About Andy Narell

Andy Narell recorded his first album as a leader in 1979 and has never looked back. He’s spent the past 40+ years exploring the possibilities of the steel pan in contemporary music, and is equally known as a jazz improviser and steel band composer. His work is the subject of two documentary films – ‘Andy and the Jumbies’ and ‘Calypso Fever.’ In 2017 Narell was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

Narell has made 20+ albums as leader and co-leader (University of Calypso w/Relator, Sakésho w/Mario Canonge, Michel Alibo, Jean Philippe Fanfant, Caribbean Jazz Project w/Paquito D’Rivera and Dave Samuels), and has played with an incredible diversity of artists such as Bela Fleck, Marcus Miller, Chucho Valdes, Maraca y Otro Vision, Pedrito Martinez, Flora Purim and Airto, Vince Mendoza, WDR Big Band, Metropole Orchestra, Dr. Billy Taylor, Etienne Charles, David Rudder, Kassav, Etienne Mbappe, Mokhtar Samba, Karim Ziad, Fatoumata Diawara, Toto, and the Kronos String Quartet. He’s featured on movie scores by James Horner, Maurice Jarre, Elmer Bernstein, Hans Zimmer, Michel Colombier, and Thomas Newman.

As a bandleader and soloist he has played hundreds of concerts and jazz festivals all over the world.

In 1999 Andy became the first foreigner to compose for Trinidad’s Panorama steel band competition – he has composed for Skiffle Bunch and birdsong steel orchestras, as well as performing his music with Trinidad All Stars.

He has been an artist in residence at Univ. of North Texas, Univ. of Akron, Northern Illinois Univ., Miami Univ.(Ohio), Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky Univ., Univ. of Iowa, Univ. of Delaware, Humboldt St. Univ., Calypsociation (France), Birdsong Academy (Trinidad), Laborie Steel Pan (Saint Lucia), Angel Harps (Grenada), Pan Village (Japan), Women in Steel(NYC), Seattle Women’s Steel Pan Project, and many other schools.