Rudy Smith and his instrument, the steel pan, were born at the same place and time, Trinidad in the 1940s, and if there are any other jazz virtuosi of the instrument, I have yet to encounter them. He is a delightfully fluent and straightforward jazz soloist, which can’t be easy on an instrument that provides no means of sustaining notes. In his quartet, the plangent tone of the alto pan blends with the piano of Ole Matthiessen to create an unusual and delicate unison. Their long and close collaboration, with Matthiessen composing much of the material, has resulted in a serious and attractive jazz ensemble.
