience and to make jazz music so intriguing.
 |
| Avery Sunshine doing her thing... |
I was glad that I fell victim to
peer pressure in this instance because the experience was an eye opener for me
as it allowed me to experience music in a brand new way and develop an
appreciation for Jazz in a way I would never have had in the absence of Jazz on the Hill…