BIOGRAPHY

Andy Narell

Andy Narell, born March 18, 1954 in New York City, New York, is an American percussionist, composer and producer, specializing in the steelpan.

In 1979 Andy Narell took the steelpan out of the steelband and brought it into the jazz band with his first solo album, Hidden Treasure. Through each of his subsequent recording and live concert performances, he has explored the possibilities and expanded the role of the steel pan in contemporary music.

To date, Narell has made 15 albums as leader, one as co-leader with Relator (University of Calypso), two as co-leader of the Caribbean Jazz Project (with Paquito D’Rivera and Dave Samuels), and two as co-leader of Sakésho (with Mario Canonge, Michel Alibo, and Jean Philippe Fanfant). Along the way he has worked with artists as diverse as Chucho Valdes, Bela Fleck, Marcus Miller, Maraca y Otro Vision, Willie Colon, Bebo Valdes, Irakere, Tito Puente, Orquestra Aragon, Pedrito Martinez, Flora Purim and Airto, Vince Mendoza, The WDR Big Band (Koln), The Metropole Orchestra (Holland), Sixun, Andre Ceccarelli, Bireli Lagrene, Spyro Gyra, Dr. Billy Taylor, Nancy Wilson, David Rudder, Black Stalin, Andre Tanker, Kassav, Tanya St. Val, Jon Lucien, Angelique Kidjo, Etienne Mbappe, Mokhtar Samba, Karim Ziad, Ray Lema, Kora Jazz Band, Jimmy Dludlu, Blick Bassy, Fatoumata Diawara, Vusi Mahlasela, Meddy Gerville, Kepa Junkera, Philippe Lavil, Toto, Aretha Franklin, Keith Terry and Crosspulse, and the Kronos String Quartet. He has performed on movie scores by James Horner, Maurice Jarre, Elmer Bernstein, Hans Zimmer, Michel Colombier, Thomas Newman, and Carmine Coppola, and his compositions are featured in the film PAN – Our Music Odyssey, as well as The Firm, tv shows like Designing Women and Going to Extremes, and commercials for Apple Computers, Sony, Porsche, and Southwest Bell.

As a bandleader and soloist, Narell has played hundreds of concerts and jazz festivals throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa.

As an educator, Andy Narell has served as an artist in residence at University of North Texas, Wichita St. University, University of West Virginia, University of Akron, University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, Miami University (Ohio), University of Southern Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky University, Northwestern University, Texas Tech University, University of Delaware, University of Missouri, Texas Christian University, University of Arizona, Cal St. University - Long Beach, McNeese St. University, Calypsociation (Paris), Birdsong Academy, and many other schools.