EXTEMPO STEELBAND

With Extempo Steelband a joyous Caribbean breeze blows over Ascona

Originating in Trinidad, steel bands are ensembles characterized by the sound of the steel pan, also called the steel drum: A percussion instrument made from old metal barrels and suitably modified with cavities of various sizes and played with sturdy sticks.

For the first time, JazzAscona is hosting such an ensemble, the Extempo Steelband, an orchestra of around 20 musicians, some of whom have extensive musical experience in the Caribbean. The ensemble knows how to convey the joie de vivre of the South Seas through a colorful variety of Caribbean and South American rhythms, close to the original and yet unmistakably “Extempo.”