Search - Andy Narell :: Tatoom

Andy Narell continues his exploration of steel orchestra mus

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

". . . this time out, playing all the steel drum parts himself.



I'll admit that, even though I'm probably the biggest Andy Narell fan on the planet, it's taken me a while to get on board with his recent switch to setting his music in the context of a steel orchestra. Since his move to France, he's been hanging out at the Calypsociation steelband school in Paris--for the last two years! During that time, he apparently has mastered the entire range of steelband instruments--and plays them all himself on this disc. They've got to be overdubbed; no one could possibly play six steel pans simultaneously. The question then arises, Why didn't he hire other players instead of playing all these pans himself? For a couple of reasons, I suspect. First, it appears he wants to master the entire range of steelband pans. Second, he's after a certain sound, not unlike when Ray Charles famously fired his entire girl backing chorus and sang all the parts himself.



That's OK. But isn't there a trade off between the energy that comes from live music vs. the precision one gets from overdubs? Actually, there's plenty of excitement in these grooves; it almost sounds as if it's recorded in real time. Perhaps that's what Andy's talking about when he says in the liner notes, "The project was very complicated logistically."



Though I must say I wasn't initially bowled over by this disc--it seemed a little muddled, the instruments blending into a mishmash--after several listenings lots of subtleties began to emerge: the individual instrumental voices started to clarify and the sound image come into focus; Narell's solos began to make sense; the fine contributions by the band and special invited players stood out.



Five out of six tunes come from previous Narell discs: "Tabanca," "Blue Mazooka," and "Appreciation" from Fire in the Engine room; and "Baby Steps" and "Izo's Mood" from We Want You to Say (as played by Narell's current band, Sasheko)--the title cut being the only new tune. Not to worry. The new expanded-instrumentation approach lends them freshness and a new fascination.



Guest Mike Stern, playing on two songs, "Baby Steps" and "Blue Mazooka," fits in so well he ought to be a regular member. No stranger to world jazz, it certainly wouldn't be that much of a stretch. David Sanchez, playing tenor sax on "Tabanca," also would make a great contribution as a regular. Not only is he able to instantly pick up on the vibe, his tone and concept seem absolutely tuned into the island feel that pervades this disc.



Though I initially had my doubts, carefully listening dispelled them. Another great session by Narell, who just keeps going from strength to strength. Highly recommended."

Andy Narell at his best

J. McKeon | Williston Park, NY USA | 03/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard Andy Narell was on VH1 in 1990. Every Sunday night they used to devote an hour to videos by "jazz" artists. (Boy, has TV gotten worse since then.) Anyway, the video of "We Kinda Music" from the album "Little Secrets" was one of them. I was instantly drawn to Narell's music. Even though I've been a fan of his ever since, I had stopped listening to Andy Narell for awhile. Then, I heard "Izo's Mood" from this album and was absolutely stunned by how good it sounded. This is fantastic ensemble playing. To my ears, this is the best that Andy Narell has ever sounded. And the drumming and percussion are awesome! "Tatoom" is worth picking up for "Izo's Mood" alone. However, there is not a sub-standard track on this CD. If you like Andy Narell, you'll love "Tatoom.""

Tatoom by Andy Narell

Walter D. Dozier | Brooklyn, NY USA | 04/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mr. Narell has managered to persevre the authentic sound of the beautiful southern caribbean Island nation of Trindad and combined it with a jazzy beat from the US to give us Tatoom. A wonderful piece of work, I can listen to it for hours"