New York
-
It was
an
evening
of Jazz
on Pan -
and
music
lovers
did not
even
have to
journey
into the
city
‘proper’
to
experience
two and
a half
hours
which
showcased the
skills
of some
of the
finest
young
steelpan
musicians
this
region
has to
offer,
along
with a
headline
act.
And the cool
Spring
Friday
evening
in May
was an
apt backdrop
to an
event
which
got
underway
just ten
minutes
after
its
advertised
8:00
p.m.
start.
Headliner
Andy
Narell
on
steelpan
Presented
by USSA
(the United
States
Steelband
Association)
and the
organization’s
Youth
Committee,
opening
remarks
by
Magnus Scanterbury
and the
national
anthem
played
by
daughter
Kiera
Scanterbury
set the
stage
for what
was a
well-paced
card of
talented
and
confident
steelpan musicians.
A who’s
who of
essentially Brooklyn’s
younger
generation
in the
steelpan
world
would
grace
the
stage -
each
delivering
a few
selections
before
headliner
and veteran
steel
panist
Andy Narell
and his
band.
Many
have
watched
Mustafa
Alexander,
Iman
Pascall,
Andre
White
and
Kareem
Thompson
-
household
names on
the New
York pan
scene
and
beyond -
as they
have
grown up
and
evolved.
This
foursome
has
titillated
audiences
in
magnetic
combinations
of
capable
fora as
solo and
group
performing
artists,
arrangers
and
composers. Earl
Brooks,
Jr. who
rounded
out the
line-up
is known
in Trinidad
& Tobago
and
being
introduced
to the North
American
pan
world.
Each of
these
exceptional
steelpan
musicians
gave the
audience
credible
musical
insight
into
just what
makes
people
sit up
and take
notice
whenever
they are
‘in the
mix.’
One of
the more
noteworthy
characteristics
of these
particular
musicians
was
their
genuine
intent
to focus
on the
stated theme/genre
of the
night -
Jazz.
This is
not
always
the case
in pan
shows
which
advertise
Pan Jazz
content
as the
musical
fare,
but then
artists
de-emphasize
that
theme
when on
stage
and
instead
sprinkle
liberal
doses of
R&B and
Soca in
their
repertoire.
Panist
Mustafa
Alexander
on
stage
with
K.I.T.
Caribbean
Connection for
Jazz
on
Pan
Mustafa
Alexander
who is
studying
at Five
Towns
College
opened
up with
Blue
Moon
(Rodgers
and
Hart)
and
Morning
Dance
by Spyro
Gyra.
He set
the
stage
for what
would be
a series
of
impressive
sets of
music to
follow
from
each of
his
contemporaries.
Mustafa
is a
serious
young
individual,
whose
skills
and
quiet
but
passionate
dedication
come to
life
whenever
he is
behind
his
instrument,
in this
case the
tenor
pan.
Panist
Iman
Pascall on
stage
with
K.I.T.
Caribbean
Connection for
Jazz
on
Pan
Iman
Pascall,
who has
a year
and a
half to
go at
Berklee
College
of
Music,
followed
with
Celia
by Bud
Powell;
Centro
Havana
-
Oriente
López
and her
own
composition,
Inspiration.
Iman,
who also
plays
drums,
appears
to love
the
tenor
pan
instrument
as an
extension
of her
inner
soul.
This
‘twinning’
results
in one
of the
finest
young
musicians
in the
steelpan
world.
There is
seemingly
nothing
that
inhibits
the
expression
of her
musical
self
whether
delivering
‘standards,’
or her
own
inspired
compositions.
Panist
Earl
Brooks,
Jr. on
stage
for
Jazz
on
Pan
(Adan
Hagley
-
keyboards,
Sheldon
Thwaites
-
drums;
Samuel
Gonzales,
Jr.
-
bass;
Edgar
“Spots”
Fitzgerald
-
congas)
Then
came
Earl
Brooks,
Jr., who
has just
finished
his
first
year at
Berklee,
also on
tenor.
Lettuce’s
Break
Out; I
Know You
Know
-
Esperanza
Spalding
and
Smash
by
Avishai
Cohen
were his
tunes of
choice.
Just as
they did
with
Iman and
Mustafa
before
him, the
crowd
showed
their
approval
with
spontaneous
bursts
of
applause
and
cheers
punctuating
highlights
of his
set.
Panist
Andre
White on
stage
for
Jazz
on
Pan
Next it
was the
turn of
Andre
White
who
turns
twenty-one
on May
26, but
who has
already
made
history
as the
youngest
steelband
arranger
ever to win a
major
Panorama
competition
(New
York -
back in
2008),
and
continues
to be a
musical
force
with
which to
be
reckoned.
Now in
his
final
year at
Berklee
College
of Music
- for an
eager
audience,
and in
the
capacity
as an
extremely
competent
solo
artist,
Andre
served
up
Walking
In,
Walking
Out
by Tony
Grey;
The
Afterthought
- Stefon
Harris
and
Red Clay
by
Freddie
Hubbard.
With the
double
seconds
as his
instrument
of
choice,
Andre’s
energy
and
gifted
musical
flair
are
molded
and
delivered
with an
uncompromising
determination
belied
by his
age.
Panist
Kareem
Thompson on
stage
for
Jazz
on
Pan
(Toure
Fitzgerald-
keyboards,
Iba
Fitzgerald
-
bass;
Keith
“KJ”
Marcelle -
drums; Edgar
“Spots”
Fitzgerald
-
congas;
Sheldon
Thwaites
-
percussions)
Kareem
Thompson
has one
more
year at
Berklee,
and
arranged
for the
first
time for
the New
York
steelband
panorama
in 2010
for
Sesame
Flyers
Steel
Orchestra.
He comes
from and
was
accompanied
by,
literally,
his
family
of
musicians, K.I.T.
Caribbean
Connection.
Jazz
Crimes
from
Joshua
Redman;
Douens
by
Etienne
Charles
and
Keep It
Tight
written
by Toure
Fitzgerald
were the
weapons
of
choice
in
Kareem’s
musical
arsenal
on this
night.
Outwardly
preferring
to
remain
in the
background
when
offstage,
Kareem
is a
calculating,
smoldering
talent
who must
not be
underestimated,
and
takes no
prisoners
whenever
he is
behind
his
double
seconds.
This
night
was no
different
as he
took the
audience
with him
on a
musical
path
that he
only let
them off
of in
his own
time -
at the
end of
his set.
The
panists
were
accompanied
for the
most
part by
the rest
of
Kareem’s
musical
family -
K.I.T.
Caribbean
Connection
(formerly
Jambalasi),
with Toure
Fitzgerald
on
keyboards;
twin Iba
Fitzgerald
on bass,
and family
patriarch
Edgar
“Spots”
Fitzgerald
on
percussions.
The band
is anchored
by
Berklee
College
of
Music-based
student,
New
York’s
own
Keith
“KJ” Marcelle
on
drums.
“KJ”
played
tenor
pan when
he was
younger,
but has
followed
his
heart
over the
last few
years
and
pursued
his
passion
for
drums.
K.I.T.
Caribbean
Connection’s
Edgar “Spots”
Fitzgerald
stayed
on when
Earl
Brooks,
Jr. took the
stage,
with Adan
Hagley -
also
from
Berklee
-
coming
in on
keyboards,
Samuel
Gonzales,
Jr. on
bass and
Sheldon Thwaites
(Berklee
alum)
taking
up
position
on
drums.
The
audience
in
attendance
for Jazz
on
Pan
During
the
brief
changeover
period
for
headliner
Andy
Narell
and his
band,
USSA
president
Keith
Marcelle
thanked
the
audience
for
being on
hand,
though
pointing
out that
there
were
still
available
seats
(the
auditorium
was
about
two
thirds
full).
He also
spoke
about
the show
unfolding:
“What we
are
trying
to do
with
this
organization
[USSA]
is to
uplift
what we
produce
and
promote
where
Pan is
concerned.”
He
declared
the
“Jazz on
Pan”
show the
first of
its kind
in
Brooklyn,
and
promised
that
more
would be
forthcoming.
Marcelle
also
looked
back
briefly
at the
launch
of USSA
ten
years
ago with
the
organization’s
inaugural
2001
Panorama
(held at
the
Thomas
Jefferson
Athletic
Complex
grounds
in
Brooklyn),
while
advising
the
audience
of the
association’s
acquisition
of
501(c)(3)
standing,
and
expected
status
benefits.
Andy
Narell
&
band
perform
at
Jazz
for
Pan
Soon it
was the
turn of
well-seasoned
steel
pan
artist
Andy
Narell
who did
what he
does
best -
deliver
to his
audience
a
well-honed,
adept
repertoire
of
steelband
works,
coupled
with
onstage
camaraderie
- always
desired
and
enthusiastically
welcomed
by
steelpan
music
fans.
With his
band
complement
of Dario
Eskenazi
-
keyboards;
Gregory
Jones -
bass;
Pedro
Martinez
- congas
and Mark
Walker -
drums,
he
rolled
out
honeyed
music
transitions
in
Terror’s
Sugar
for Pan,
and his
own
compositions
of
Baby
Steps
and
Coffee
Street.
Narell
had the
majority
of the
audience
- local
and
out-of-town
visitors
alike -
eating
out of
his
hand.
For the
finale,
all the
steelpan
artists
joined
Andy
Narell
(who
additionally
delighted
the
audience
by
playing
his
old-style
tenor in
this
round)
on stage
for
Pan In
Harmony,
each
giving
final
‘flashes’
of their
music
acumen,
in what
was a
summary
performance
to close
off the
evening.
All
artists
on
stage
during
Jazz
on
Pan
for
finale
performance
This
audience
of music
connoisseurs
came
with
high
expectations
for Jazz
on Pan,
which
were
fulfilled.
It is
safe to
say that
no one
who
attended,
came
away
from the
evening
not
being
pleasantly
surprised
and awed
at the
wealth
of
talent
this
younger
generation
stepped
up and
delivered.
Kudos to
USSA for
having
the
vision in
bringing
together
these
panists
on their
own
night in
Brooklyn.
And
there
are
other
such
young
sterling
steelpan
musicians
on the
scene as
well, so
the
stage is
set for
what
must
become
the norm
rather
than the
exception.
The only
real
distraction
When
Steel
Talks
found
was the
increase
in
volume
of sound
reinforcement
- which
started
out as
adequate
for the
acoustics
of the
auditorium
- but
then
increased
to
unnecessary
levels
at a
later
point.
In this
particular
compact
setting,
enhancement
of the
performances,
not
outright
amplification
should
have
been
maintained
as the
rule of
thumb.
That
being
said,
USSA
presented
an
organized
and
timely
event,
supported
by the
availability
of a
comprehensive
and
colorful
program
for all
upon
entry,
chock
full of
background
on
performers,
event
details
and more.
Attendees
were
pleased
with the
talent
line-up,
and
venue -
the Iris
and B.
Gerald
Cantor
Auditorium
within
the
Brooklyn
Museum.
Related
post:
Check
out the
thoughts
of
renowned
panman
Garvin
Blake
on the
performances.