Chronique no. 14 | Chronique Index

There is a CD which came out last year and may not have received adequate recognition from aficionados. The Orchestre Tropicana has been for a very long time now one of the stalwarts of Haitian music and one of the few remaining true Big Bands of Haiti. A notable other being the venerable Orchestre Septentrional, both sailing from the North. These two remained steady as a rock as they faced the onslaught of the "Mini Jazz" groups during the 70s. When the latter came back to the fold, playing with brass instruments again, Cape Haitian’s big bands must have felt quite vindicated. Orchestre Tropicana continues its tradition of excellence with this CD entitled: Veye, Priye. The long experience and the familiarity of the musicians with their instruments and with each other are obvious. The music flows. And most important , the lyrics are so meaningful, something that cannot be said about too many of our Konpa Dirčk bands. The first tune "Nou tout se frč" (We are all brothers) is an appeal to all of us to learn to live together, for "We are all brothers, children of God, the same blood runs through our veins.." The title tune "Veye Priye" is a reflexion on life in general. This philosophical tendency has been a traditional feature of both Tropicana and Septentrional , and has contributed to their being always a cut above everybody else. Even when the band plays something on the light side such as the fifth tune "Madan’m", the lyrics make sense and do not sound absurd as it happens with other popular groups. The mixing is good and the album is very entertaining either for listening or dancing. If you do not have it already, run for it, you will not be sorry.

Speaking of big bands, there is another one the block. Toward the end of the year, Frantz Courtois et le Grand Orchestre d’Haďti came out with a CD. Frantz Courtois is a well-known musician who has been around. Guitarist, composer, arranger and now keyboard player, he has created this big band in fulfillment of a long sought goal. And there is no exageration in calling his group a BIG BAND: 14 brass instruments divided as follow: 2 alto sax, 3 tenor sax, 5 trumpets and 4 trombones. In all, 21 musicians. Think of the amount of work in harmonizing the brass section and that gives you an idea of the musical knowledge of Frantz Courtois and of the difficulty involved in making arrangements for a band like this. Sometimes, as in the fourth tune, "Egoismo", Courtois seems to forget that there is a singer. The modern arrangements overwhelm the tune and it seems to me that it would have sounded better as an instrumental. The memorable Pierre Blain who played with just about everybody, has kept his well experienced voice and sings with assurance, whether it is a konpa, a Dominican merengue or a traditional Haitian song. Courtois made sure he covered quite a few beats on his album, from the traditional, to the slow dance, the merengue, the salsa etc. The title tune "Tout Ayisyen se ekspč" is a satirical reference to those Haitians who think they know everything. It is played on a traditional Haitian beat reminiscent of Orchestre Tropicana. A lot of the tunes on this CD will bring back a lot of memories, because they used to be played by previous big bands such as Issa El Saieh, Raoul Guillaume Nemours Jean-Baptiste etc.. I try to imagine the amount of work Courtois did to put his band together, made up entirely of Haitian musicians and then to harmonize it all. I find some of the arrangements real nice, while some others are somewhat overdone. But for any musician, this is a CD to listen to because there is a lot to learn.

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. has been engaged for some time in the publication of traditional folks songs from different countries. One such CD from Haiti is Rhythms of Rapture: Sacred Music of Haitian Vodou. This is an excellent reference album. The choice of music incorporated in this CD was very well made. There are 20 different tunes encompassing a wide variety of beats and groups, from the traditional to the modernized roots music. Ram, Boukman Eksperyans, Boukan Ginen, Azor, Frisner Augustin etc are all represented. If you are collecting vodou music, this CD is a must. It is well put together, even containing tunes recorded in vodou ceremonies. .Even though this CD came out in 1995, it remains a good sample of Haitian Roots Music (Rasin).

About Carnival 1999

And speaking of Roots Music, once more, in Carnival 1999, some of the best tunes were by Roots Groups, notably Chandčl , Koudjay, Boukman. It is interesting to note that even if Konpa Dirčk appears to dominate the musical scene the rest of the year, Rasin has claimed Carnival its preserve for the last ten years or so. And for good reason. Like Reggae in Jamaica and Soca in Trinidad, Haitians express themselves better in Roots music, and this year, there was a lot to say in terms of music with a message: the present political situation, corruption, the society, the international community. Hopefully soon, this music will be on CD. I will keep you posted. Stay tuned.

Serge Bellegarde