The Passage – Andy Narell & Calypsociation, 2004

In the early 2000s, Andy Narell became heavily involved with the Calypsociation association in Paris, training and passing on steel drum music. The collaboration resulted in the album The Passage – Music for Steel Band Orchestra, released in 2004. On it, he covers some of his own standards, including Song For Mia, Mabouya, Dee Mwa Wee and Coffee Street. As well as the orchestra, he also had some prestigious guests: Michael Brecker, Paquito d’Rivera and Hugh Masekela. We visited him on the association’s premises in 2011, in the middle of a training session. You’ll see that he wasn’t alone, and you’ll probably recognize a few well-known musical figures!