Spring Valley -
Not leaving anything to
chance - JAMCCAR's (Jamaican Civic & Cultural
Association of Rockland) Ekklipse Steelband hailing out of
Spring Valley, New York secured the services of
world-renowned
steelband music recording specialist, Basement Recordings, for
their debut CD recording project. In existence since
2002, Ekklipse Steelband is just one of JAMCCAR's initiatives. Basement
Recordings was brought into their project to insure that the
highest quality recording was achieved, thereby providing a
product that accurately represents the sound of JAMCCAR's Ekklipse Steelband.
Basement Recordings traveled to Spring Valley to record the
group on location at the Louis Kurtz Civic Center.
Musical
director of the steelband, Ricardo Greenaway
(in hat), and program manager Richard
Nathan are committed to procuring the very best technical
expertise for the benefit of their young steel pan
charges. Moreover they wanted to
get the most out of what they had to work with, and showcase a
true representation of the dedicated output of the budding
Spring Valley musicians. The
organization expects to have the finished product available to
fans and the general public in a
few weeks.
The steel band, made up primarily
of young people is
under the guidance of Greenaway, their music director.
The offerings on the CD encompass a wide range of genres that
demonstrates the group's versatility and abilities even at this
stage of their development.
After diligent practice meets which were ramped up in the period
immediately preceding the recording, Ekklipse came
ready to lay down their tracks during a marathon recording session that lasted more than
three hours.
Those fortunate enough to get their hands on the CD when it
comes out, will be pleased with the choice of material, from
more than a dozen tracks including Robin Thicke's Lost
Without You; Ray Charles' What I'd Say; Bill Withers'
perennial Just The Two Of Us, Bob Marley's Jammin';
Arrow's Hot Hot Hot, Amazing Grace and more.
The
discipline of the young musicians was remarkable. Chatting
with
When Steel Talks
afterward, some group members admitted that the recording was a
bit grueling and daunting, being the first time they had played
under such strict conditions. And they were justifiably
proud of themselves after the live recording session which was
an especially demanding scenario for the normally more relaxed
young people. Laying down one selection after another,
Ekklipse Steelband rose to the occasion, a testament to the band
leadership and parents.
This group has it's act together, with their
CD artwork and other related issues well in hand. Look
out for more good stuff from this Spring Valley aggregation, as
they mature on the steelband music scene.
Steel Pan Jazz Concert
in New York
David Rudder,
Robert Greenidge & Ralph
McDonald
Steelpan
Jazz comes to the House of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City
as Abstract Entertainment presents its annual Steel Pan Jazz concert
on June 16th 2007 on Father's Day weekend. This year's concert will feature internationally famous
vocalist David Rudder, veteran steelpan master Robert Greenidge and
famed percussionist/recording artist Ralph McDonald. This
annual concert is one of the world's most sought after steelpan music
events.