Trinidad Newsday
President Anthony Carmona greets Rudy “Twoleft” Smith at the Office of the President on February 20.
RUDY “Twoleft” Smith is an ambassador for steelpan in Denmark, where he lives in Copenhagen, and throughout Europe.
However, his heart remains in his Trinidad homeland as he returns every Panorama to arrange music for Birdsong Steel Orchestra. He has done so for the past 11 years.
On his last visit, this son of Woodbrook received an invitation from President Anthony Carmona to visit him at the Office of the President on February 20. Carmona learned Smith was home from a mutual friend Peter De Gourville, director IT and Cloud Research and Development at Ericsson Ltd. Smith’s reputation as the quintessential pan had reached the as far as Stockholm, Sweden, the headquarters of Ericsson.
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Old Lady Walk a Mile and a Half
RUDY SMITH QUARTET - Glass World
Stunt Records STUCD 17082
Rudy Smith (alto steel pan) Ole Matthiessen (piano) Henrik Dhyrbye (bass) Ole Streenberg(drums) Jesper Lovadal (tenor sax) Bjarne Roupe (guitar) Recorded February 9th & 10th 2017 Copenhagen
Removed from its somewhat clangourous carnival band context the steel pan produces a soft, rather translucent sound rather like a harp which makes it, as a stand-alone instrument, ideal as a means of adding rhythmic and harmonic colouration; examples of this are found in Othello Molineaux’s work with Jaco Pastorious and Dave Samuels contribution to Spyro Gyra’s hit `Morning Dance`. Having said that, pannist Rudy Smith, a Trinidadian resident in Demark, drawing on a long and distinguished career in which he has collaborated with the great and the good of the jazz world, makes a strong case for what was once regarded as a novelty instrument as a legitimate vehicle for jazz expression in the same way that Toots Thielemans elevated the chromatic harmonica.
Leading a quartet in which he partners a trio of top flight Danish musicians with whom he has enjoyed a long association Smith’s latest recording presents a beautifully crafted set of gently simulating music, mainly originals – six by pianist Matthiessen and one by himself- plus a rendition of `Body and Soul` and a tune by fellow Trinidadian `Lord Kitchener`, known as the `Grand Master of the Calypso`, which receives a boppish interpretation. The quartet are joined by tenorist Jesper Lovadal on two tracks of a modal nature where he reproduces the style of early Coltrane and the sound of Dexter Gordon whilst guitarist Roupe appears on a Spanish themed tune to add the necessary Iberian flavour.
If your collection of jazz recordings lacks an example of steel pan playing then acquiring this CD would be good way of rectifying the omission and possibly a starter to a new found enthusiasm, adding variety and piquancy to your listening experience. So why not give it a whirl?
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
http://www.jazzviews.net/rudy-smith-quartet---glass-world.html