Chronique no. 17 | Chronique Index
Going through my music collection, I "rediscovered" an album I had not listened to in quite a while and what a fresh sound! Djanm is an album which came out in 1993 and it features a host of some of our best musicians: Boulo Valcourt, Alix Nozile, Mushi and Joel Widmaier, Claude Marcelin, Fabrice Rouzier, Ginette Oriol, Azor, Welmyr Jean-Pierre and many more. This CD was an attempt by Boulo Valcourt to inject new life to our traditional music and while there have been many other artists to do so since, Djanm particularly stands out because of the choice of songs, the highly skillful and competent arrangements by Boulo Valcourt, an excellent guitarist in his own right, and Jocel Alméus.. What is most interesting on the CD is that each one of the ten tunes is based on a different rhythm, whether Haitian traditional, Bossa Nova, South African, Soca, etc. The title tune Batala is a very nice song by Haitian poet Syto Cave and Boulo Valcourt. It is played on an ebullient South African beat. The 8th tune 6 Moustik is played on a Soca beat and arranged by Jocel Alméus. This CD shows once more that Haitian musicians are the only ones I know in the Caribbean area who feel at ease playing either Soca, Reggae, Salsa or anything else. The last tune Massala is played on a hot Rara beat which roars with Azor’s voice. In short, Carnival material. Even though it came out in 1993, this CD remains as fresh as ever and is an excellent addition to any music collection.
Changing gear, we go now to another CD which came out in 1997. I must confess that I had never really paid attention to this artist and when I decided to pick up this CD, I did not know what to expect. Well, Mario de Volcy - Super Mario IV turned out to be a very nice album. The music director is a very good guitarist and arranger named Dernst Emile. He does a nice job on this CD. This is Konpa, but not your hard hitting Konpa à la Tabou Combo or System Band. This one is more laid back. When you have musicians such as Yves Albert Abel, Jacky Ambroise, Ralph Condé, Raymond Cajuste, Florence Caze (Zshéa), Denis Nozile, Georgie Metellus, Clifford Sylvain and others cooperating on an album, you can generally assume that there will be quality. In this genre, this is a nice dancing album with different variations on the Konpa Rhythm The first tune Marie La Folle has a nice beat and was arranged by the great singer Beethova Obas. To tell you the truth, I like all the tune s on the CD and I think you will like them too. Should you see it at the record stores, do not hesitate to add it to your collection.
Speaking of Beethova Obas, what a wonderful lyricist!. His CD Pa prese is an excellent testimony to his deep inspiration. Blessed with a soft touch on the guitar reinforced by a velvet voice, Beethova Obas shows great versatility not only in his playing but also in the different themes covered by his songs. He sings to the misery of the peasants, to the bare mountaintops or to love with equal depth and meaning. Many aficionados will also be happy to listen to his interpretation of Ti Paris’s Lina. This Haitian Troubadour left a lot of memorable tunes and Obas does a nice job with this one . As of this writing, I understand that Beethova Obas’s latest CD is just coming out. I promise that by the next Chronique, I will give you more details. But I can already tell you that judging by this CD and the quality of the artist’s products since he came on the musical scene, I do not have any doubt that it is going to be one more addition to your collection. I will keep you posted.
Serge Bellegarde