Stickman

I have most of Andy Narell's CDs and all are good in various degrees. This one, his first, shines like no other. His side men do so much more than fill out the musical picture; they help create it. Rich Girard speaks with his bass in ways that remind me of Jaco. Kenneth Nash offers percussion that is both subtle when needed and explosive as well. To me, Steve Erquiaga on guitar is as much of a star as Andy Narell's incredible synergy with steel drum and piano. Check out the last cut called Frevo/Maracatu; it is incredible!

andy narell must have an angel sitting on his shoulder when he plays, his gift is amazing. the song titled "slow motion" is one of the most provocative i have ever heard. i definitely recommend this cd to anyone who has a love affair with music.

A little product history first. In the days of vinyl I heard tracks by Windham Hill piano artist George Winston from his album Autumn--still marvelous--bought the LP and brought it to a high-end stereo store I used to frequent. It was a big hit. I wrote to Windham Hill, then a tiny label, and asked for a catalog and price list. Surprisingly the vinyl albums could be had for $2.10 each! One album, on a related label, was Andy Narell's Stickman, described only as "steel drum jazz." That sounded a bit odd to the guys at the store, but it was a cheap risk. So I bought it and the entire Windham Hill catalog for about $50 total.When I played Stickman in the store for the first time the effect was remarkable. The techs came out of the back room into the showroom to listen. One guy who played bass marveled at the intro to the first track, Stickman. It still excites. It is truly one of the most electrifying, consummate performances ever recorded, and it does not matter whether you enjoy jazz or not.There isn't a bad track on the Stickman album and the 1/2" tape analog recording of steel pan and piano, like all the Windham Hill recordings, is spectacular even today.Schrag Stereo of Rapid City started selling many, many copies of George Winston and Andy Narell LPs thereafter. Eventually Windham Hill brought out CDs, became huge as New Age music found an audience, and was bought out by RCA, and founder Will Ackerman moved from the west coast to Windham County, Vermont. (He still performs, and recently re-recorded some of his favorite guitar compositions with a guitar he could never have afforded in the old days. He even own the studio where he now records.)Stickman is out of print. Buy it. You will be very glad you did. Few albums are as exciting and thrill the brain and the heart in equal measure.