Photo: Gary Willis
|
LONDON, UK
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Recorded in just one day at London’s Holodeck
Studios, and featuring renowned French pianist Mario Cononge, Cameron
Pierre’s
Radio Jumbo
is a mix of French Antillean rhythms and influences fused against a
backdrop of jazz interpretation.
“I love Jazz music and it’s tradition
for it offers me the unique opportunity of self expression unmatched
by any other art form, says the Dominica-reared Pierre, who had only
one day of rehearsal with the musicians prior to recording the live
album.
Radio Jumbo consists of ten tracks, two of
which see vocal contributions by Dominicans Michele Henderson and Dave
Joseph.
Henderson, hugely popular in the French
West Indies, masterfully covers Stevie Wonder’s “Another Star”,
while Joseph gives a stirring narration on the track “Traditional.”
Pierre debuts his banjo playing skills on “Traditional” as well
as the title track “Radio Jumbo.” A staple of the Jing Ping bands
he listened to as a child; Pierre says he always dreamt of incorporating
the traditional African instrument into his music.
The album was named after a radio station
from his teenage days in Dominica called Radio Jumbo and reflects the
Creole heritage of both Pierre and Canonge (who hails from Martinique).
Sharing a love for sounds such as zouk, cadence, kompa, and beguine;
and influenced by bands such as Tabou Combo, Magnum Band, Malavoi (of
which Canonge was a member) Grammaks, Exile One and others; wanting
to work together was easy. Pierre first saw Caononge perform at a party
in Paris in 1994 and found his way to the band’s rehearsal the following
day. It took 16 years, though, for the two to actually get together
to record any music.
During the recording of
Radio
Jumbo, Canonge was instrumental in getting Pierre’s ideas
across to the musicians (including a string quartet) who were not familiar
with some of the French-influenced rhythms. Still, they all shared a
Caribbean sensibility; drummer Wesley Joseph was of St. Lucian descent,
and the bass player Michael Bailey and percussionist Donald Gordon had
in common their Jamaican heritage.
Pierre is hopeful that a European and
Caribbean tour with Canonge can take place next year. In the meantime
he plays the UK jazz circuit with his own Cameron Pierre Band, and tours
with Courtney Pine, who produced the album.
Radio Jumbo is available
online via
HMV
,
Amazon
,
iTunes
and Pierre’s
Official
Website
under the Destin-e
Records label.
