Jazz musician Chantal Esdelle and her band Moyenne will host Pan Jazz Nights at 51 Cornelio Street in Woodbrook on February 6, 8 and 10. Featuring pannist Earl Rodney and drummer Richard Bailey as special guests, the shows will also highlight performances of commissioned works by well-known calypso jazz exponent Clive "Zanda" Alexander.
Through her independent production company Ethnic Jazz Club, Esdelle is presenting Pan Jazz Nights with the intention of placing the spotlight on pan, while celebrating the music elders who devoted energy, time and talent to the development of the hybrid kaiso and pan jazz.
As a largely self-taught pianist, composer and improviser, Zanda, as he is fondly called, is highly respected for his pioneering role in fusing calypso and jazz elements back in the late 60s, to create what he terms extempo/kaiso jazz. He has performed at most of the major Caribbean jazz festivals as well as in noted night clubs and concert halls in the UK and US.
Musicians such as Raf Robertson, Luther Fran�ois (St Lucia) and more recently Vaughnette Bigford have helped to keep his compositions alive through interpretations of his works such as Chip Down and Fancy Sailor. For Pan Jazz Nights Chantal Esdelle and Moyenne will be doing the same, as well as showcasing newer pieces by the pianist.
Pan jazz dates back to the 1950s when school teacher/musician Scofield Pilgrim and others began experimenting on pan with calypso and their own compositions. Conceptually, the thrust was to establish the pan as lead in the ensemble, while it was played with other conventional instruments like the bass, piano and drums. The music was largely improvised and evolved naturally with a distinct jazz undertone.
Pannist, bassist, composer and arranger Earl Rodney was a central figure back in the developmental stages of the hybrid music. In 1972 the Point Fortin-born stalwart composed and produced the first ever solo album by a Trinidadian pannist, Friends and Countrymen. Widely regarded as ground-breaking work, the album cemented Rodney's profile as a musician of note.
Prior to that he had been making impactful contributions arranging and playing bass for several famed calypsonians such as Sparrow, Kitchener, Short Shirt (Antigua), Arrow (Montserrat), Explainer, Lord Melody and Black Stalin. In past years Rodney also worked closely with Solo Harmonites steel orchestra, taking them to Panorama victory on a few occasions.
Pan Jazz Nights presents Rodney with yet another opportunity to continue learning and discovering new ways to approach old things, as he puts it.
Guyanese-born Richard Bailey began his drumming career in Trinidad when he was nine years old. By the age of 16, he was recording and touring the UK and US with Johnny Nash and reggae legend Bob Marley.
Playing from rock to reggae, jazz, pop and Latin, Bailey has been an in-demand drummer for the better part of 40 years. While he has performed internationally with fusion band Incognito, many still remember him as part of the Phase II Pan Groove, drumming with them to their first two Panorama wins in 1987 and 1988.
Although he moved to the UK many years ago, he never stopped paying regular visits to T&T to imbibe the natural vibes and rhythms of these islands–the same energy he is sure to bring to the Pan Jazz Nights performances.
This year the Ethnic Jazz Club celebrates 15 years in operation as an outfit through which Esdelle, a Berklee College graduate, has successfully produced recordings, radio and jazz education programmes and jazz concert series. Several visiting performing artists and musicians were also facilitated locally through the Ethnic Jazz Club.
Along with Esdelle, Moyenne comprises Douglas Redon, Glenford Sobers, Darren Sheppard, Donald Noel, Natasha Joseph and Joshema McIntosh.
Patrons are invited to come and experience three nights of scintillating pan jazz music, with two shows being staged on each night. Reservations are strongly advised as space is limited.
Pan Jazz Nights takes place at 51 Cornelio Street, Woodbrook on February 6 (Richard Bailey: 7 pm and 8.30 pm); February 8 (Earl Rodney: 6 pm and 7.30 pm); February 10 (Interpretations of Zanda's works: 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm). Tickets are $100.
?
Call 622-8062 or e-mail: ethnicjazzclub@gmail.com or visit the Ethnic Jazz Club Facebook page.