Review
Recorded open air – live at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Caribbean Students’ concert, and their East 49th Street Brooklyn Digs, Pantonic Steel Orchestra’s “Tonic Gems” is the much anticipated follow-up to the famed “Tonic for the Soul CD.” The New York music powerhouse offers another treasure that captures the unique urban attitude, style, intensity and musical talent of the New York steelpan players and music scene.
Harsh realties of city life, coupled with brilliant determination and melodic genius fuel their rise, and find expression in their Caribbean-tinged music with a brutally honest and unapologetic edge – in an environment where the sound path of the future, is treaded in the present – by Pantonic Steel Orchestra. From the haunting “Earth a Run Red” reggae by Richie Spice, to Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One” Pantonic takes you on a multi-cultural musical experience that is germane to the New York landscape.
As an added bonus, 2005’s “Action,” the last winning panorama arrangement by the late legendary Master arranger Clive Bradley, as performed by Pantonic Steel Orchestra the Friday night before New York’s panorama – is one of the treasures included on Tonic Gems.
The recording captures the power, greatness and beauty of the orchestra as almost 100 players execute and musically illustrate Bradley’s masterpiece, which in itself demonstrates this master arranger’s genius to discern, interpret and infuse the New York urban experience with the Caribbean genre. Pantonic went on to capture their fifth panorama title in seven years, with Action on Saturday, the following night. The musical and historical significance of this CD speaks for itself.
Pantonic has again retained the production and recordings services of Basement Recordings to produce another music industry marvel.
Source: “When Steel Talks”/ Pantonic Steel Orchestra
Pantonic Steel Orchestra -Tonic Gems
Tonic Gems were recorded in the open air at Boston’s MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and at Pantonic’s Brooklyn panyard. Consider that Pantonic is the top competition winning band of New York (and perhaps the East Coast of the USA) and that Tonic Gems is a cross genre compilation. The result, then, is the distinctive big band pan sound of high quality pan musicianship of familiar melodies. Pantonic, “You’re Still The One” from “Disco Daddy” to “ Perfidia.” [eCaroh/Ron – June 2006]
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