Kalabash

Kalabash is a jazz sextet, formed in Toronto in 1993, focused on using the steel pan as a lead voice in a jazz ensemble and dedicated to experimenting with the layering of rich jazz harmonies over the folk and popular rhythms of the Caribbean. With the release of the group's first CD in 2001, it’s apparent that the result of this fusion is a scintillating blend of North American and Caribbean contemporary jazz expression. While there have been individual steel pan jazz soloists who work in different contexts, Kalabash is unique as a contemporary jazz ensemble built around the sound of this unique instrument and focused on performing original material. The blend of reeds and flute with the steel pans gives the group a special sound that is certain to make Kalabash a hit with jazz festival audiences across the globe. Kalabash has been featured on TV in a one hour show on BRAVO TV's Jazzman series that was syndicated and aired extensively on Black Entertainment Television's BET on Jazz. The band has also taped two BRAVO videos of its original compositions which can be found on YouTube using the keyword “Kalabash”. While Kalabash is superb in live performances, the individual members of the band bring an additional dimension, in their ability to conduct workshops in various aspects of jazz theory and performance, on different instruments. As well, members can lead workshops in African and Afro Cuban derived rhythms for drum kit and hand percussion.