The sun is shining. There is music in the streets. Sounds like the start of a great summer day to me.
Downtown Brooklyn is providing free entertainment every first and last Thursday of the month for any passerby, group, tourist or music junkie.
Kicking off the July series, the sweet sounds of the steel pan accompanied by keyboard and bass flooded Albee Square to start everyone’s early morning. Daniel Pardis brought his two-year-old daughter out to dance to the steel drums. “I wanted my daughter to see the steel drums and dances,” Pardis said.
Providing the island tunes is none other than JahPan, a steel drum band comprised of Bajan Brian Walker on keys, Haitian Adrien Lagagneur on bass and Trinidadian Patrick Davis on tenor steel pan. “Steel pan plays all types of music. It can play for everybody,” Davis said.
Playing popular tracks such as Bob Marley’s “Everything Gonna Be Alright,” “Still The One,” “Soca,” John Legend’s “All of Me” and closing with “Hot Hot Hot,” various day camps, construction workers on their break, nannies and idle shoppers stopped to enjoy the music.
“We were just browsing walking around and then I heard the announcement,” Mydele Lindo, an East New York resident, said. “We grew up on that. My cousin used to play, so this is great. I always envy people who play these things because it’s a lot of work but they’re doing a great job.”
JahPan gets together every summer, playing weddings, parties and outdoor functions such as the Downtown Brooklyn’s Block Party.
Stay up to date for more free and family friendly events happening at Albee Square all summer long at downt
