Executive Producer Simeon Sandiford succeeded in breathing new life into ten intoxicating arrangements by Cuba's own undisputed King of Charanga with an infusion of 'overdubs' by virtuoso Steelpan composer/arranger/performer Ray Holman. Pan-Jazz is the term commonly used to describe the fusion of Caribbean rhythms and melodies with jazz harmony and improvisation. Fronted by the Steelpan (Pan), exponents often venture further to include East Indian and Afro-Latin genres. The late Scofield Pilgrim, Ray Holman, Earl Rodney, Emmanuel 'Cobo Jack' Riley, and others, experimented with the form and meter of traditional calypsos while interpolating jazz harmonies and solos in their renditions. Simultaneously, they established the soprano pan as a viable lead instrument apart from it's context in the steel orchestra. This release contains 13 well-known Pan Jazz favorites! Recorded using 24Bit HDCD technology the sound quality of this release is of audiophile quality. High Definition Compatible Digital, or HDCD is a Microsoft proprietary audio encode-decode process that claims to provide increased dynamic range over that of standard Redbook audio CDs, while retaining backward compatibility with existing compact disc players.
