PanJazz 2008 Father’s Day Weekend concert, Lincoln Center, New York

Frederick P. Rose Hall at the Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York comes to life yet again this very evening of June 14, 2008 with the annual Steelpan Jazz Concert produced by Abstract Entertainment.  This evening’s concert, sponsored in part by the British Virgin Island’s Tourist Board, marks another first for AE, which has scored a coup in putting pannists Andy Narell, Garvin Blake, Rudy Smith and Robert Greenidge on the same stage and at the same time with master percussionist Ralph McDonald.

Narell is featuring calypso ambassador “Lord Relator” with his acoustic band.  The Caribbean All Stars will have pannist Rudy ‘Two Left’ Smith and MacDonald up front and center.  And Blake, a cutting-edge pannist from New York has the celebrated Vincentian composer, arranger and keyboardist Frankie McIntosh and a world cast of musicians with him as part of the Garvin Blake Quartet.

The line-up for this event includes Barbadians Arturo Tappin (saxophone) and Nicholas Brancker (bass) and Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles.

The Pan Jazz Concert is a celebration of the Caribbean American Heritage this month of June.  Pan Jazz aficionados will revel with the 21st Century Band’s Caribbean Jazz Summit through Sunday, June 15 as they have since June 10.  The Century Band plays two sets nightly, at 07:30 p.m. and 09:30 p.m. 

21st Century Band is led by the United States Virgin Islands’ Ron Blake (sax) and Dion Parsons (drums, percussions).  They have drawn into their ranks pianist Carlton Holmes, a friend of Caribbean Jazz who works with young Anguillian students of Jazz; Cuban bassist Yunior Terry, brother of saxophonist Yosvany Terry who has been reviewed here; and panman Victor Provost.

After-hours jams will be anchored by Haiti’s Mozayik at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at JLC.  Mozayik describes themselves on their website as proponents of “traditional Afro-Haitian rhythms (blended) with the instrumentation, melodic-harmonic sensibilities and improvisation of Jazz (under the influence of) Cuban and Brazilian Jazz…classical…gospel and funk.”     

Showtime for the Steelpan Jazz Concert is at 07:30 p.m. with a pre-concert reception at 05:30. 

After Hours jam with Mozayik is from 12:30 tonight as has been the case from June 10.