"Yuh think we could come in the States and say we have Jazz,
Yuh mad or meh Lard Oh
Dem Yankee could play more Jazz than Trinidad" Reply by Claude Gonzales
Claude Gonzales, I found your conversation with Merrytones an interesting one.
I would ask you where does Latin Jazz, South African Jazz and African jazz fit into your perspective? How do the likes of a Huge Masekela of South Africa or Frankie McIntosh of St. Vincent fit (or not), into your postulate?
Years ago I had the good fortune of working with Max Roach as recording engineer for special projects. One of those projects included a potential Jazz CD featuring Len "Boogsie" Sharpe. Max was extremely impressed with Boogsie as a jazz musician - so much so that he said that Boogsie reminded him of Charlie "Bird" Parker. "You never know when he will do something magical, so keep recording" Max would often say to me. Max really felt Boogsie was special and furthermore, was in line to carry on within the great jazz tradition.
In addition to Max Roach, Boogsie also played with jazz masters the likes of Cecil Bridgewater, Odean Pope, Tyrone Brown on a few gigs; they were all extremely impressed. Had the project materialized the way Max wanted it, he was prepared to bring in some of the biggest, most respected people on the planet in Jazz to play with Boogsie.
While the project was never completed there is no doubt that Boogsie was obviously seen as talented enough and authentic enough, by the "Gods of Jazz."
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I don't think that most people really understand that calypso. So I went searching and found a line that I have often done EX-TEMPO with "in my head" about Jamaica and REGGAE.
SPEAKING OF PAN MUSIC!!!
I have 5 PAN LONG PLAYING RECORDS that I will to ship to any PAN LOVER for the SUM OF ZERO DOLLARS.
STEELBAND MUSIC FESTIVAL VOLUME 3 FINALS
BEST OF DESPERS
CLASSICAL JEWELS III
Pan Vibes CARNIVAL VIBRATIONS
Pan Vibes CLASSICS TO CALYPSO 1979
Allyuh acting as if allyuh eh know about a very successful panorama arranger , jazz/ calypso / pop music panist called Robbie Greenidge.
Check out his body of work.
From the Blues with Taj Mahal to pop rock with JimmyBuffett and the Coral Reefers , jazz with Ralph McDonald and others, to movie soundtracks and TV commercials the man seem to have been everywhere and done everything.
And I'm sure there are others out there putting in good work , just not being noticed ,while we're hung up on making inane comparisons and criticisms.
I say that the future of the standout steelpan soloist is almost as viable as any instrumentalist especially in the jazz genre.
It is the future and direction of the traditional steelband trhat some of us ars concerned about.
Glenroy: There is this little town called EMERYVILLE (Where Andy Narell lived until he left for France in the early nineties) right across the bay from San Francisco at the foot of the Bay Bridge. And there is a shopping center and FOOD COURT and AMTRAK station just one minute off the highway (Highway 80) that starts leading to New York.
Back in the MID-NINETIES I went to have lunch there one day and as I came out and took a seat in the open air, I saw this man sitting alone eating and when we made eye contact he said to me: "You look like you are from Trinidad." I said yes and put my food tray down at his table and he turned out to be TAJ MAHAL. We sat there for about two or three hours and talked CALYPSO and PAN and Robert Greenidge.
Rudy came and gave me a FLASHBACK and now you came and gave me a FLASHBACK -- like ah go dead soon!
Taj Mahal - Baby, You're My Destiny
Robert Greenidge Steel Pan Solo
PanMaster Robert Greenidge
Robert Greenidge was born in Success Village, Laventille, Trinidad, West Indies. He began playing under the direction of his uncle, Carl Greenidge, a renowned arranger and tuner. At eight he joined the Savoy Steel Orchestra where he was taught scales and chords on a blackboard. Since he possessed an ear for playing all types of compositions, he was recruited by The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra at 18. Under the musical guidance of Rudolph Charles, the bands leader, and the great Emmanuel "Corbeau Jack" Riley, Greenidge's solid performing skills were shaped.
At 17 he performed at the First Negro Arts Festival in Africa, the next year, 1967, at the Montreal Exposition in Canada, followed by tours of London, Zambia, and New York in 1968. In 1970 he represented Trinidad & Tobago as a soloist and member of the Trinidad National Steel Orchestra. In 1971 he mastered composing and arranging at the Third Street Musical Conservatory in New York.
Merrytones: The abundance of musical talent across America is mind boggling. Let me tell you this: If you came to America and brought two well-tuned PANS with you and You decided to record a CD, I am sure that you could end up with one of the TOP 5 Pan CDs ever produced provided that you are willing to submit yourself to the considerable available input from this incredible field of talent.
But it is not going to be SLAM DUNK where you just walk into a studio, set up your PAN and start trying to play every note you know in every measure. First you have the find the right MUSIC PRODUCER and you might have to interview about 10 to 12 producers before you find one that is compatible and understands what you want to do. Then you have to find the right sound engineer because recording the PAN PROPERLY is a real problem. Good studio musicians are a dime a dozen but still you need some compatibility and those who are willing to offer musical insights freely.
The PAN itself is a BIG PROBLEM because of all the ringing and buzzing and overtones and decay issues. And you cannot have that in TOP 5 CD. So you really need a patient and knowledgeable SOUND ENGINEER. Then you need to be able to communicate with the musicians (this is where the musical vocabulary comes in) well enough to get them excited about what you are doing so that they can bring out the best in you.
Next is your SONG SELECTION!!! That is critical!!! Not every song works on the PAN as YOUALL are so famous for arguing. And after all that we now come to the CRITICAL PART. You have to hire a "RADIO EARS" consultant to listen to that FINAL PRODUCT and see if it meets the market expectation. COMMERCIAL VALUE!!!
I left out ONE contributor to the final polished product: I am going to be part of your production team and I will tell you when the SOUND OF THE PAN is recorded JUST RIGHT.
Honestly, the opportunities are there and the demand is there. One humble PAN MAN who is willing to take some input and follow directions is all we need!!!
Comparisons and preferences always been a strong topic for argument when coming to music, and now since Steelpan music has been the world latest musical desire it will continue. My opinion it is all about taste, everybody's taste is not the same.
I enjoy hearing the Pan solist play jazz with the accompaniment of a keyboard player, a guitarist, and a string base.... Oh yeah, but with the great amount highly talented panists now exist, I would like to see more Pan Jazz shows with full compliments of pan players. At least one in each section, and they solo on whatever pans they play as the jazz bands do.
Albert Bing Reid: You just made Cecil Hinkson's day. He lives for the idea of the FULL COMPLIMENT OF PAN PLAYERS.
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