By Michael Mondezie
Jazz Aficionados, you are hereby put on high alert. Theron Shaw’s new body of work sounds like his best yet.
The acclaimed guitarist teased a few tracks, off the upcoming Carl “Beaver” Henderson-produced project, out of his Godin Multiac nylon, on Monday evening, at Kaiso Blues Café, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain.
His originals “Dance Music” and “I Music” were the standout offerings. The former drew cheers of approval as Shaw’s fingers danced on the fret over a danceable percussive groove. The latter, which features pan maestros Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and Andy Narell on two separate takes, was particularly pleasing to the ear and is sure to stir pan jazz lovers into full ramajay.
The high quality and inventiveness of the music shared is the result of putting full creative trust in his former Fireflight bandmate Beaver, Shaw says. Being able to call on some of the best musicians he’s rubbed shoulders with over the years also didn’t hurt.
London, UK-based drummer Tony Mason, Barbadian Nicholas Branker and his team of horn players and Boston, US-based bassist Ron Reid all lend their talents to the project.
Shaw’s previous album works include The Sojourner (2003), Right Here Right Now (2008) and Gumbo Caribe (2014).
“The original ‘I Music’ arrangement was done for a concert I did in January 2019 called ‘Homage’,” a chill Shaw began during an online exchange with the Kitcharee on Thursday night.
“Beaver heard it and suggested a proper recording, so I developed the arrangement, adding a couple more parts and ended up with the product. I decided to go for the best possible representation of the tune, and enlisted friends from across the globe. I wanted to retain a good bit of the old quality, but with some new spins to it,” he added.
The “chill vibe” tracks, he said, were in the works with Beaver pre-pandemic.
“Because of Covid-19 it went cold for a bit. But Beaver and I go way back, so I went with the flow of the idea he had, and the direction he wanted to take,” he revealed.
A period of give and take
The pandemic and all its ensuing restrictions created a period of give and take for the guitar maestro. Shaw said he protected his mental head space with moments of deep self-reflection.
Shaw first picked up a guitar at age 11. His passion for the instrument is said to be only rivalled by his dedication to acrylic, watercolour and pastel art.
“I lost personal interaction with fellow creatives and outdoor activities. But I gained personal time, self-reflection on what’s really important. My current mental space is fairly healthy,” he shared earnestly.
Returning to the stage last year for a cameo appearance was long-time friend and collaborator John Arnold’s Tambrin Jazz Project at Queen’s Hall was “a tad uneasy”, he admits.
“It was questionable at first, because there’s nothing better than playing live next to another human, that’s if the music is happening. And since we were working online for so long, returning to a live stage was like a breath of fresh air. Computers are a great asset in the recording process. But for me, the human feel is always better,” he explained.
Shaw weighed in on the not-so-recent debates over pop acts appearing at events billed as jazz festivals. Often frowned upon by purists of the genre, the well-travelled Howard University, USA, music graduate notes several high profile international festivals like New Orleans Jazz, NorthSea Jazz and Montreal Jazz, have proven the blends a success.
Shaw famously headlined at the Caribbean Jazz Waves in New York and Washington in 2003. He has also appeared alongside Cuban piano virtuoso Ernan Lopez Nussa, Narrell and Boogsie, as well as calypso legends The Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco), David Rudder and the late composer Andre Tanker.
“There will always be purists, but most of the larger established jazz fests do have a mixture of pop, World Music and traditional/contemporary jazz artistes in their line-up, while there are some festivals namely Newport Jazz that have only jazz artistes primarily.
The new works will soon be available as singles on online music platforms, Shaw said. Later this year, he also plans to “revisit” a concert he did with the late Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste), this time including the works of “other giants of our music” in the form of the late Shadow (Winston Bailey), pianist Clive “Zanda” Alexander and pannist Earl Rodney among others.
“There are no nerves in presenting new work really. I feel good about what we are doing. And the most we can do as composers is to write and release. As for honouring those gone, we really believe that we need to love yuh own. And as the late great Andre Tanker said: ‘The music will go where it has to’.”
