Chronique no. 16 | Chronique Index

Not too long ago, in fact, in 1997, which is not too far back after all, Réginald Policard, had a wonderful CD which may not have received sufficient exposure. On this album « Sa se tròp », Réginald Policard, an excellent keyboardist who plays with the Caribbean Sextet did a magnificent job. . I am not sure the band still exists. Even though it has not produced anything recently, the musicians play constantly and in this solo album, Réginald Policard shows that he does not remain idle. Whether he plays Konica Dirk or something else, he constantly demonstrated his modern orientation ( read his jazz outlook). This is not his first solo album. He is accompanied by most of his fellow musicians from the Caribbean Sextet. Listen to the third tune « Lune de miel », the fourth tune « Voulez-vous danser » to cite only these, and you will appreciate the excellent musicianship of Policard. The traditional Haitian song « Pez e kafe » is a wonderful arrangement by Policard. the instrumental version of the tune « Stephanie » shows the great virtuosity and touch of Policard at the piano. With the exceptions of two songs, all the lyrics are by Haitian poet Syto Cavé, one of the best Haitian playwrights. This is an absolutely excellent CD that all Haitian music lovers should have in his private collection. It should not be difficult to find in stores. .

Continuing with showcasing Haitian women’s musical talent, a couple of months ago,. Sharon Button launched a CD, which I just happened to find alongside some African music. Sharon Button is one of the vocalists with the Group Phantom. I was just curious to hear what the album sounded like and it was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise. The album sounds very nice. Backed by the Group Phantom, the arrangements are nice, the mixing is good. She has a very nice and powerful voice full of nuances. I also particularly enjoyed the background vocals on the album . I find that Phantom has one of the best background vocals in Konpa groups and that is why Sharon Button sounds so good. I like the Gospel orientation incorporated in the voicing of the background singers. Sharon Button is a definitely a force to be reckoned in the field of Konpa Dirèk and should be a welcome addition in your collection.

Speaking of Haitian women, I should also mention Emeline Michel’s album « Ban’m pase ». This album is not new, in fact it came out in 1996 and since then Emeline has not produced anything. I can’t wait for her next one, because if it sounds like anything near that one, then the wait will have been worth it. « Ban’m pase» is an excellent album. The melodies are nice, the lyrics are excellent and Emeline Michel’s voice is as powerful and harmonious as ever. As a lot of other women singers are going into Konpa or semi-Konpa, Emeline is rapidly becoming unique in her genre : she sings ballads, a little bit of zouk, folkloric type music etc. I am waiting to hear what she will bring to us next time around. I heard through the grapevine that she is working on a new album, which should be out in the next two months. So be patient . As soon as I have the information, You will be among the first to know.

A follow-up

I was rather happy to see that the Chronique I wrote on the impact of Haitian women artists in Haitian music seems to have created quite a bit of interest. However, before I go further, a bit of Mea culpa. I mentioned Lina Mathon Blanchet in the chronique as one of our classical artists. I meant to write to say Micheline Laudun Denis and she is the one I had the pleasure to see in concert at the Organization of American States. Lina Mathon Blanchet , also a great artist, had a great impact on Emerantes de Pradines whom she guided in her career.

Among some of the feedback which I have received, one communication in particular stands out because it provided me with interesting information about Haitian women in the classical field. I hurry to share the information with interested readers.

Nicole St-Victor is a soprano trained in Europe. She used to offer two concerts a year in Haiti at the Ecole Sainte-Trinité. For the connoisseurs, one of her signature songs is « L’Air des Bijoux », in Faust opera repertoire. She trains and teaches music to children at the Ecole Sainte-Trinité whose choir goes on tour on a regular basis. I have seen this choir in Washington at least twice and it is a real pleasure to see these young kids doing such a wonderful job.

Sabine Denis, daughter of Micheline Laudun Denis has settled in the Dominican Republic and is working hard to promote awareness of the need for musical training in the education of children. She provides musical training to kindergarten and elementary school teachers on how to teach the basics of music.

Kethlène Adrien is also a wonderful pianist who, at a very young age was always interested in music. She came to Washington where she studied at the Catholic University. She has given numerous concerts and although I do not know where she is right now, I am sure she continues to do wonderful work.

Another name to be mentioned is that of Mme Justin Elie (Man Lili) for those who can remember her providing classical piano teaching to so many students in her house In Bois-Verna. I know this very well because my sister was one of her students. She was a wonderful piano teacher.

There you have a few more names to be added to the list of women artists, which, I repeat, is far from being exhaustive. I have omitted quite a few names because I do not have enough information about their activities to write something meaningful here. There is enough material for a full book on the subject. So, à bon entendeur, salut !

Serge Bellegarde