| A Caribbean party album, featuring steelpan, marimba and plenty of percussion to get you up and dancing along. The name of the album plays on the panorama of styles that are prevalent on the recording. As mentioned in the liner notes the music is based on the sounds of Trinidad and Tobago, an amalgamation of the cultures of African and East Indian people. The tunes on the recording provide glimpses into the rhythms of Calypso, Rumba, Samba and Soca as well as classical Indian rhythms. Robert Chappell and Liam Teague have put together a great example of the music of the islands.
The songs are driven along by impressive percussion work, Liam Teague plays a steelpan or steel drum, listening to a steelpan is an acquired taste. The steelpan has a somewhat distorted or sharp tone that resonates freely. The CD that I received may be only for promotional purposes and was heavy on liner notes and lacking in information on who played what instrument. A photo on the cover shows the musicians playing the more obvious instruments, Doug Stone on tenor saxophone, Phil Beale a kit drummer, Orlando Cotto, marimba and conga, Joshua Ramos, bass guitar. I believe that Robert Chappell is a pianist and percussionist. The compositions are all by Teague and Chappell.
The second track, “Orlando’s Cha-Cha” composed by Robert Chappell features Mr. Cotto playing marimba and laying down very interesting melodies creating a nice pulse for the saxophone of Mr. Stone to fire off smooth runs and sustained chords. The bridge is provided by the conguero who solos with intensity and leads the way back to the verse for a steel pan finale.
The recording is comprised of eight songs and each is very different. The theme is percussive Caribbean, but the approach is one of musical experimentation, a fusion of many different styles that plays on top of the main foundation. There is some pleasant listening on this recording, good production and a decent mix, however a little too heavy on the steelpan at times.
report by Paul J. Youngman – KJA Jazz Advocate – December 2006
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