Customer Reviews

University of Calypso

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Great fun. This energetic and humorous music is much better than Prozac.
I couldn't help thinking about the great Edmundo Ros (born in 1910), who was having enormous success when I was a very young boy, and for many years, with music much of this kind. This CD is full of life, is optimistic, is fun, fun, fun. Definitely a must listen.

Fans of Andy Narell will definitely want to add this to their collection. The pan master's playing and arranging has never been more inspired, and his co-musicians rise to the occasion (in particular, Paquito D'Rivera's incandescent sax on "Pan in Harmony.") Every listen uncovers something new that makes me appreciate the craftsmanship of this album all the more. Incorporating vocals by Relator on classic calypsos, with hybrid jazz/calypso muscial arrangements, provides a highly enjoyable change of pace from Andy's earlier work. Relator is a great calypsonian, in fine voice and phrasing. Excellent liner notes help the listener appreciate the qualities of each selection. Thanks, Andy, for continuing to promote the steel pan and Caribbean music.

Andy Narrell opens the door to the world of Calypso in his own unique way. I find myself returning to this CD over and over to fight the winter blahs. As a big fan of his previous albums (and owner of every one) I have found this one to be a springboard into the world of Kitchner, Mighty Sparrow, et al. Dive in!

I gave up on Andy Narell's music more than a decade ago. When he was getting started in the San Francisco bay area, he surrounded himself with terrific local musicians and broke through on Windham Hill with an interesting mix of steel pans, funk, and jazz. He produced three superior albums, "Slow Motion", "The Hammer" and "Little Secrets". Then, he decided to abandon this sound and go for a straight steel pan orchestra sound. Every album sounds like the last one. All one-note boring ass calypso numbers. The comparison to island reggae is amusing because that also has the same notes and beat repeated ad nauseam. Not much to do on the islands. Just play the same song over and over again. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz