Blue Flames heat up the Darien Arts Center

Written by The Darien Times
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 01:00

The Blue Flames Steel Band will be performing for the benefit of the Darien Arts Center's Cabaret Theatre for one-night only on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8, in the Darien Arts Center Weatherstone Studio.

The Blue Flames Steel Band are four “panists” who all live in Darien and Rowayton. Darienite Bob Wells plays tenor pan and arranges the group’s music. Jim Linville of Rowayton plays the “double second” pans. Barbara Wells of Darien plays on three cello pans, and Vicky Linville of Rowayton “grounds” sounds with four tenor-bass pans.

The band plays original arrangements with sounds from the Caribbean Islands, Brazil and Africa. They regularly perform at the New England Steel Pan Festival, held every other May, as well as a variety of venues in Vermont. Recently, they performed in gigs from Sun Valley, Idaho to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, close to where steel drum music began more than 50 years ago. In 1996, they played at the Summer Olympic Games, and in 2005, they performed in Indiana, where Mikhail Gorbachev was in the audience.

All proceeds from the Blue Flames’ performances go to charity. Tickets are $25 for adults, and $15 for full-time students. For more information, call the box office at 655-5414 or order tickets online at arts.darien.org.