CD Review no. 44 | All CD Reviews

I recently received a CD by another excellent Haitian guitarist who, you might think, is a new kid on the block. Not at all! Badou Badou may be his first solo album, but Pierre-Rigaud Chéry is not only a veteran composer, but he is an excellent guitarist in his own right. If you had any doubt, listen to this album.

In the liner notes, Georges Castera says the following: "...music lovers and an informed audience will go from discovery to discovery through a universe of unusual sounds..."(my translation). I could not agree more.

What first strikes me while listening to Pierre-Rigaud Chéry is the lyricism in his playing. There is a sense of tranquillity, a pensive quality in his play, which irradiates from the way he hits the strings of his guitar. When he plays, he communicates, as in tune no. 2 "Sus-Sus": you are listening to a dialogue. From the intro to tune no. 3, a well-known song by the late Haitian troubadour Ti Paris, the lyricism is very evident. This is a wonderful interpretation. Pierre-Rigaud's style reminds me very much of two famous guitarists: the Brazilian Baden Powell and the American Charlie Bird. His love for Baden Powell is evident with tune no. 7, an original composition which he entitled "Bossa Baden". I love what he did with Jean Benjamin's tune "Debwouye-w". This interpretation is certainly a first in my book. And what about tune No. 5 "Konplent Peyizan"? This Haitian classic has been interpreted by so many artists that it is remarkable how fresh and harmonious Pierre-Rigaud makes it sound. His choices of chords are exquisite.

Pierre-Rigaud not only showcases his talents as composer - he wrote six of the fourteen tunes on this CD, but he also shows his creativity by paying hommage to Ti Paris , Raoul Guillaume, Lumane Casimir, Jean Benjamin, all great icons in the Haitian musical pantheon. This versatility is one of his trademarks. He moves from one style to the other with such ease. Listen to his arrangements of tune no. 8 "Lina" then tune no. 12 "Chanson", then tune no. 13 "Isit an Ayiti". Pierre-Rigaud has always been and remains very close to his cultural heritage. This is reflected in his playing and the choice of artists whose music he chooses to play. I love his treatment of Ti Paris'music for example.

I hesitate to say which one is my favorite on this CD. I made a choice when I listened to it for the first time; but I listened to it a second time and discovered new things as I went along. You do the same. Listen to it more than once and you will discover songs like tunes No. 5, 6 7 8,9....In short, the whole CD.

If I were to describe Pierre-Rigaud's style, I would use words like: lyrical, sensitive, harmonious, quietly sophisticated. The number of Haitian guitarists is rapidly increasing and you know what, the more, the merrier! This CD is an excellent representative of the new generation and Pierre-Rigaud Chéry 's Badou Badou should be part of your collection of Haitian guitarists. Get one for yourself and another one for a friend.

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Are you in the mood for some good traditional Haitian music played on a variety of beats? If so,I have the right CD for you. In one of my recent forays at the record store, I found a CD I had never heard of before and what a nice surprise! Finesse: Les meilleures chansons d'Haïti is a fine album either for listening or dancing. Produced by Clifford Sylvain (of Rara Machine), this CD is enhanced by an impressive array of musicians: Raymond Cajuste, Sharon Burron, Josel Almeus, Makarios Césaire, Rodrigue Gauthier, Lucien Cerran, Jean-Michel St. Victor and so many more. Following on the footsteps of Haitiando, the music is vintage Haitian traditional music played on salsa, cha cha cha, Dominican Bachata, bolero, konpa, etc. Unlike Haitiando, the band uses a full brass section of sax, trumpet and trombone.

Quite a few of our composers are featured. The album opens with a famous tune by Joe Jack and the musicians weave through the music of Rodolphe Legros, Guy Durosier, Michel Desgrottes, Nemours Jean-Baptiste etc. Clifford Sylvain did a real good job of producing this album. Tune no. 3 is a fine potpourri of familiar Haitian tunes (familiar, that is, to Haitians, but equally enjoyable for non-Haitians) played on a slow beat. Raymond Cajuste has such a nice voice for this kind of music. Listen to Makarios Césaire's guitar. With his laid back style, he produces such a relaxing sound that it is a joy to listen to him. Those melodies will really take you back , far back on memory lane. There are a number of favorites here such as tune no. 5 - Hommage à Elle, a tribute to Lumane Casimir, and tune no.4, a composition by Clifford Sylvain and so on. There is something for everyone. Of particular interest is tune no. 6, Marabout de mon coeur, composed by Guy Durosier. It is played on the Dominican beat Bachata which is the craze of the moment in that country. The combination of Raymond Cajuste'voice and the Bachata guitar of Jorge Ferreira is just excellent.

The arrangements on the CD, without being overly complicated, are more than adequate. They are not overwhelming and create the right mix for the singer to move through the song. Again in tune no. 7, listen how guitarist Makarios Césaire provides a supportive accompaniment to the singer.

While it has not received a lot of publicity, this CD is a very nice one. I thoroughly enjoyed each one of the songs and I am sure you will too. The mixing is pretty good and the CD is quite original. If you liked Haitiando, Vols 1 and 2, you will also like also this album.

Serge Bellegarde