| Andy Narell, the world's most renowned steel pan master, continues to apply his unorthodox instrument to diverse musical settings in which it had not previously been utilized. On Behind the Bridge, Narell combines Trinidad's steel pan music with North American jazz and Antillean and Brazilian genres. He successfully unifies the musical styles of the Western Hemisphere, furthering the Pan-American ideals of the late Dizzy Gillespie and other artists who have attempted to merge jazz with world music.
"I wanted the new album to be more about my playing, to put the pan in more of a chamber context, to play live for the most part, and stay away from overdubbing," comments the 44-year old pan ambassador. "I also focused on music that I spend a lot of time listening to and studying ... the musical styles of Trinidad, Cuba and Brazil." |