The Modern Sound Quartet in Gibraltar 1965
Rudy Smith(alto pans), George Allyn (drums),
Ansel Joseph (six bass), Danny Grant (double second)


The Modern Sound Quintet in Gibraltar, Spain, 1966.
Lincoln Grant (tenor sax), George Allyn (drums), Ansel Joseph (six bass)
Rudy Smith(alto pans), Danny Grant (double second)


The Modern Sound Quartet in Torremolinos, Spain, 1965.
Rudy Smith(alto pans) Ted Jones (trumpet),
Danny Grant (drums), Ansel Joseph (double bass)


The Modern Sound Quartet in Torremolinos, Spain, 1967.
Danny Grant (double second), Thijmen Hoolwerf (electric bass),
George Allyn (drums), Rudy Smith(alto pans)


The Modern Sound Quartet in Guitar Centre
Palma de Mallorca, 1968.
Leon Gillis (bass), Danny Grant (double second),
George Allyn (drums), Rudy Smith (alto pans)


The Modern Sound Quartet in Bruselas Jazz Club
Palma de Mallorca, 1968.
Leon Gillis(bass), Danny Grant (double second)
George Allyn (drums), Rudy Smith (alto pans)
and guest Candy Green (piano)


Rudy Smith in his first tv-appearance, SVT, Sweden, 1968


The Modern Sound Quartet in Sweden 1969.
George Allyn(drums), Siegfried Macintosh(electric bass)
John Roachford(piano), Rudy Smith(alto pans)


The Rudy Smith Trio in Stockholm, 1970
Rudy Smith(alto pans), George Allyn(drums)
Siegfried Macintosh(electric bass)


Otinku, LP-cover


The Modern Sound Quintet
Sweden, 1971

Kofi Ayivor, Ghana(congas)
George Allyn, Trinidad(drums)
Siegfried Macintosh, Suriname(electric bass)
Rudy Smith, Trinidad(alto pans)
John Roachford, Barbados(piano)


Meeting with the Modern Sound Quintet


Some background on Rudy Smith and the MSQ.


The Modern Sound Quintet in Stockholm, Sweden, 1971
John Roachford(piano), Sigfried Macintosh(double bass)
Kofi Ayivor(congas), George Allyn(drums)
Rudy Smith(alto pans)


The Modern Sound Quintet in Sweden, 1971
Left to right: George Allyn(drums)
John Roachford(piano), Rudy Smith (alto pans)
Guy Roelinger, France(bass), Kofi Ayivor(congas)


The Modern Sound Corporation 1977-1980
John Roachford(keyboards), Bill Prince(alto sax, trumpet)
Kofi Bentsi-Enchill(bass), George Allyn(drums)
Charles Dyall(sax, trumpet), Mike Denti(guitar)
Rudy Smith(steel pan)


The Modern Sound Corporation 1977-1980
John Roachford(keyboards), Kofi Bentsi-Enchill(bass)
Rudy Smith(steel pan), Mike Denti(guitar)
Charles Dyall(sax, trumpet), Bill Prince(alto sax, trumpet)
George Allyn(drums)


Some background on Rudy Smith Quartet "Still Around


Rudy Smith Quartet, "Still Around"


Rudy Smith with Bent Jædig(sax) and Richard Boone(trombone)


Rudy Smith in Brussels Jazz Club with Charles Loos(piano)
Roger Vanhaverbeke(bass) and Freddy Rottier(drums)


Rudy Smith in Amsterdam with Thijmen Hoolwerf(guitar) amongst others.
1980s


Rudy Smith in Toronto, 1993
With Norman Marchall-Villeneuve(drums) and Kieran Overs(bass)


Rudy Smith in Copenhagen with Jens Klüver Sixtet, early 1990s


Rudy Smith in Helsinki with Jukka Syrenius Blues Band, 1990s


Rudy Smith in Rotterdam with Jerry Tilitz amongst others. 1990s

The introduction of the steel pan instrument in jazz.

It all started in 1965 in Spain with The Modern Sound Quartet: Rudy Smith on Alto Pans, Danny Grant on Double Second, Ansel Joseph on Six Bass and George Allyn on Drums. They formed the first all steel pan jazz group.

The four bandmembers Smith, Joseph, Grant and Allyn had been playing in the Merry Makers Steel Band from Sackville Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad, a band that originated from the Red Army Steel Band of Prince Street, also in Port of Spain.
In the Merry Makers the 4 musicians had been the youngest members in this constellation of ten which comprised 8 Pan players, Alfred ‘Valger’ Cooper, Alfred ‘Sack’ Mayers, Cecil ‘Lord’ Yuille, Ansel ‘Baboolal’ Joseph, Buntin ‘Danny’ Grant, George ‘Cuma’ Anderson, Herbert George and Rudy ‘Twoleft’ Smith, a vocalist Daphne Shepard and a Limbo Dancer, Nolan Jacob.

Before leaving Trinidad to tour Europe on 8th. December 1962, the Merry Makers toured Suriname, Venezuela, Martinique and Barbados to perform at concerts and functions. In Europe, over the next couple of years the The Merry Makers played in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Austria to name a few places.

After the tour ended, Smith, Joseph, Grant and Allyn formed their own band, The Modern Sound Quartet. In 1964-1965 they were in Torremolinos in Spain playing in The Blue Note Jazz Club. Their repertoire had been normal steel band music but after a while Thijmen Hoolwerf, the dutch guitar player engaged with Pia Becks featured band in the club, encouraged them to play jazz.

And that was the birth of the steel pan in jazz music.