Steelpan Master Andy Narell and Calypso Legend Relator Bring Jazz and Vintage Calypso Together with Andy Narell – who has been playing calypso music from Trinidad since he was barely tall enough to reach the pan – it's always been about expanding the role of the steelpan in jazz. With his first solo album in 1979 Andy Narell took the steelpan out of the steelband and brought it into the jazz band, and with every album and concert since, he has explored the possibilities and expanded the role of the pan in contemporary music. Now, with the University of Calypso, Narell joins forces with calypso legend Relator to explore the role of jazz in vintage calypso. Together, they perform classic compositions by calypso legends including Lord Kitchener and Relator himself. Relator (Willard Harris) is one of Trinidad's finest calypsonians. He is a brilliant singer-songwriter with a long series of compositions to his credit. In 1980, with the now-classic "Food Prices," he won the Calypso Monarch competition – an honor to which every calypsonian aspires – and he is still considered one of the masters of the art form today. Narell and Relator share a deep affection for classic calypso that infuses their joint performances with a unique energy that makes the music accessible by anyone. Enjoy the musical anomaly created through the collaboration of Andy Narell and Friends and the Eastern Kentucky University Steelband.

The Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Steel Band has witnessed growth in membership and popularity over the past nine years. It continues to be one of the primary non-western music performing ensembles in the percussion curriculum at EKU.

In addition to being a popular on-campus performance ensemble, the steel band is also an important outreach vehicle for the EKU Department of Music and is committed to educating students in Kentucky and surrounding states through many off-campus concert and lecture performance presentations each semester. The steel band has also received recognition as an outstanding performing group, and has been selected and featured at the 2003 and 2007 Kentucky Music Educators In-Service Conventions in Louisville, KY.

The ensemble is directed by Professor Jason Koontz, who has performed and studied world music/percussion in Africa, India, Indonesia, and Brazil. The EKU Steelband often plays Koontz’s rhythmic compositions which are published by Drop 6 Media, Coyle Steel Drums, and Pan Ramajay Publications.

Eugene Novotney is Professor of Music, Director of Percussion Studies and founder of the California State University-Humboldt Steel Band. He has performed and presented lectures and master classes throughout the western and eastern hemispheres. Eugene Novotney received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music & Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from the University of Illinois. In addition to his formal western music studies, he has also studied several world music genres including Brazilian percussion and Caribbean music. He was a member of the adjudication panel of the World Steelband Festivals in 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2008. In 2006, Dr. Novotney was awarded the Wang Family Excellence Award by the California State University Board of Trustees, for his exemplary contributions and achievements in his academic discipline.

Dr. Larry Snider, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at The University of Akron, Ohio is often invited to be the chief international adjudicator for World Steelband Festival competitions in Trinidad and the United States. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State University and The University of North Texas, respectively, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in percussion performance from the University of Illinois. Dr. Snider founded the widely acclaimed University of Akron Steel Drum Band in 1980; the ensemble was one of the nation's first collegiate panorama-style ensembles. Dr. Snider also leads the PATHS program in which students from The University of Akron (UA) teach “at-risk” youngsters how to play steel drums. Dr. Snider received the first-ever Outstanding Arts Educator Award presented by the Akron Area Arts Alliance in fall 2001.

Cliff Alexis, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, is a renowned pioneer of the steelpan. Since 1951 he has performed, composed and arranged music, built and tuned steelpans, formed and led steelbands, and instructed steelpan musicians throughout the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. In the 1960’s, Alexis migrated to the US and was motivated by the scarcity of builders and tuners to hone his skills in this capacity; he later started his own steelpan manufacturing company. As an educator, Alexis has inspired students at the high school level – as steelband instructor in the Minneapolis/St. Paul’s teaching district – and at the collegiate level – as the co-director of the Northern Illinois University Steelband. Alexis continues to produce instruments, compositions and arrangements and has been the recipient of numerous awards from prominent organizations including: The Percussive Arts Society, Pan Trinbago and the Sunshine Hall of Fame.