Chronique no. 23 | Chronique Index

Since it came on the scene in the eighties, Boukman Eksperyans has become synonymous with excellence in Mizik Rasin. Indeed, each one of its CD's so far has maintained those traditions of innovations, social consciousness and meaningful lyrics. Its latest CD " Live at Red Rocks " is no exception. When I first got this album, I could not hide a chuckle at the thought of Haitian Roots Music being played in a place like Colorado, where the live concert took place in August 1998 during the " Reggae at the Red Rocks Festival ". Well, Boukman really rocked the place if you listened to the thunderous reception it received. The recording and the mixing are very good. As a group, Boukman Eksperyans remains as revolutionary as ever. The message-laden songs which made the military so angry during their dictatorship are as defiant as ever. Listening to those songs which can be found on other Boukman CD's, you can hear a group at peace with itself, with its orientation, a group which has found its way. At one point, Théodore Beaubrun, the band leader asks: "If I lose my ego, what do I lose?" A lot of us could benefit from that.

For those who are familiar with the music, you will here songs like "Zansèt nou yo", "Jou nou revolte", "Nou pa vle lagè" etc. Three carnival songs are also featured : " Baron , Tipa Tipa and Pawòl Tafia". I remember being in Haiti when " Pawòl Tafia " hit the airwaves and it was a sensation, because the lyrics carried such a powerful social message. However, Théodore Beaudrun, became so upset when politicians and other sectors of the population decided to use " Pawòl Tafia " as criticism of the Préval government that he gave an interview on radio to denounce those who would distort the purpose of the song. There is something else which puts Boukman a notch above most Rasin Groups. Since its previous CD, Boukman has been engaged in an exploration of different rythms in the Haitian folklore and its latest CD is a showcase of its research. Each one of the 12 tunes is played on a different rythm, illustrating the richness of the culture. The drumming section does an excellent job and this CD can be a real musical education. And you will like the colorful cover too! So, run to your record store for you copy, it is worth it, believe me!

He made us wait for a while, but folks, the wait was well worth it. I am talking about Edy Brisseaux, one of Haiti's premier trumpet player, arranger and composer. I find this album even better that the previous one, as good as it was. But, first things first. What I like about the CD is that it has a theme: it is dedicated to the women of the world, especially all the mothers. When it comes to the music, Edy Brisseaux has one of the best styles you'll ever hear in a Konpa dirèk blended with modern jazz. This CD is simply a treat.

Although I like all the tunes, I want to single out a few. In tune No. 3 "Ce manman'w", the arrangements are just superb. Listen to the way the keyboard supports the melody. The vocals are something to notice too. Brisseaux does something unique with the background vocals in Konpa Dirèk. Listen to the patterns and the phrasing of the voices; they don't just sing; they blend with the horn and sing with it; and this makes for beautiful music. Only the Group "Phantoms" has shown this kind of creativity with the background vocals in Haitian Konpa. In tune No. 4 "Bèl chè manman", played on a cha-cha-cha beat, there is a wonderful dialogue between Brisseaux and Brisseaux, one playing the mute trumpet and the other the full sound trumpet. It is a treat. Tune No. 4 played on a rara beat is a showcase of solos by everyone. By the way, Yves Albert Abel is on the bass ; I guess there is no need to say more. Brisseaux makes a very nice arrangement of a traditional Haitian song "Yon sèl pitit", in which he also sings. You should listen to this. He put together a collection of excellent musicians like Jocel Almeus, Shedly Abraham, Makarios Césaire, Yves Albert Abel, Alan Cave and many more. Brisseaux's solo shows a keen sense of improvisation and his arrangements are some of the best I have heard in Konpa dirèk. The recording and the mixing are excellent too.

I have one criticism though and it does not have anything to do with the music. The cover of the CD contains pictures of women of the world with a sentence paying tribute to the women in eleven languages. Unfortunately, The sentence in Haitian Kreyòl has two spelling mistakes which could have easily been corrected if I had been verified by Kreyòl experts. I do not think it is too much to ask that our artists show particularly care because of the exposure their CD's receive. But that should not stop you from stopping whatever you were doing to run to the record store and get your copy. You'll like it! I guarantee it.

From Edy Brisseaux in 1999, we go back, way back to Nemours Jean-Baptiste and his Ensemble Aux Calebasses around the 50's. A reissue of one of his old albums came out recently and brings back a lot of memories. For those who are old enough to remember, this CD contains songs like "Chaise, Ti Yaya toto, Femme St. Marc, Grogue, Machan Calebasses " etc. Twelve songs in all. When Nemours Jean-Baptiste set up his group, his objective was to provide an alternative to the "old" type of music that the main band of the time "Jazz des Jeunes", was playing. He felt that this music was not modern enough, because it was based on Haitian folkloric beats. The irony of it all though is that as you listen to this CD, you will hear that Nemours was himself continuing to use Haitian traditional beats like rara, even while he was "modernising". Like any Haitian bands, he also played cha-cha-cha and Cuban Music. But one can hear though that the concept of what he wanted to play was slowly, but surely taking form. Indeed, tunes like "A pali Papa" or "Machan Calebasses" already contained all the ingredients of the modern Konpa dirèk. Fred Paul did a masterful job with the mixing which is quite amazing for such old music. The music collectors will be happy to listen to Julien Paul and a bunch of other musicians of their generation (I was not there because I was too young...). This should be another valuable addition to your collection.


Other news from the grapevine

Les Ambassadeurs are still touring Haiti. Hopefully I will have more news when they return around August 16. I understand a lot of people cried as they reminisced about the good old time...

On September 19, Eddy Prophète, Ginou Oriol and possibly Azor are scheduled to be in concert in the Washington area. We'll keep you posted. Mark your calendar. By the way, Eddy is working on another CD which I understand should be out by December.

Last week I had the pleasure of going to the Caribbean Plaza, a wonderful Haitian restaurant night club in Nyack, N.Y. After hearing so much about it, I finally made it. In an interesting combination, a young medical doctor, Harry Juste, was playing the guitar and singing. On one of the songs, he sounded like Nat King Cole. I will talk about him some more next week. Emeline Michel is scheduled to play there, Boukman Eksperyans performed here a few weeks ago and I understand that on August 28, Joe Trouillot will be performing alongside Edner Guignard. That should be a memorable evening. The Plaza is slowly, but surely becoming the place to go for the best of Haiti's musicians.

Serge Bellegarde