Noted
steelpan player
Andy Narell came to town with Sakésho
and filled the air with music at New York’s trendy, world-music oriented
Satalla (with a seating capacity of about sixty). Patrons milled around pre-show
taking the opportunity to chat with Sakésho members and also to enjoy Satalla’s
menu. Slated to begin at 10 PM, Sakésho’s first session got
underway just around 10:15.
Satalla’s muted in-house lighting set an
apt backdrop for the musical pan
jazz mix served up to an audience not shy to voice their appreciation for
impressive riffs. Flavorful French Caribbean musical fare
complimented by Trinidad rhythms and encapsulated with jazz infusions
characterized the selections delivered by the quartet comprising Martinique’s Mario Canonge on
piano, Michel Albio on bass, their Chicago-based drummer, and noted Andy Narell
on double seconds.
The session featured mainly music from
Sakésho’s self-titled CD, starting
out with “Laventille”, and went on to include bass player Michel Albio’s
compositions “Karawak Dream” and “Grand Fabrice”. Canonge put his unique stamp
on events with a combined Duke Ellington-flavored piece and another number called
“Manicou”. The resounding applause he received for his dexterous and
impassioned performance gave an idea of what marked the end of the group’s
first session, when all of Sakésho received a standing ovation from the
near capacity audience.
As some of those who caught the first performance filed out, others made
their way in for the upcoming Midnight show, which, if the group’s first
session was anything to gauge by, was set to win panist Andy Narell and
his
Sakésho bandmates yet another group of fans.
More
of Andy Narell can be heard and seen in the upcoming June 20th
2004 Tropical Sensation production –
Steel Pan Jazz
concert: An Acoustic Revolution being held at Lincoln Center in New York.
By
CP – Basement Press Release Writer
Author: admin
