Members of the jazz group Panoramic will reunite this Sunday in DeKalb.

The group only reunites for a handful of concerts a year, so any time they perform in DeKalb is a cause for celebration. The NIU community has an opportunity to join the party in concert at 8 p.m. Sunday at The House Café, 263 E. Lincoln Highway.

While all six of the band’s members used to call DeKalb home, only head of NIU percussion Robert Chappell and fellow music professor Liam Teague have stuck around.

If Chappell is Panoramic’s leader, Teague is its star. Apart from being an NIU professor (and alumnus), Teague is a world-renowned virtuoso on the steelpan, the official instrument of his native country of Trinidad.

Teague and Chappell often perform as a duo, and the two released a CD in 2002 called “For Lack of Better Words.”

Playing congas and marimba in Panoramic is Orlando Cotto, a native of Puerto Rico and former NIU percussion professor.

The other three members of the group are NIU jazz alumni who joined the group in 2002 as standout students: saxophonist Doug Stone, bassist Joshua Ramos, and drummer Phil Beale.

“It’s a lot of fun because my students and the people at NIU don’t get a chance to hear me or Liam all that often,” Chappell said about Panoramic’s occasional DeKalb appearances.

Sunday’s show is part of a four-concert mini-tour that culminates with a Thursday afternoon performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Columbus, Ohio.

Panoramic’s first CD, “Rhythm Through the Unobstructed View,” was released on Chappell’s Rhythmic Union Records in 2005. It showcases the band’s eclectic sound, which combines the Caribbean influence with American jazz and the music of Brazil, Africa and India.

“Nowadays CDs are not something you make very much money on at all.
They’re almost like a business card,” Chappell said.

The CD’s ensuing promotional push cost Chappell thousands of dollars and untold hours. It received good press from places like allaboutjazz.com and allmusic.com, and made it to number 40 on the jazz radio charts.

Check out Panoramic at
panoramicmusic.net.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.