EXOTIC CARIBBEAN JAZZ AND STEEL PAN TIMBRES AT GENTING INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2007
The newly formed Genting International Jazz Festival is going to set a new expectation of music genres from the jazz world when it kicks off on June the 8th and 9th.
Apart from going all out to find good music to bring in, the GIJF is also going to be a voyage of discovery and a hunt to find unexpected combinations of bands and musicians. Genting wants their audience to leave their International Showroom with aural and mental and emotional sensations that they might not have had when they entered.
One of the bands coming in for 2007 is SAKESHO – a quartet who will be playing very unusual Caribbean jazz.
It has, as its frontline instrument, the steel pan, played by the amazing Andy Narell.
The steel pan originated from Trinidad and Tobago.
It is constructed by pounding the top of a 55 gallon oil drum – a process called “sinking” the drum – and grooves are shaped into the drum to enable different pitches to be played when struck.
The island of Trinidad was first claimed by the Spanish in 1498 and later taken over by the British.
Slavery was abolished in 1837 but Africans remained the largest population on the islands. Drums, being the core of African music, were used for dances, rituals and also as a form of communication. And of course, at Carnival times.
The British outlawed these skin drums so the blacks created bamboo sticks that could be pitched. This was a new invention.
Soon these sticks were banned as well so the Trinidad people moved on to tin cans and wood barrels.
The ban on drumming and processions was lifted in the early 1900s and the bamboo sticks were allowed again. In 1938, these Tamboo Bamboo bands as they were called. switched to steel after discovering that biscuit tins could be hammered into having a repertoire of a few notes.
There were a lot of American soldiers based in Trinidad during the Second World War. This meant that there was an abundant supply of oil drums available from these military bases. Obtaining these oil barrels without permission became fairly common. In this manner, steel pan musicians were directly associated with not very pristine reputations!
Modern steel pans now are so advanced in their construction that some of them can have the same chromatic range as a grand piano.
Andy Narell has spent more than 25 years using the steel pan in his performances. He was born in New York but has been playing steel pans since he was seven years old.
There are not a lot of jazz musicians in the world today still, that use this instrument and this approach. Andy Narell is considered a great innovator and almost a folk hero in this respect.
Sakesho also has the virtuoso pianist from Martinique, Mario Canonge, in the band. The French Caribbean is the source of inspiration of their music. This is mixed with Trinidad rhythms and jazz improvisations.
They are also joined by French Etienne Mbappe and Gregory Brice-Louis.
Caribbean styled jazz is only one of the many bands that will be at the Genting International Jazz Festival.
Tickets for a one day Adult pass is priced at RM100 while a 2-day pass is available at RM150.
They can be bought online at www.genting.com.my or call 03-2718 1118 from April onwards.
The website will also have information on packages that have been tailored for the event.
