Panazz Feelin’ Good- Trinidad & Tobago

Reviews

Panazz is an object lesson in how small is beautiful. This ten-member Trinidad and Tobago group – pans plus percussion – has graduated from the competition culture in which most pan ensembles are stuck, to become a professional performing unit. It has left behind the 100-player musical mammoths to develop a fluent, sophisticated style that can range from calypso through jazz to contemporary hits.

The playing is as musical as you’ll find in a tradition where raw talent is more familiar than subtlety: these are players who don’t beat all the ugly harmonics out of their instruments, who can ramajay with style and humor, who don’t play sempre fortissimo, and who care about good tuning.

After their first two albums, which established a solid reputation, the players are joined on Feelin’ Good by Barbadian sax player Arturo Tappin, Ralph Davies on keyboards and Stanley Ruiz on guitar. The 11 tracks do not feature much Caribbean material – only two stylish Kitchener numbers (Pan Of The 21st Century and Ol’ Lady Walk A Mile), which will disappoint some Panazz fans. The rest are jazz standards (Cheek To Cheek, I’ll Remember April), plus familiar pieces from James Brown, Gypsy Kings and Stevie Wonder. Nice versions of well-traveled tunes – but there’s so much Caribbean material crying out for the Panazz treatment. (JT/eC)

PANAZZ PLAYERS
from the BankBoston Celebrity Series

Panazz is the leading small band ensemble in Trinidad and Tobago, the islands which gave birth to the steelband. Led by their arranger, Barry Bartholomew, this exciting band has captivated audiences with their musicianship and flair for spontaneity and showmanship.

There is a tremendous rapport among the players, whose technique and dynamics are absolutely superb. Indeed, solo performances by all the players betray a musicianship which reflects the talent of some of the best players in the land. Four-time winners of the prestigious Pan Ramajay competition for small bands in Trinidad and Tobago (the first time playing as Potential Symphony), Panazz is a title derived for Pan and jazz, and expresses the musical interest of these young musicians who have a flair, not only for the indigenous calypso music of the island, but especially for the jazz idiom.

Internationally, Panazz has most recently participated in the BankBoston Celebrity Series at Symphony Hall in March 1997. Prior to this, Panazz performed for the United Nations in Japan in November 1996. Other performances include World Travel Market Exposition at Earl’s Court, London in November 1995; the Africa in April celebrations, Memphis, TN in April 1996; and Pigeon Island, St. Lucia for the 1996 Jazz Festival. The band performs continually for several corporate organizations and other gala events.

Their first album, entitled Steel Pan Music, is pan at its very best, from the jazzy rendition of Bizet’s semi-classical Carmen to a Latin version of Aldwyn Roberts’ calypso Iron Man, as interpreted by Ramsey Lewis and Raf Robertson respectively, two of the band’s favorite musical artists.

The second CD, newly released, is entitled Panazz Live, and was recorded at the band’s annual concert in Trinidad at Central Bank Auditorium. It captures the spontaneity of a live performance and audience interaction. Panazz performed for TIDCO at MIDEM in Miami in September 1997, where for the first time MIDEM showcased Caribbean and Latin American music. From this performance, Panazz secured a contract and performed at Epcot Center in Disney World. The band has been described by the Barbados Advocate as “a veritable potpourri of musical gems.”