Popular steel pan musician Andy Narell is back in South Africa to share a melting pot of pan-American sounds
Nicky Blumenfeld
Gentle and unassuming, steel pan virtuoso Andy Narell is otherwise “your regular kinda guy”. Besides the fact that he has a musical gift, what makes him different is that a series of chance encounters mapped his life in a unique way.
He grew up in New York, where his father did social work with street gangs at the Manhattan Community Centre. Instead of firing an ineffective Antiguan employee at a summer camp, he was asked if he had alternative skills. He said he could make and play steel pans, which in turn led Narell’s father to initiate a programme for children, even though he’d only once seen a steel band. The programme flew and from then on, so did Andy.
In the early Sixties this instrument was still considered an intriguing novelty in the United States, but the young enthusiast played regularly with local steel bands, and his father, although not a musician, soon became an American expert on the subject. At the age of 12, Narell first performed for large audiences in Trinidad, where his reputation had preceded him.
Steel orchestras were developed in Trinidad in the late 1930s under British colonial rule by the strata of society considered hoodlums. Narell’s father had no idea of its significance in gang culture when initiating the programme, but the appropriateness was evident in the project’s success. The violence between rival gangs in the early days of the steel pan movement has given way to a more musical commitment, but rivalry still exists and competition forms an integral part of the culture. Narell describes the annual Panorama Festival as the World Cup of steel band music, where it’s promoted as a musical war.
As a teenager, Narell’s discovery of jazz inspired him to utilise the instrument in a more personal way, taking it out of the steel band context. During this time he stopped visiting the island, choosing rather to explore ways of making the pan his voice in contemporary music.
Years later, he returned to play at Trinidad’s carnival, and for the first time began to redefine his role as a participant, wanting to share and give something back to the culture that had benefited him. Trinidadians soon became aware that, at his concerts, he spoke of their culture, country and carnival. Thus began what he has described as a two-way relationship in “another home”. Over the past two years he has become the first foreigner in the history of Trinidad and Tobago to be invited to compose and arrange for one of the Panorama festival’s 100- piece steel bands. His love of the late national musical hero Lord Kitchener and his work with Calypso and Soca stars David Rudder and Black Stalin validate his description of how, ultimately, “Trinidad gave me my voice”.
In 1999, Narell visited South Africa to perform at the Arts Alive festival. His arrival at the airport once again surprised him. Instead of encountering a competitive spirit, as he did when travelling to Trinidad, he was welcomed with fans bearing banners. During his first performance here, for an audience of more than 60E000, at Jazz on the Lake, he was astonished at the response. “I’ve had people recognise my tunes before, but I’ve never been in a place where people sing my tunes at my gigs,” he said.
South Africa is a country with a strong vocal tradition – but this response is remarkable for an instrumentalist. Internationally, jazz has a limited following, and to discover a place where he has reached the hearts and minds of thousands, without compromising commercially, is a dream come true. Even a listening club in Soweto bears the name: The Andy Narell Jazz Club. In turn, he’s dedicated his latest album, Fire in the Engine Room, to these devotees.
Vusi Mahlasela – dubbed the “voice of an angel” – whom Narell had seen on an in- flight video and Louis Mhlanga, have appeared unscheduled at one of Narell’s local performances. On that occasion Narell was captivated by Mhlanga’s talent. He felt musically, emotionally and spiritually connected with the Zimbabwean-born maestro, and invited Mhlanga to perform with him the following evening. Subsequently, Narell has chosen to feature Mhlanga on Fire in the Engine Room.
The album was recorded in three sessions, with three bands. The rhythm section of a steel band is referred to as the “engine room”, with percussion as the driving force or soulful centre. Returning to an uplifting percussive sound, and allowing for more solo interpretations, Narell has infused his compositions with contributions from 11 of the world’s best musicians, representing eight countries. French- Caribbean dynamism is expressed through the vibrant style of pianist, Mario Canonge and the warm bass of Michel Alibo, who’s highly regarded for his work on the African scene in Paris. From the Caribbean Jazz Project, the Cuban Luis Conte excites us, once again, with his congas and timbales. Significantly, Mhlanga is featured with all three bands, repeatedly proving his international excellence. It may be the familiar sound of Southern Africa, but the beauty of his guitar provides a universal embrace.
Overall, the album is essentially Narell – positive, smooth, fun and made with love. Added is a funky friendliness and a small fire which, it seems, he found in another place that feels like home.
This weekend, Andy Narell will be performing at Mega Music, Newtown, Johannesburg, thereafter in East London on April 16 and in Cape Town at the City Hall on April 20. For more information call (011) 444-1818. Book at Computicket or Ticketweb (www.ticketweb.co.za)