Emmanuel Riley - Pan Tuner and Renowned Pan Soloist Revisited

[Pan Times]

Emmanuel ‘Jack’ Riley in the Spotlight

You've heard of Len 'Boogsie' Sharpe and Robert Greenidge, two of the best steelpan players on the planet. Now in an exclusive When Steel Talks interview meet Emmanuel “Jack” Riley - the man who influenced them and a generation of top pan players.

Emmanuel Riley, now based in New York, is one of the steelpan instrument's true living legends - he is a Master pan craftsman, tuner, and renowned soloist... Mr. Riley was honored in New York at Lincoln Center on June 20th, 2004 at the Acoustic Revolution Pan Jazz concert for pioneering the art of improvisational jazz playing and contributions to the steelpan art-form... Mr. Riley is one of the best of a special generation of young people who were both great players and master instrument makers.

Hear his experiences, his travels and his stories... Mr. Riley's steelpan feats have already been immortalized in song and the folkways of pan...

click to see interview

http://www.panonthenet.com/articles/cparticles/jackriley.htm

http://www.panonthenet.com/masters/artist/cobo/CoboJack.htm

[Khuent Rose]

Great to see him being honored here... Maybe USSA or NAS should consider hosting dinners in honor of these men while they're still here. or maybe that's asking too much of them...lol

[Eye4Pan]

Yes indeed Khuent... love to hear his name call!!! He is a living legend.... and still a boss improvisationalist....

[Peter Gray]

I think it would be fitting to post recordings of Cobeau Jack's "With a Song in My 'heart", Liebestraum". "Melody in F", etc. on WST.

 

Peter

 

[Bugs]

Great idea.  Glenroy are you listening? We know you got the music.

 

bugs

[andy phillips]

One of the best Solos ever ,check his improv...  Sparrow's "Out Cast '

[Shannon Dudley]

I am glad to learn that Cobo Jack is still active, and being honored for his contributions to pan.  The first time I heard his name was almost 30 years ago, from Cliff Alexis.  We were at Cliff's home in DeKalb, IL, and he put on a record of something that sounded like Bach played by a steelband.  Gradually, I realized that the tenor pan was improvising, and sounding like Bach!  Cliff said, "You know who that is?  That's Cobo Jack."  I would love to hear some more of the recordings that people here are calling!

 

[Roy Pascal]

As a youth i use to push his stand and really enjoy his Fantastic playing as Invaders move

along Tragarete Rd. J`ouvert morning A Master!!!

[Glenroy R Joseph]

Back in the days of my youth in Trinidad even with limited mass communications, there were certain names that were legendary throughout the island for one reason or another.

You may not have personally known them, but you'd definitely heard about them.

Everybody knew of Neville Jules, Junior Pouchette, Dr Rat, Ghost, Whitey Kincaid, Goldteeth and on and on.

Cobo Jack was such a name.

[CongaHead]

Can anybody tell me where I could find a recording of Emmanuel Rileys solos in the Invaders recordings around 1958-1960?