Andy Narell introduced the steel drums to jazz as a solo instrument, playing not only Caribbean and Latin melodies but R&B, funk, and some straight-ahead jazz. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973, he founded the Hip Pocket label (which became associated with Windham Hill) and has recorded on a regular basis both as a leader and as a sideman ever since. In 1995, Andy Narell became a co-leader of the Caribbean Jazz Project along with Paquito d'Rivera and Dave Samuals, a perfect outlet for his virtuosic and colorful playing. Since that time, Narell has released a handful of recordings including, among others, Live in South Africa in 2001, Passage in 2004, and Tatoom in 2007. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
