The British saxophonist Courtney Pine is known as a musical omnivore, someone who does not shy away from connecting different styles. As the years go by, Pine seems to want to dig deeper. On his penultimate albums Transition In Tradition (2009) and Europe (2011), he explored the original New Orleans jazz and European classical and folk music respectively. A Caribbean album is therefore no surprise.
His parents are from Jamaica and Pine's first musical memory is how he looked on his father's shoulders at the summer carnival in London's Notting Hill. At House Of Legends, Pine hops from one island to another. From Trinidad (steel drums) to Jamaica (ska) and Martinique (zouk). The best song is Liamuiga (Cook Up) that sounds like a Surinamese kaseko, but according to Pine it is really inspired by a folk song from the mini island of Saint Kitts. Pine improvises frankly and freely on the traditional sounding themes, resulting in one of the most cheerful albums in his oeuvre. (PdK)more
