Jazz Review : Soft Melodies Flow From Narell’s Steel Pans

Andy Narell’s steel pan jazz has an undeniably light and sunny appeal. The sound of the steel pans, with their Caribbean references, as well as Narell’s briskly rhythmic Latin melodies result in an amiable music that is easy on the spirit.

Narell’s quintet spent most of their late set Friday night at Santa Monica’s At My Place cruising through music from a new Windham Hill album, “Little Secrets.” The focus was on Narell, for the most part, and he made the best of it. His flowing melody lines unfolded with such ease that it was hard to believe he was coaxing them out of nothing more than a set of steel pans.

Guitarist Steve Erquiaga also soloed effectively in a jazz-rock style that added a healthy seasoning of spice and pepper to the music’s sometimes bland sound. Bassist Keith Jones was particularly effective on a piece titled “Heads or Tails,” while percussionist Luis Conte and drummer Paul van Wageningen provided constantly changing rhythmic timbres.

Despite the individual effectiveness of the musicians, there were times when the lack of emotional range in the music made attentive listening difficult. Too many lightly floating melodies and an occasional overdose of rhythmic Latinisms became--like a too-sweet souffle--a surfeit of airily empty calories.

Narell’s one or two appearances on piano revealed a more complex perspective on his music. Brief as they were, they suggested that his steel pan work might benefit from the richer harmonic vision and more detailed creative fabric present in his keyboard-oriented compositions.