The magic in this album is reflected in the ensemble playing, the intoxicating drumming, and the speed at which the simple idea of it to fruition was a total of 6 days. The one-day session was booked on a Friday at a studio in Paris. The previous Saturday in a telephone conversation with pianist Grégory Privat, the music hadn’t even been written yet. At the end of that conversation, I got down to it. Each song I wrote immediately sending both the parts and midi sound files to the musicians because they were going to be no rehearsal. Both Gregory and bassist Eric Vinceno had worked with me in different engagements in Paris, Germany, and Amsterdam. The two Ka drummers Sonny Troupé and Jean-Emmanuel Fatna were brought in by Grégory. For me, there were no better people on the planet to make this record with.

It’s Caribbean Jazz, it’s Gwo Ka music, in concept anyway. Gwo Ka music traditionally has singing, chanting , and it’s rhythmic structures are something you really have to know. There are artists from both jazz and classical music, that have drawn upon Gwo Ka, US saxophonist David Murray for one. But I don’t think anyone has quite made a Gwo Ka CD like this one.

Three of the titles are named after Islands of the Caribbean my family is from. Dominica where my father hails from, St.Lucia my mother, and a lot of family in Martinique. We have others in St Maarten and St Thomas. There are titles named after people, two, unfortunately, deceases, Danny Felix my cousin, and Joanna Riseboro, a young lady who kind of became a bit like family in North London. Joanna being the sister of a school friend James Riseboro, James forming our very first improvisatory group together, alongside another school friend Ian da Costa. Ben and Tanya are other friends in the London area. Ben, being at Pimlico school with us too.

On small point, I changed the order of the songs in this video from what was published on the first run of CDs.

This song order in the video runs as:

Martinique, The Entrepreneur, Ballad of Danny, St. Lucia, Gout de Chocolaté, Ben and Tanya, Flow Time, Joanna, Dominica.

Have fun and enjoy Flow Time Gwo Ka, thank you and all the best, David Jean-Baptiste