Chronique no. 38 | Chronique Index
After Eddy Prophète's «Intercultural» CD and the «Kilti-Chok» album, we have a new kid on the block, and not the least. Mozayik is a gem of a CD which has just been released in New York. This evocative name - the Kreyòl Mozayik translates as Mosaic - reflects indeed the orientation of the group which plays music based on Haitian folkloric beats such as : Kongo, Yanvalou, Nago, Ibo, Kontredans ; it plays funk ; it plays ballads, Brazilian Samba or straight ahead bebop Jazz.. And all this with exquisite arrangements and particular competence.
The music is simply wonderful. Tune No. 1, a traditional Haitian melody «Peze Kafe» sets the tone right from the start. Playing on the Kongo rhythm, guitarist Eddy Bourjolly and pianist Welmyr Jean-Pierre combine to do wonderful work. Jean-Pierre who is an excellent arranger of Konpa Dirèk is a real discovery for those of us who are not familiar with his other works. Listen to how the conga player Markus Schwartz maintains the steady Kongo beat. Welmyr Jean-Pierre does reminds me of Joe Sample, with sudden bursts of notes on the piano, embellished with nice melodic lines. The rhythm section does a wonderful job of keeping the beat steady.
Tune No. 2 «Nago Wes» is a very nice tribute to the great guitarist Wes Montgomery, written by the drummer Gashford Guillaume. The song is played on the Nago rhythm reinforced by a jazz waltz. Bourjolly plays the guitar with such feeling and Jean-Pierre's inspiration is right on the money. Listen to the seamless transition from Bourjolly to Jean-Pierre and the latter's soulful melodic lines. This is nice music. Philippe Charles' bass lines fit just right to enhance the song .
Another beautiful melody is tune No. 4 Karimah, written by Bourjolly for his daughter. You can feel all the love and the tenderness coming out of the melody. Tune No. 5 is a pretty ballad, style «soft jazz» which poses a particularly challenge for musicians. Listen to the transition and try to keep the time. There is a particularly odd beat that is not easy to pick up (at least for guys like me). I had to follow the drum and count carefully to be able to understand it. This is an example of all the work that went into the writing of these songs.
Tune No. 6 features the singing of the lovely Emeline Michel and what a job she does on this Gashford Guillaume's composition. The music is simply divine.
Just as you wondered what other treatment could be given to such a popular melody like «Complainte paysanne» , this new arrangement is all fresh. I just love Jean-Pierre's solo which brings out his vast musical background. And what a nice bass solo by Philippe Charles!
Tune No. 8 is wonderfully played on a Yanvalou rhythm, full of soul and feeling. Written by Bourjolly, it is a reflexive melody, somewhat melancholic and bringing out the romantic side of the guitarist. As we say in Haiti, Charles makes the bass talk.
The CD closes with a straight ahead bebop tune called Focus. This tune confirms the strong jazz background of the group. The musicians just feel at ease with each other and the music comes out more spontaneous. I think this is one of the top Haitian CDs released so far this year and believe me, you would be making a big mistake if you did not add it to your collection. That is why I urge you to run to your record store . You are in for an exquisite musical treat. I cannot wait for their next album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Rasin jazz, we move on to another brand of Rasin music, this one much closer to the original thing. Indeed, Kanzo is the latest release from conga player extraordinaire Gaston Jean-Baptiste better known as «Bonga» . Even though instruments such as the trumpet, the electronic guitar and the saxophone are used on this CD, Kanzo manages to sound as traditional as you can get, compared to other Rasin groups like Ram or Kanpèch, where the rock style guitar predominates. In that respect, Bonga's Kanzo is much closer to Azor's style.
I discovered Bonga on the «Kilti-Chòk» CD where he gave a grand performance. His mastery of the conga is even more audible on this album, particularly on the tunes where there is no singing. Tune No. 3 amply demonstrates how good he is. Somehow, as I listen to him, I am reminded of that great pioneering drummer, Ti Roro. Tune No. 3 is played on a fiery Petwo beat which will prevent you from keeping still. On tune No. 4, he is joined by Haitian saxophonist Thurgot Theodat and guitarist Jon Glazer. It is interesting to hear how those instruments were integrated into an otherwise very traditional Nago rhythm, as the African mbira gives support underneath. Theodat's playing is reminiscent of John Coltrane. In fact, this is the kind of experiment that he would have appreciated, since he liked to engage in new fields of music.
Tune No. 5, Wongol, is played on a Raboday beat. The Banbou sound transports me to carnival in the countryside, with plenty of percussion. Tune No. 7, Soukri, is played on a rhythm called «Ya Ya Ti Kongo» and Bonga gives a masterful drum solo which attests once more of his intimate knowledge of those Haitian rythms. I would be very curious to know where and when he had time to learn so much and to practice so hard. He makes it sound so easy. What a nice encounter it would be if Bonga and Azor played together on the same stage.
I found it very useful for him to indicate the rhythm on which each tune was based . I also enjoyed the instrumental tunes more so than the sung ones. I think that on some of those tunes, Bonga has successfully recreated the atmosphere of the Voodoo ceremonies or like in tune No. 11, the Rara carnival atmosphere of the countryside. All that makes for authentic and traditional music. This is what culture is all about and that is why Kanzo is a CD you might want to add to your collection under the heading : Haitian traditional Music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If among the readers of this Chronique, there are poets, then Trio des Beaux Arts - Jardin littéraire is the perfect find for them. MichelAnge Bazile, Yvelyne Fung-Cap and Serge Duviella joined forces to deliver some beautiful poetry so ably supported by Duviella's arrangements. One sentence in the liner notes reads as follows: «This album has been made for the sake of and for the love of art ; it is dedicated to those who thirst for it.» The lyrics are quite illustrative of that. This is a labor of love enhanced by MichelAnge Bazile's romantic voice, Yveline Fung-Cap's sultry tone, and Serge Duviella's deep voice , a perfect contrast for this kind of poetry. The poems are supported by Duviella's musical arrangements which never overwhelms the poetry. One is never distracted by the music in the background so that you can concentrate on the poetry. While the general theme of the album is love, tune No. 11, Pleurs de l'Afrique, is a wonderful and moving tribute to Amadou Diallo assassinated by the New York police in February 1999. Powerfully delivered by Serge Duviella, the lyrics translate, through Diallo's death, the injustice done to Africa. There is also a very nice homage to the mother so thoughtfully delivered by Ms. Fung-Cap as well as a poignant and nostalgic tribute to Haiti sung by MichelAnge Bazile, Ms. Fung-Cap and Serge Duviella.
I sure hope that the Trio des Beaux Arts will continue to experiment with this genre and release more CDs. Most important, I hope that the public will respond positively to this valuable work. This is a very relaxing album that you will listen on Sunday morning or late at night, when things are quiet, for you will need the tranquillity to fully appreciate it.
Serge Bellegarde