Kareem Thompson

Kareem Thompson is a Brooklyn steel pannist whose playing sits where jazz, calypso and Afro-Caribbean music meet. Raised by Trinidadian grandparents, he came up through his family band K.I.T Caribbean Connection in the mid-1990s, continuing a line that runs back to his grandfather's years with Trinidad's Highlanders Steel Orchestra. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2013 and later joined its faculty. His debut album, Pan Roots Culture, arrived in 2017 and set his pan against guitar, upright bass, piano and drums. He has worked with Elan Trotman, Etienne Charles, Mighty Sparrow and Brian Simpson, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center and festivals including Tobago Jazz.