Tambrin Jazz Project comes to Queen's Hall

JAZZ and tambrin music will share the same stage in a hybrid event on Friday at Queen's Hall, St Ann's..

Jazzin' Renaissance – the Tambrin Jazz Project gets under way at 7.30 pm and promises patrons a new and exciting sound.

Set to perform are jazz guitarist Theron Shaw, jazz saxophonist Tony Paul, the Kariwak Players, violinist Caryll Warner and others.

There will also be a segment where the tambrin meets the tabla. Mayank Ramgoolie, an expert on the tabla, joins tambriners Lawrence Crooks, Xavier Smith and Lorenzo Smith, alongside Warner.

In a recent interview with Newsday, organiser John Arnold said the tambrin can be a very versatile instrument.

"We're doing a hybridity thing – a fusion. It's another direction for music in TT," he said.

Arnold said there has been a lot of research and experimenting to find the right blend for the music.

"I've developed it with a lot of my friends in the last year. I have an album called Jazz Standards in the Tambrin Sauce...

"That has started the whole discussion about how we using the tambrin and how we globalise it. It's very experimental but the last concert in Tobago was amazing."

Arnold believes the tambrin, once utilised efficiently, can create a musical renaissance.

"My desire is to see the tambrin lift, but not stay in the jig and reel. The idea is to find another conduit. The jazz is the entry point."

This project marks a paradigm shift for the Tobago tambrin as it brings the full instrument scale into the global mix of world music and new instruments.

The tambrin jazz project started with local musicians Khalen "Ja Moi" Alexander (drums), Savio Providence (bass), and Warner.

Arnold said, "I recall asking Khalen to start imitating the reel and jig beat on the drums in one organic session. Then I spontaneously started to play Fly me to the Moon, taking into consideration the feel of the folk style.

"It was amazing that when the bassist Savio arrived and I explained to him the concept, he just grooved a solid bass line to match the final take of the song. Caryll did the same on the violin. The tambrin was the zest to the pot.”