Joy Lapps – Girl in the Yard (Joy Lapps, 2022)
Award-winning Canadian musician and composer Joy Lapps is one of the finest steelpan performers in the current international scene. Her new album “Girl in the Yard” features beautifully crafted original music and arrangements by Lapps.
Girl in the Yard skillfully intertwines calypso from Trinidad and Tobago with contemporary jazz, Afro-Caribbean and West African rhythms, and Brazilian samba.
The album joyfully celebrates the many women who helped Joy Lapps develop her mastery of the steelpan. “The process of composing and recording this album became an exploration of how I’m able to show up in the world because of the women, especially in my community, who have supported me,” says Lapps.
In addition to her work as composer and instrumentalist, Joy Lapps is an educator, creative consultant and womanist. She leads The Joy Lapps Project, an ensemble exploring Afro and Latin-Caribbean Jazz. Joy won a Juno Award (Canada’s top music award) in 2016. She has performed with renowned steel bands, including Calypsociation in Paris, Birdsong Steel Orchestra in Trinidad and Tobago, and her current collaboration, Pan Fantasy, in her native Toronto.
On Girl in the Yard, Lapps put together a remarkable ensemble of musicians, including her core band with Elmer Ferrer on guitar; Jeremy Ledbetter on piano; Larnell Lewis on drums; and co-producer Andrew Stewart on electric bass. Guests included Michael Shand, Courtenay Frazer, Rob Christian, Eric St-Laurent, Rosendo Chendy Léon, Lapps’ sisters Shaquilla Alexander and Asha Lapps, and Elizabeth Rodríguez and Magdelys Savigne of OKAN, among other virtuosic voices.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.