“With Andy Narell - who’s been playing calypso music from Trinidad since he was barely tall enough to reach the pan - it’s always been about expanding the role of the steelpan in jazz. Now, with the June 23, 2009 release of University of Calypso (HUCD3168) on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, Narell joins forces with calypso legend Relator to explore the role of jazz in vintage calypso.

“Together, they perform 15 classic compositions by Lord Kitchener, Lord Melody, Mighty Terror, Roaring Lion, Spider, and Relator, supported by a group of world-class Latin-jazz cats who can swing the calypso and blow le jazz hot. It’s been over 50 years since a major calypsonian went into the studio with a bunch of jazz players. This CD is cause for serious celebration!”

When I initiated this newsletter in 2008, it was with the firm goal of enriching the music repertoire of my customers. But as fate would have it, I have been side tracked into wider issues that deal with music, nevertheless. However, on receiving the press release from Kajo Paukert of Telarc, table presence assured me that this new CD must contain three Grammy-studded ingredients, namely timelessness, rhythm and intoxication.

Jack Renner retired chief engineer and president of Telarc International came to Trinidad in 1984. We collaborated on a pilot digital recording of Exodus steel orchestra playing their Panorama arrangement of Lucy in the Savannah. Sanch has since been an international distributor for this famous company from Cleveland, Ohio that is now part of Concord Records, a subset of The Universal Music Group. In turn, Heads UP is a subsidiary of Telarc.

The release continues “Narell and Relator also share a deep affection for classic calypso that infuses this session with a unique energy that hasn’t been heard in a while. When Relator speaks of being a calypsonian, his passion for the art is clear. Is a tradition we upholdin’. We know what standards are set, what values, and we stay true to that. We are true servants to de t’ing. We are not mockin’ pretenders or exploiters or opportunists lookin’ to be popular an’ t’ing. We believe that vintage calypso must be preserved, and that is the line that we are on."

I am counting on you to ensure that this fifteen-track album is a resounding success. Your copy resides on my shelf. Read a review on Woodshed Entertainment Collective.

Simeon L. Sandiford
Managing Director
June 26, 2008