In a previous installment of the Chronique musicale, I was talking about the serious foray of Haitian female artists into Konpa Dirèk. Less known however, and probably less appreciated, is the small number of Haitian singers in the field of jazz. And somewhere near the top of that list, you should find the name of Ginette Oriol. Her latest CD is a real joy for the female jazz singers fans. Accompanied by Japanese bassist Tatsuhiko Kimura and pianist Eddy Prophète, she does a wonderful job on well known tunes as well as traditional Haitian songs. On the opening tune, Loverman, Ginou Oriol shows how harmonious and soft she can be. For the connoisseurs, she sounds at times like the great American singer Dee Dee Bridgewater. Her rendition of classic tunes like The Girl from Ipanema and Wave (Antonio Carlos Jobim) and of Haitian traditional songs like Kouzen, Yoyo, Danmbala, shows her range. Eddy Prophète also shows great sensitivity in that supporting role, never overwhelming the song. Ginou dedicated her album to American jazz icons: Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn and to Haitian icon Martha Jean-Claude. It is a fitting tribute and a great addition to your CD collection.

Just when you thought that those traditional Haitian songs had been arranged and interpreted by so many different artists and played on so many different rhythms, arrives James Germain and his CD Kafou minwi. James Germain is a Haitian living in France who has done quite a nice job with classic Haitian tunes like "Mèsi Bon dye, Wongolo, Latibonite, Minis Azaka, etc.". Among a host of other West Indian musicians, he is accompanied by Beethova Obas on three of the ten tunes on the CD. It is a mixture of folkloric rhythms and some Konpa and most of all, of some very nice and original arrangements. You probably have noticed by now how Haitian musicians are busy digging in our folklore and always finding some new stuff, coming up with some new inspiration, new sounds. The more, the better. The mixing is good, the lyrics are good. This is another solid addition to your collection. .

Now on to Konpa Dirèk. K-Dans is a group based in Haiti and their newest CD really deserves notice. I had not been impressed with their previous release, but this one sounds really nice. I suppose this group can be classified as a so-called "New generation", but their sound is very mature. They have slowed down the Konpa beat and the result is very soothing.

Serge Bellegarde