Leon Foster Thomas Electronic Band
Lineup
About the Event
Leon Foster Thomas' music is a blend of his Caribbean roots with the harmonic and improvisational complexities of jazz, creating a lively and eclectic fusion all his own.
Inspired as much by the melodic poetry of the great Keith Jarrett’s piano sound as Trinidad’s celebrated steel pan heritage, Leon has taken the instrument to new heights. More than just a Carnival instrument, the chromatically-scaled steel pan has seen, in Leon’s hands, a significant step forward in its perception as an instrument of improvisational artistry and expression and innovative jazz complexity. The result is a sound that is beautifully calming and vitally energetic in equal measure. Leon Foster Thomas has proven that the steel pan has the musical sophistication to be taken as seriously in the jazz universe as the more well-known vibraphone.
Winner of the World Steelband Music Festival Soloist and Duet competition of 2002 and 2004, critics laud him as “...masterful with impeccable musicianship” (When Steel Talks); “a benevolent wizard” (Venice Magazine). Leon has collaborated with legendary artists in the jazz scene and beyond including Hugh Masekela, Randy Brecker, Sammy Figueroa, Vince Mendoza, Dolly Parton, John Beasley, Mino Cinelu, Orphy Robinson, Cyril Neville, Ky-Mani Marley and many more.
“Leon is a sage of the steel pan, turning melodies into sheltered reveries that speak of decades. Intimate and honed his melodic breeze is an emblematic realization of his capabilities that rejoice in the here and now. His music speaks in quiet streams of thought, each ripple extending a hand to pull us upstream to the glorious source.”
— Blues & Soul