When the North Coast Jazz and Heritage Festival host its major event tomorrow, powerful soprano LeAndra Head will be among the artistes delivering top entertainment at the Solomon Hochoy ground, Blanchisseusse.
Festival performers also include Dean Williams and band, Adan Hagley featuring Tony Paul, Sharon Phillips, Reuel Lynch, Freetown Collective, Michelle Sylvester, Johan Chuckaree and Mista Vibe. This festival from May 27-29 is dedicated to calypsonian Lord Nelson.
After a two-year wait, LeAndra is eagerly looking forward to performing at NCJ.
"I feel excited. I was invited to perform at the show in 2020 but unfortunately, with the onset of covid the event was cancelled so I’m really grateful to be invited to perform again this year. I’m also getting to work with an incredible group of musicians and I can’t wait to get on the stage with them," LeAndra told Newsday.
She says while the audience can expect to hear music that they are familiar with, selecting her repertoire was no easy feat.
"It was a bit challenging trying to decide on a set since I haven’t had to do that for a while. (But) They can expect a set that includes music that is well-loved and appreciated by many."
Like many other artistes she has had to find ways to keep active for the past two pandemic years.
"I started teaching voice. It is one of the things that kept me busy, it brought purpose in the times when I couldn’t perform and it also presented a new way to use the skills that I’ve developed over the years. It’s very fulfilling being able to help my students grow and develop their natural talents."
As the entertainment sector gradually opened up she was able to so some live performances.
"I recently performed in John Thomas’ concert Reflections. The performance went really well and so I was really happy to be on Queen’s Hall stage again. It was the first time I’ve been back on stage in a long time, so I was really grateful for the opportunity to be there and being able to perform with John and a full orchestra was a great experience."
She was back at Queen's Hall, St Ann's, last weekend for a performance at Stefan Roach’s The Art of Guitar: Return Of The Strings.
From her early years LeAndra's winning voice has placed her at the top of competitions. Her sophisticated vocal abilities earned her best soloist honours at the SanFest music festival for three consecutive years.
She won the St James We Beat festival’s amateur night competition in 2004, beating several adult contestants. At the San Fernando Jazz Festival that year also, she shared the stage with world-renowned South African performer Hugh Masekela and dazzled the crowd with her version of Etta James’ signature hit At Last. She has performed in Manhattan and in 2013 took part in the opera Porgy and Bess in Budapest, Hungary, where she was the youngest member of the cast.
She and her sister, Tylah, performed at the National Music Festival in 2017 and won the Anne Fridal cup for Operatic Duet, and she also won best folk choir performance with the University
