Wednesday, November 29, 2006

PHIL HAWKINS' Pan Combo: 8 Saucy Pan Jazz Tunes


PAN COMBO is another classic creation by Phil Hawkins, the author of PAN RHYTHM and CARIBBEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE. PAN COMBO is a book of original music for steelpan.

There are eight tunes that vary in style and difficulty (Calypso, reggae, cha cha, rhumba, soca, samba and funk). The book comes with leadsheet arrangements of every tune that include the melody and chord symbols as well as a separate chart for drummers. Some of the tunes also offer a separate bass chart.

In addition, there is a play-along CD featuring Phil Hawkins on Pan, and a group of world-class studio musicians (some of Andy Narell's former side men) playing the exact arrangements featured in the book. The CD includes a rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion. The play-along version of each tune contains no melody and is perfect for practice or performance as a backing track.

Finally, the book offers performance notes that highlight important concepts for pan players, bassists, drummers and percussionists. Also included are form and style notes as well as drum and percussion transcriptions to make sure your rhythm section sounds great.

Can you believe this? Did he cover everything or what? This guy left no stone unturned in making sure you sound as masterful as the best pan players in the business.

Available now at Kakesa.com!