Chronique no. 25 | Chronique Index

In the previous Chronique, I mentioned the name of a talented singer, Jean-Claude Eugène, who lives in the Washington area. About three years ago, he launched a CD which shows that his first album was not a fluke. I like all the songs on the album, although my favorite might be No. 4 " Pwezi Tropikal ". Whether he talks about love, or about his country , Eugène sings with sensitivity ; he has a wonderful voice full of nuances, not unlike that of Guy Durosier. He is also quite a composer and a lyricist, having written most of the lyrics on the album. On the last tune "Libète", Eugène expresses his deep concern about the principle of freedom which is being trampled upon. I cannot wait for his next album which, by the way is in the works. I was privileged to listen to some of the tunes and it is going to be nice. The arrangements are made by Fritz Duval, better known as Toto Duval, former guitarist with Weber Sicot. Duval has developped into a fine bass player and lately, a keyboard player. And I can tell you, he is serious about his work. So the combination of Toto Duval and Jean-Claude Eugène can only produce excellence. This album should be out by the end of the year. Meanwhile, add this one to your collection. It is well worth it.

If you are looking for a good solid Konpa Dirèk album, then you should get La Grande Famille. This another one of the series put out by Tuco Bouzi, and it is as good as " Les Rois du Compas " series. Some of the great Haitain singers collaborated on this project: Cubano, Shoubou, Douby, Eric Charles, Larose, etc. There is an excellent adaptation by Tuco Bouzi of Larose's tune "Mandela", played on a slow cha-cha-cha beat. A lot of great Haitian musicians also cooperated on the CD : Ansito, Fabrice Rouzier, Eval Manigat, Joe Fortuné, Ralph Condé, etc. Tuco Bouzi provides steady support and he has such a sense of timing when he plays Konpa that it is a real joy to dance to his music. He is also quite a composer, having written three of the 6 songs and collaborated to the other three. So if you are having a party, you should have this CD. It is very entertaining and a valuable addition to your collection.

Serge Bellegarde