Purple passion

Andrene Brown describes her upbringing in the St James community of Hendon Norwood as frequently disruptive and noisy.

From the constant barrage of music blasting from nearby sound systems that started at daybreak and continued until midnight to the deafening ring of bullets being fired by gunmen, it was not an easy journey for her.

But after she discovered her love for music, she found peace in playing her first instrument – the clarinet.

The 28-year-old, who was raised in Montego Bay but was born in Portland, was recently crowned the 2024 Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World by the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA).

Her musical journey, however, began at the age of four, when she started singing at church.

She would go on to participate in music as a backing vocalist with the Tennshann Invasion Band of the Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club and in 2004, she joined the Music for Peace Concert Band, which is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay.

Brown, the last of 11 children between her parents, told The Gleaner in a recent interview at her Kingston residence that she learned to play the clarinet in grade two.

Raised in a single-parent household headed by her mother, She recalled her time at Chetwood Memorial Primary School, when a music instructor was in search of students who could sing.

A student in Brown’s class urged her to participate and Brown found herself unwillingly joining the long line to audition.

“I was like the last person to get out of the class to get to the library for that audition. I honestly didn’t want to go,” she stated.

While in the line, Brown allowed every student to cut in front of her, and by the time it was close to her turn, she was saved by the school’s bell – or so she thought.

Although the auditions did not resume the following week as the teacher said they would, allowing Brown to believe that she had escaped the unwanted experience, when the final list of students who would make up the school’s musical ensemble was revealed, her name was among them.

“I was the chosen one and mi never audition. So, I was like, ‘Woah! This is just God’s work.’ I mean, when you have a purpose and that is for you, it can’t be un-for you,” Brown said with a smile.

Playing the clarinet was initially very challenging, she recalled, noting that it took a while before she could blow her first note.

A week passed by and nothing.

“Then you see the time when I finally get a note, oh gosh, man! A deh so it done. From I got that first note, I just started playing by ear and I was like, ‘Woah! How mi a do dis?’,” she said gleefully.

She continued that she would “cheat the system” by writing all the letters below each note and reading them rather than the symbols as she was unable to read the music sheets.

By the time she matriculated to grade four, her band director, Mrs Nesbeth, had left the institution to work overseas for five months, leaving behind her personal clarinet for Brown.

“She was like, ‘Hey, Andrene, ensure that when I get back here you are still playing’,” Brown recalled.

To this day, Brown has continued to play using Mrs Nesbeth’s clarinet and has taken great care of it.

Her matriculation to Green Pond High School came with a major shift in her life, Brown told The Gleaner.

As a member of the school band, she stated that with the introduction of Mikel Tucker, a new musical director to the school, she made the switch from playing the clarinet as her primary instrument to the saxophone.

By grade 10, Brown became a member of The Young Jamaica Ensemble at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, refining her skills and learning to read music, later moving from playing second clarinet to first chair.

Standing at 4’ 11.5” tall, Brown enrolled in the Jamaica National Reserve of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in 2019 and underwent rigorous training.

She graduated in 2021, joined the regular force and started playing in the JDF’s Jamaica Military Band.

Her popularity grew and she started getting bookings for numerous events, including corporate celebrations, weddings, and funerals.

Beryl worries fuelled drive to win

Now a civilian, Brown spends time chasing her musical dreams.

The 10-year veteran saxophonist revealed that she experiences joy and fulfilment each time she plays or performs.

Brown’s genuine passion for her musicianship serves as motivation for her to carry on with this musical adventure.

The next phase of her journey landed her in California, United States, where she competed in four categories at the WCOPA competition.

Despite facing several challenges in preparing for the competition – such as battling the flu a week before the event and balancing work commitments with practice – she successfully co-wrote the song Recovery with Alex Martin-Blanken for the Original Piece category, where she earned third place.

“It was really when I was in my sick bed something came to me and I had my phone and I just hummed because I wasn’t able to play my instruments and mi just tek up the phone and try make something work,” she said.

Brown performed Prince’s Purple Rain in the Open category and won a gold medal.

She won a silver medal for her performance of Tina Turner’s Proud Mary in the Contemporary section, and a bronze medal in the Jazz category for her rendition of Frank Sinatra’s (Theme From) New York, New York.

Brown feels that the fact that she won the overall competition with the 1984 hit Purple Rain is no coincidence, even though her fondness for the colour appears in nearly every detail of her life.

From a predominantly purple wardrobe, purple painted finger and toenails, and purple walls in her bedroom, her love for the colour is evident, but her affection for Prince was even deeper.

As the competition took place between June 28 and July 7, Hurricane Beryl hit Jamaica. Brown told The Gleaner that she could not shake her worries about what was going on back home while she was performing. But she used the circumstances as a means of motivation to win the competition.

“I was thinking about my family and my friends and mi a say, ‘Boy, Beryl down deh a blow down Jamaica, [so] mi better blow dem away up ya, enuh, because my place cyah get blow weh and mi nuh blow weh somewhere else,” she said humorously.

“I got so emotional, mi all a do things weh me never know mi coulda do. One a the time dem, mi let go all the saxophone and grab it back, ... but it was really good. It was amazing,” she said.

When it came down to the final moment and Brown was announced as the competition’s overall winner, she was surprised.

“I was stunned. For about over a minute, me stunned, couldn’t say nothing. Mi mouth open di entire time,” she said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, thank you, Jesus’. That’s the only thing me remember really saying,” she added.

Looking ahead, Brown aspires to be a legendary musician. She believes she will succeed because of the small group of people who are rooting for her and lending their support.

Although she does not classify herself as a singer at this stage, she would love to have vocal training to become the “full package” when she performs.

“Sometimes I’m like, I wish that I could actually start this song singing and then playing, just to show the versatility – just as how sometimes I’ll actually play both instruments [where] I’ll start with the clarinet and finish with the saxophone,” she said.

But until her dreams come true, Brown is content with how her life has turned out thus far.

“Where I’m coming from and where I’m at now, I have to give thanks. So, Mommy money never waste at all,” she said.

You may reach Andrene Brown at andrene.music@gmail.com or follow her musical journey via Instagram at andrene_music and on YouTube at Andrene’s Music.

asha.wilks@gleanrjm.com