Ron Reid to launch new album

Precious Metals is the first new album of music from Ron Reid in more than a decade.

With a supporting cast of peers culled from both Boston and Trinidad, Reid will play a mix of original compositions and new arrangements of the music of Lord Kitchener, Andre Tanker, David “Happy” Williams, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, said a media release.

Providing support to Reid and his visiting musicians will be a cadre of the best local musicians and instrumentalists: guitarist Theron Shaw, Anthony Woodroffe Jr on saxes and flute, Natasha Joseph on steelpan and Tamba Gwindi on percussion will appear onstage with the visitors.

Precious Metals marks the third commercial recording by Reid who previously produced Calypsoldier in 1999 with his Caribbean pan jazz ensemble Sunsteel, and Reid, Wright and Be Happy album with fellow Trinidadian ex-pat musicians David “Happy Williams and the late Orville Wright in 2003.

On those two albums, he was featured on steelpan. Reid himself notes that, “this CD has much more of my bass playing that pan paying.

With this Precious Metals project, I hope to perform more frequently with the combination of steelpan and brass and metal percussion, thus the title.” The new album also marks Reid’s first professional recording on piano, on the mournful ballad “Moonchild” written by Andre Tanker for the Derek Walcott play Ti-Jean & His Brothers. .

As part of the group that made up the “prot?g?s of the Schofield Pilgrim generation” of calypso jazz pioneers, Reid stands among giants who made our music global. With a storied career of over 30 years composing, performing, and teaching, Reid has been a standard-bearer for improvisational Caribbean music that includes an eclectic mix of Trinidadian folk, Afro-Caribbean and jazz music. From composing the theme music for pioneering local television programmes to being the musical director with touring troupe of Derek Walcott’s Trinidad Theatre Workshop to participating at the heights of academe at Berklee, Ron Reid, with this new album and concert, continues a journey to excellence.

By shining a light on the musical gems within our local repertoire, we share in an album of priceless offerings.

The event is being put on by iRA DIO.tt . For more info: visit http://www.iradio.tt/