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Lovers of jazz, calypso and well-made local music will all find something to love in the Calypso Jazz CD, “Homegrown”, recorded by the Dominant Seventh Calypso Jazz Band and produced by Dominant Seventh Productions.

The CD, which comprises seven tracks, was recorded live in studio by entirely local musicians. It will be launched on June 4 at the Little Carib Theatre. The $250 price tag includes a cocktail reception, a concert and a copy of the CD.
Musical director and arranger Rellon Brown said the album is the culmination of 14 years hard work by members of the band, which was formed in 2002 as a workshop for musicians to exchange ideas. Brown, who arranged all the music on the CD, said people who have listened to it are proud and excited that music can be made like this and be entirely Trinidadian. “More and more people understand that calypso is not just a seasonal music, and it’s not just found in the tent and isn’t bracketed into one particular time of the year or one particular mode of expression. Calypso is music just like any other and it’s home-grown.”
He said he focused on identifying the real essence of the music through research and studies, and through his experience he knows what calypso is and how it can be handled. “Calypso is a rhythm, it’s not a form nor an idea, it’s not a lyric or succession of lyrics or a particular way of singing, and when you couple that knowledge with the harmonic sophistication of jazz, and all its complexities and character, you get something very new.” Brown said it was important to him to know exactly what calypso was so that it could be expressed without compromise, so that he would know how best to blend and merge it with something as strong and reflective as jazz, “so Homegrown is really the culmination of a whole lot of work, a whole lot of study and consideration of what are the elements that really make our culture.”
While most of the pieces are instrumental, there are two with vocals, provided by Elizabeth Ince. The group is comprised of Rellon Brown on trumpet, assistant producer Adan Hagley on keyboard, Jeremy Chattoo on piccolo flute, concert flute and tenor sax, Joshua Pasqual on tenor/bass trombone, Dareem Chandler on drums and Rodney Alexander on bass.
Brown said the time was right to make the CD, because the right elements came together. “Quite apart from the financial aspect, it’s about finding the right people, because the music is not divorced from the people that play it, so if you have a group where you have constant wrangling and quarreling, the music is going to reflect that. We have a group now where everybody is on board, who like the music and understand what it represents.” He said they were then able to make the booking with Jason Gittens of Rezonant Studios in Claxton Bay, although it took a year before they actually did the recording.
Brown said attendees at the launch can expect to hear the best in local music, which has been favourably compared to that heard in some of the best jazz clubs in New York City. The band will play the entire album, with the addition of a few more instruments and guest performers, along with other pieces from the band’s repertoire.
He is also excited about the launch because it will be the first major event he will be doing as an endorser of international manufacturer P. Mauriat’s trumpets. The musician said this is the first time a trumpeter in T&T has endorsed musical instruments, to his knowledge.
Brown is excited to launch the CD as he is proud of the music and people will be able to relate to it as Trinbagonians. “What makes it particular is that it is calypso jazz and all the arrangements are really tight. It is structured in a way where you could sit and listen over and over again and get different things each time.”
To reserve tickets, call Leslie-Ann Beckles at 741-5332 or email: dominantseventhproductions@gmail.com