Favorite
Artists
T-Vice
Roberto and Reynaldo Martino, the sons of renowned Haitian lead guitarist Robert Martino of the classic compas band, Top Vice, were musically inspired by them to create music of their own. In 1992, T-Vice was founded as a successor to Top Vice, in which the T- is shortened twice, once from Ti', then ultimately from the word petit, which is French (as well as Creole) for "small" (hence "Small" Vice).[6][7] They soon recruited longtime friends James Cardozo and Gérald Kébreau completing the original quartet and are still known as such today.
T-Vice band is based in Miami, Fl. It was formed in 1991. Musical influences include reggae, merengue, flamenco and rock n’ roll. Unlike most Haitian bands, T-Vice's reach extends outside of Haiti to as far as the US, Caribbean and even Europe. T-Vice collaborates with other popular Haitian bands, most notably, Carimi and even their rival band Djakout Mizik. They have also worked with the famous Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean and Jamaican musician Buju Banton.
D.P. Express
D.P. Express is a Haitian musical group known for their contributions to the Haitian music scene, with notable lead singers like Hervé Bleus and Antoine "Ti Manno" Jean-Baptiste.
D.P. Express played a significant role in shaping the contemporary musical landscape of Haiti, contributing to the genesis of today's vibrant scene.
Emeline Michel
Emeline Michel, born in Gonaïves, is a Haitian singer who has been called "The Joni Mitchell of Haiti." Her songs merge native Haitian compas and rara music with jazz, pop, bossa nova, and samba. She is a well accomplished dancer, versatile vocalist, songwriter and producer. She sang a version of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" at Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.
Sweet Micky
Michel Joseph Martelly[1] (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl ʒɔzɛf maʁteli]; born 12 February 1961[2]) is a Haitian singer and former politician who went on to serve as the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He is from Côte-de-fer, a commune located in the South East region of Haiti. Martelly was one of Haiti's best-known musicians for over a decade, going by the stage name Sweet Micky. For business and musical reasons, Martelly has moved a number of times between the United States and Haiti. When travelling to the United States, Martelly mostly stays in Florida. After his presidency, Martelly returned to his former band (Sweet Micky) and sung a carnival meringue entitled Bal Bannan nan (Give her the banana), a message as a response to Liliane Pierre Paul, a famous Haitian female journalist in Port-au-prince
Michel Martelly
Michel Joseph Martelly[1] (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl ʒɔzɛf maʁteli]; born 12 February 1961[2]) is a Haitian singer and former politician who went on to serve as the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He is from Côte-de-fer, a commune located in the South East region of Haiti. Martelly was one of Haiti's best-known musicians for over a decade, going by the stage name Sweet Micky. For business and musical reasons, Martelly has moved a number of times between the United States and Haiti. When travelling to the United States, Martelly mostly stays in Florida. After his presidency, Martelly returned to his former band (Sweet Micky) and sung a carnival meringue entitled Bal Bannan nan (Give her the banana), a message as a response to Liliane Pierre Paul, a famous Haitian female journalist in Port-au-prince
Carole Demesmin
Today, Carole Demesmin is an older lady singer and a powerful Vodou priestess, or a manbo. She now mostly sits and only sometimes comments instead of being the cultural doer that she once was. She tells her memories. Before it, she was a socially and politically conscious young woman in bright colors on a vinyl cover. She sang Vodou culture songs that some in Haiti, who preferred to mimic European culture, shunned. She also sang songs about the tribulations of the country’s poor. She was a singer seen on television and heard on the radio who time and time again fed Haitian life with her a love of selfhood. As a token of their gratitude, Haitians have declared her a legend.
Carole Demesmin was at first a middle class Haitian girl from Leogane who had moved to the United States who knew very little if nothing at all about Vodou. Leogane is a city known for its Rara bands; pre-columbian culture marching bands heavily steeped in Vodou that still exist today. Regardless, she was not aware of it. She learned of Vodou in the United States, as many Haitians do. Inspired, she went on to release the majestic album Carole Maroule in 1979.
Carole Demesmin – Carole Maroule
She moved back to Haiti in the early 1980’s and became one of the great singers of her people’s struggle, a people who would overthrow a dictator in 1986, a people who would be massacred by its own army in the early 1990’s and who would know a bittersweet version of democracy that would send it into a disastrous tailspin that still affects Haiti today. As things turned sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, she became a priestess of Vodou religion and released the albums Min Rara, Lawouze, and Kongayiti-Afrika, all to signify that we Haitians are Africans in the New World who want respect.
Her commitment to Vodou was as correct as it is beautifully expressed. No human being should be obliged to believe in a specific God or in one God. We human beings have not been successful at upholding that as a human right. Christian institutions, descendants of Roman Christianity and always close to political and social power, has done a lot of damage to one’s ability to practice another religion with dignity. It forced the polytheist slaves of the Western Hemisphere into an odd form of secrecy; they could not practice their faith in public and so their descendants have taken on similar postures. Her commitment did wonders for Haitian culture and for Haitian song. It imposed itself in public, gladly, without remorse.
Courtesy: Adolf Alzuphar
Manno Charlemagne
Joseph Emmanuel "Manno" Charlemagne (April 14, 1948[2] – December 10, 2017)[3] was a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, political activist and politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creole. He lived abroad in exile twice, both during the 1980s and again during the years 1991–1994, when the country was ruled by a military junta led by Raoul Cédras.
John Steve Brunache
John Steve released his seminal album, Chimen Limyè, in 1994 from New York City, where he moved from Haiti in self-exile due to the risks to him and his family caused by the political nature of his music.
Track List of Chimen Limyè:
"Pa Bliye, Makaya" 05:55
"Yawe" 04:41
"Se Kiyès" 05:29
"Madanm" 05:03
"La Relèv" 04:34
"Chimen Limyè" 05:05
"Timoun Yo" 06:13
"Linyon" 05:12
"You cannot build good on the outside if you don't have it on the inside," Brunache, the mystic poet-singer, whose love affair with Haiti has nearly made him an icon in the Haitian folk music genre.
His philosophical outlook on life is also embedded in his lifestyle. That lifestyle resonates in his lyrics and his melodies. Religion is the first tier of the foundation of Brunache's prose. Brunache says: "I always meditate through yoga before writing." A devout vegetarian, he openly admits to his fascination with religion: Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Voodoo as well as various branches of Christianity. It was these teachings that fed his knowledge of self-enlightenment. "Knowing myself enables me to better understand others," he explains. Brunache so believed in his theory, that in the early 1980s he became a theology student.
The need for artistic expression did not lag far behind. As a child Brunache had a natural inclination for the arts. In the mid-1980s, he enrolled in one of Haiti's most prestigious arts institutions, the National School for the Arts. In Dramatic arts, Brunache became a composer, producer and a self-taught guitarist.
Poetry is an integral part of his music, Brunache does not sacrifice melodies in his message to the world. Like many Haitians, Brunache a native of Grand-Anse, Haiti's southwest region renowned for its strong political foresight and rebellion, is firmly grounded in his political ideals. Politics first put him in the spotlight of Haiti's social-political and cultural movement, long before big U.S record companies saw fit to invest in cross over racine/roots bands like Boukman Eksperyans. Some would argue that his devotion to preserve this African-based musical tradition came even before notable roots bands like Boukan Ginen, Koudjay, Ram, and Kampech decided to embrace and capitalize on it.
Playing an active role in the Musical Freedom Movement, Brunache and his then newly founded five piece Band Tonm-Tonm (the name of a popular peasant delicacy of Jeremie) "sang for all of Haiti," says Brunache, but wanted to help transform the country to benefit the masses, more specifically, the poor. For this, his popularity rose substantially. So much so that his roots band specializing in a style of music known as "pile", (a double entendre meaning to "step on" as well as "to grind") performed at the Sylvio Cator Stadium, one of Haiti's largest venues. They also performed for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first democratically elected president, on the eve of his inauguration.
During the tail-end of the Duvalier regime, one of Tonm Tonm's group members was sentenced and spent two months in Fort Dimanche, a prison notoriously known as Fort La Mort, or "Fort of Death". After his release, he later died. Despite this tragedy, Tonm-Tonm began putting together their first album. But once again political hardship changed their fate. The 1991 coup that ousted Aristide led to turbulent times, even for artists. As fear and violence spread across Haiti, many fled to save their lives. Shortly after, another of the group's members was killed, leaving Brunache and one other member as the sole survivors.
TiCorn
Cornelia Schütt was born in Heiligenberg (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Two months after her birth, she relocated to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, where she spent her years growing up.[1] Born to German parents from Berlin, her father Carl Otto Schütt, at the age of 18, joined the family business in Cap-Haïtien that was in operation since 1832 and made frequent trips back and forth from Germany. After returning from an intern camp in the United States after World War II, he returned to Germany and met Corneilia' mother, Ingrid, an educated architect. She moved with him to Haiti to attend the Coffee farm.[5][7] She received her nickname "TiCorn" ("Ti" is a colloquialism of the French word "petite," meaning "little" or "small" - thus "Little Corn[elia]") from her nanny Anna Colo, which she grew up with in Haiti.
Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti
L'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti est issu de l'Orchestre Caraïbes qui avait pris naissance dans le nord du pays à la fin des années 1950. C'est en mars 1963 lors d'une réunion à laquelle assistèrent quelques musiciens et fans de Caraïbes au Yanvalou Night Club qu'est venu l'idée à Bazile Cobty de rebaptiser le groupe Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti, nom tiré d'un night club à Cuba que Cobty avait l'habitude de fréquenter.
La première répétition de l'Orchestre nouvellement formé a eu lieu le 24 mars 1963 dans une maison appartenant à Cobty. À cette époque, la musique française et la musique latine étaient très populaires en Haïti, et déjà dans le Nord il y avait un autre groupe très influent, l'Orchestre Septentrional.
Sept ans après sa formation soit en 1970, l'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti a produit son premier disque où on retrouve des titres comme Zoklo et Ti Zo chanté par Giordany Joseph sous la commande du maestro Emmanuel Turenne.
Jazz des jeunes
René St. Aude (music director, saxophone), Gérard Dupervil (vocals), Antalcidas Oreux Murat (cornet), Emmanuel Auguste (vocals), Serge Lahens (vocals), Jean-Claude Felix (vocals), Alex Volcy (vocals), Gerard Claude St. Aude (saxophone), Alphonse Jean-Louis (saxophone), Eddy Dorlette (saxophone), Avin Valdermar (trumpet), Walter Frederic (trumpet), Wilner Guillaume (trumpet), Yvon Pompilus (vocals), Noe Mathurin (guitar), Jean-Robert Felix (bass), Jean-Arnold Delma (percussion, music director), Farelus Delice (drums), Gerard Osias (keyboards), Richard Duroseau (keyboards), Ronald H. Loussaint (saxophone), Jean Philome Desilus (vocals), Dios Joachim (vocals), Eddy Payoute (guitar), Jean-Robert Roger (guitar), Wilner Pierre (bass), Nicolas Rogers (bass), Pierre Voltaire (bass), Yvens Keslin (drums), Willy Frederique Jr. (congas), Manes Surpris (percussion), Wins Delma (keyboards)
Issa el Saieh
Issa El Saieh was born in Petit Goave on February 22, 1919, into a family of Palestinian immigrants becoming a Haitian citizen at the age of twenty-one. He developed a commercial activity as an art dealer in the Haitian capital from 1954.
His band became popular in Port-au-Prince in the forties and fifties. His music reflects a mixture of elements of Cuban music and jazz harmonies without losing its Creole essence. Musicians such as Ti Ro Ro and the singer Guy Durosier participated in it.
In 1957 he recorded a selection of his songs in Havana. The notes for that album were written by Bebo Valdés.
Issa was one of the five Haitian musicians honored at the Lincoln Center on June 27, 1998.
Guy Durosier
Guy Durosier, a versatile Haitian singer and organist whom Edith Piaf once called ''the living breath of Haiti,'' died on Thursday at his home in Bothell, a suburb of Seattle. He was 68.
The cause was complications from pulmonary cancer, said his son Robert.
In a career more than 50 years long, Mr. Durosier also played the saxophone and composed music. Like most Haitian musicians, he had an eclectic style, ranging from big band sounds to Cuban music of the 50's.
His genre reached even those who left Haiti too young to have known his music firsthand and those who were born in the United States to Haitian parents. His cross-generational appeal was evident when Mr. Durosier received a standing ovation after performing at Lincoln Center in June 1998 during a fund-raiser for the Haitian-American Alliance, a community group based in Brooklyn. Reviewers said Mr. Durosier outshone younger and more popular Haitian musicians like the singer Emeline Michel and the guitarist Beethova Oba.
Born in Port-au-Prince, the capital, Mr. Durosier started performing at age 14. In 1947 he began playing the clarinet with the school band at St. Louis de Gonzague School in Port-au-Prince. A few years later, he began to play professionally when he caught the attention of Issa Saieh, the maestro of the most famous orchestra in Haiti.
Tafa Mi-Soleil
Evenie Rose Thafaïna Saint-Louis, better known by her stage name Tafa Mi-Soleil, was born in 1998, in Fort Jacques, Haiti. She is a rising star in Haitian music, with a unique voice and a deep commitment to promoting women's and minority rights. In addition to her music, Mi-Soleil involved in theater and painting.
Nemours Jean-Baptiste
Nemours Jean-Baptiste (February 2, 1918 – May 18, 1985) was a Haitian saxophonist, writer, and band leader. He is credited with being the inventor of compas, also known as compas direct, a style of Haitian music.
Nemours nicknamed "maestro" married Marie-Félicité Olivier with whom he had two daughters, Yvrose, Marie-Denise and a son, Yves-Nemours. Nemours dedicated many songs to his friends and fans. The 1967 composition "Ti Carole", dedicated to his fan Kouri, became famous and is still a favorite.
In the early sixties, many of the Group Compas Direct's compositions were in praise of women and healthy relationships "Ti Carole" was one of the famous hit that remains amongst the Top ten list for over a year. Nemours and the Group performed at several New York night club in the early seventies.
Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot (1930 – February 1985) was a Haitian saxophone player, composer and band leader. He is recognized as one of the creators of compas also known as compas direct, a style of Haitian music born in the 1950s that he named cadence rampa after he left Nemours' band to differentiate himself in 1962 in the spirit of competition.
Sicot was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1930. He took his first musical lessons from Augustin Bruno. He made his debut as professional with Claudin Toussaint's Jazz Capois. He also worked with the groups Jazz des Jeunes and the Saieh Orchestra, in the second half or the 1950s.
He founded with Nemours Jean-Baptiste the Conjunto Internacional and took part in the Citadelle orchestra and Casino Internacional Band. With Jean-Baptiste, he created the compas direct, a variation of the Haitian méringue. In 1961 he commenced a solo career and became one of the pioneers of cadence rampa. He played several instruments as trumpet, bass, piano and drums. Because of his frequent Caribbean tours with his brother Raymond in the Caribbean, cadence became very popular in Dominica and the French Antilles of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Sicot died in February 1985 and is considered as one of the most influentials band leaders in Haitian popular music.
Darline Desca
Modest, affable and relaxed face. To find the right word, she takes the time to think, as if to delve into introspection. “I do my hair this way, not to conform to fashion, but because it suits me.” So, her frizzy hair, a beauty asset. Artist, a childhood dream she cherished. She has been singing since her six years of age. “My passion for music is intact. From my earliest childhood I saw myself already performing on stage. I participated in all the cultural activities in my neighborhood and in my school. ”
His musical career took off with the release of his first title, “Ou Brasem”. We are in 2009. Since then, the singer who is passionate about the fusion of traditional Haitian, Caribbean and African rhythms, connects successes. But, it was not until the release of her first album in 2013 that she had national recognition.
The former finalist of the “RFI Discovery Awards” is a full-time artist. But beware, the star is also a manager by training and worked for the United Nations. ” Music is my life. I have it in my soul and in my blood. Throughout the day, a sound, a word … comes to my mind. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, ”she explains cheerfully. The one who seduces her fans in her clips, thanks in particular to “her legendary swaying”, to quote Stéphane Lacroix from Radio Métropole, is also the mother of a six-year-old boy.
Building a reputation and consolidating oneself in the music industry requires diligent efforts. The “Caribbean girl” singer had to go out of her way to integrate. “In the business, we don’t give a gift and gender equity is a real problem. Female artists have to work harder than their male counterparts. Although we are often adored by gentlemen, in addition to talent we are subject to other requirements, “she complains.
Darline remains a beloved daughter of her family. If his success pleases everyone, his many trips forcing him to distance himself from his family are not always bearable. Barbara, her sister and member of her staff management, remembers, “in 2016, she benefited from a three-month artistic residency in Paris. An opportunity and at the same time a source of sorrow for us, his loved ones. We were convinced it was something unheard of in her career, but we couldn’t bear spending these days away from her at the same time. Fortunately, there was the magic of the internet. ”.
Relatively little known on the international scene, Darline Desca is already delighted with the artist she is today: “An artist must first learn to value himself”. In the manner of Louis Dumur, she can assert with her usual Cartesian sense, “modesty is self-esteem regulated by reason”.
An entrepreneur at heart. The singer currently manages her own box, Marabou Production. She thus creates shows with other artists in the area. Darline Desca remembers: “As a student, I sold sweets to the University. I made them myself at home
Foodie, she also plans to become a chef. My second hobby is cooking. In twenty years, after my musical career, I even have in mind the plan to open a restaurant ”.
The latest incidents in the country have forced Darline Desca to postpone the concert of her ten-year career several times. However, it took several months of preparation for the artist. Next meeting, March 8, 2019, date of International Women’s Day.
System band
System Band was formed in 1980, by Isnard Douby and Harold Joseph, former members of “Les frères Dejean”. They surrounded themselves with musicians who became the core of the band. Since its creation, the band has become a major player of the Kompa music industry. Led by Isnard Douby, System Band has released a great number of hits, which has come to be classics of the Haitian and Caribbean musical repertoire.
“Complainte” was the first hit of System Band, written by Isnard Douby and Harold Joseph, the song was from the album “Bam Passé” in 1980. In 1982, they released the love song “Chagrin d’amour”, by the same duet Douby-Harold. This year was also the beginning of the collaboration with Marc Chevalier, the band manager.
In 1983, the song “Vacances” made a splash and became a summer holiday hit, today synonymous of fun and amusement. “Pa Pile” from the same album and written by Isnard douby was the song in which System Band introduced for the first time the groove sound “Kitel maché” in the Kompa Music industry.
Misty Jean
Misty Jean started performing at age of three with the dance institute of Lynn W. Rouzier. She started singing at the age of seven in amateur singing contests. Since then, her passion for music became an obsession. At the college of "Anglade" where she graduated, she was named soloist of the choir and became an instant neighborhood celebrity.
In 1998, she took part in La Soiree Magique De La Guitare with well-known pianist Raoul Denis Jr. and The Widmaier brothers. In 1999, she is chosen by Haitel the leading Haitian cellular phone company to be their spokesmodel in a major promotional campaign.
During the month of February 2001, she flew to the island of Saint Maarten where she represented Haiti among twenty two other countries for the title of Miss West Indies. On February 21, she won the contest for best talent and was crowned Miss West Indies.
On May 27, 2001, she sang at the Ritz Kinam in Pétion-Ville, Haiti, on the night entitled "Femme" of Yole Derose. She may also be found in Caribbean Escape of Raoul Denis Jr.
In February 2002, she was crowned Miss de la Francophonie in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
In March 2003, she performed at Diva's Night at Gusto's in Miami Lakes, Florida. On April 13, 2003, she was crowned Queen of Carnival at the Greater Miami Mardi Gras.
Her First French / Creole album entitled Plus Pres De Toi was released in June 2004. It included hits like "Patizan", "Ce Ou Mwen Vle", "Maladie D'amour" and many more.
On the Fourth of July 2004, she performed live at the Bayfront Park alongside Lil' Kim. In August 2004, she embarked on a tour of the French Antilles where she performed remarkably for many audiences. In December 2005, she performed at Bataclan located in Paris, France. In February 2006, she performed at Bicentennial Park for the Greater Miami Mardi Gras, in Florida.
Her second album entitled Konpa A Gogo came out in May 2006. It contains the hit songs: "Konpa A Gogo" Featuring Kaysha, "Car Wash", "Paradi Lanmou", "S’abandonner" a Duet with Thierry Cham, "Hear the Tam Tam", and "Camionette".
In December 2006, she released her first live album with her band composed of very young talented musicians.
In January 2007, she hosted the Haitian Independence Festival at Bayfront Park.
Her third solo album Li Pa Two Ta released in April 2008 contained the following hits: "Kijan Lari A Ye", "Rev Mwen", "Tu pleures", "Vini’m Bo’w", "Li Pa Two Ta", "Lanmou Tounen Prizon", "Vale Fan’m", "Hommage A Ti Manno", "Tam Tam" featuring Puerto Rican rapper Shino. Several talented producers, musicians and artists participated in this project.
In February 2009, she performed with her band on the float of Unitransfer at the Jacmel Carnival in Haiti. During the same period, she performed at the Concert Chocolat at the prestigious Parc Historique de la Canne in Port-au-Prince.
On June 25, 2009, she made her acting debut in the movie The Price to Pay by Mora Etienne Jr. in which she played the lead role of "Zoulmie".[6]
In December 2009, she released her second live album.
She has released five videos that get airplayed regularly: "Kijan La Ri A Ye", "Tam Tam featuring Shino", "Paradi Lanmou", "Maladie D'Amour", and "Ce Ou Mwen Vle".
Her fourth solo album Just Like That will be released in February 2011.[7] It contains the following songs: "Just Like That", "Nou Pa Ka Zanmi", "The Only One", "Nou Kwe" (Duet With Tanya St Val), "Sa Red", "Booty Call", "Gradiasyon", "Ton Absence" (Duet with Oswald), "Lumane Cazimir", "Peyizan", "Sispan'n Koupe", "Jwi La Vi", "A Gogo", "Tonton Nwel".
Ti-Coca
Masters of Haiti's twoubadou (troubadour) tradition, Ti-Coca and his band, Wanga-Nègès perform with a straightforward and utterly committed joy. The band moves through Haiti's African, Caribbean, and Latin acoustic sounds with the high-energy determination and lightness of the group's namesake, the hummingbird. Nimble banjo and shimmering accordion pair up with earthy percussion, the rollicking manoumba (traditional double bass), and Ti-Coca's tcha-tcha, a simple gourd percussion instrument he coaxes into virtuosity. Led by his gritty, warm voice and unflagging charisma, Ti-Coca and his group make a mixture designed to elevate and seduce.
Lumane Casimir
Lumane Casimir was born in 1920, in Gonaïves, Haiti. Her known history began at the age of 13 when a pianist discovered her talents. At 14, she moved to Port-au-Prince with nothing but a guitar, questing her dreams.
It didn't take long for her to sing with some of the famous bands in Haiti. In 1949 she was chosen as the honorary singer to sing at the country's 145th years Independence Celebration in front of thousands of spectators from all over the world.
In 1951, Lumane mysteriously withdrew herself completely from the public's eyes at the height of her career. She went on to live in a tiny room in Port-au-Prince in poverty until she died a couple of years later at the age of only 35 from tuberculosis.
Her repertoire includes some of the most well known patriotic and cultural songs of Haiti, such as "Panama Mwen Tonbe" and "Papa Gede Bèl Gason.”
Lumane Casimir wrote almost all of her songs. Nowadays it is extremely rare to find copies of Lumane Casimir work. Her musics are mostly collected by lover and connoisseurs of classical Haitian Music.
Martha Jean-Claude
Martha Jean-Claude (21 March 1919 – 14 November 2001) was a Haitian writer, civil rights activist, entertainer, and composer. She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and was well known internationally during her life and could perform in many languages. Her singing career began during the late 1930's and early 1940's. She incorporated Haitian folklore and Voodou lyrics into her performances. She spoke out against Haitian authorities who were exploiting the Haitian people. She was arrested in 1952 during the administration of President Paul Eugene Magloire after publishing her play "Anriette". Officials considered it to be directed toward and against the government at that time. When she was arrested she was pregnant but was released two days before giving birth.
Jean-Claude was exiled to Cuba on 20 December 1952. She was married to Victor Mirabal, a Cuban journalist.[1] Jean-Claude was well-known to the Hispanic communities who admired her talent and activism. She was featured in radio and television broadcasts in Cuba. She appeared in the movie Yambaó (1957) that starred the Cuban-Mexican actress Ninón Sevilla.[1] Cuba has claimed her as a great artist of that country. She became a member of The Cuban Union of Writers and Artists. She performed at many international venues that included: Salle Claude Campagne, Casa de las Américas in Cuba, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Madison Square Garden in New York City, Maison de L'UNESCO in Paris, United Nation Headquarters in New York City, and for the Faculty of Music at Montreal University. She traveled and visited almost all the nations of Central and South America and Angola. She also spoke in Panama against those who violated basic human rights in that country. She wrote and performed political songs. Jean-Claude also appeared in the Cuban film Simparele (1974)[2] directed by Humberto Solás.[1]
Jean-Claude had four children with Mirabal: Linda (an opera singer), Sandra (a musician), Magdalena (a physician living in Cuba), and Richard.[3] Her son Richard Mirabal has served as director of the Martha Jean-Claude Foundation, which promotes cultural ties between Haiti and Cuba.[1]: 143 Her son Richard produced the film Fanm De Zil [Woman of Two Islands] (2000) about her life and work.[1]: 143 [3] Jean-Claude returned to Haiti in 1986. She died in Havana, Cuba on 14 November 2001, aged 82, at her home there.[4][5][3] She has been described as "...one of the most precious jewels Haiti has ever had."[6]
Toto Bissainthe
Toto Bissainthe (2, April 1934– 4, June 1994) was a Haitian actress and singer known for her innovative blend of traditional Vodou and rural themes and music with contemporary lyricism and arrangements.[1][2] Born in Cap-Haïtien in 1934, she left Haiti at an early age to pursue her acting studies abroad. Her career started in theatre with the company Les Griots, of which she was a founding member in 1956. Les Griots was at the vanguard of négritude-inspired cultural institutions in France, and was the first African theatre company in Paris and the first to perform of Jean Genet's play "Les Nègres". She also worked with playwright Samuel Beckett, played a co-starring role in Raoul Peck's "L'homme sur les quais", and worked with other directors such as Roger Blin, and performed in several films.
With a groundbreaking performance in 1973 at La vieille grille in Paris, Toto Bissainthe established herself as singer-songwriter-composer, stunning the audience with her soul-stirring renditions of original compositions that paid homage to the lives, struggles, miseries and spirituality of working class and rural Haitians.
The singer and actress Toto Bissainthe was recognized by many as a champion of Haitian music abroad.
An artist in exile, Toto Bissainthe will be unable to return to the Haiti that so inspired her until the departure of Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986. However, the multiple disappointments of the unending democratic transition and political infighting would forever embitter the outspoken artist, who had long dreamed of a return to help rebuild her motherland. Saddened by Haiti's social and political degradation, Toto Bissainthe's health would enter a downward spiral ending with her death from liver damage on June 4, 1994. The cause was cirrhosis, her family said.
Ansy Derose
Born in Port-au-Prince on June 3, 1934, Ansy Dérose began his singing career very early under the guidance of Ms. Elisabeth Mahy, Professor of vocal technique, of French nationality. For a whole decade, he only sang the melodies of Frantz Schubert, Schumann and Beethoven. He excelled in the tunes of Lalo, Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré.
Having obtained a scholarship which allowed him to continue his technical studies in Germany (where he went on November 23, 1963), he did not neglect his talent and his art. This is why he enrolled in the “Musick Hoch Shule” where his teachers recognized in him a great talent as a performer. Subsequently, transferred to Saarbrücken, he took part in an amateur competition programmed by the city's Radio Television, a competition from which he emerged first winner. This is how he began to make traditional Haitian songs known in the country of Goethe and Mozart as well as those, of remarkable quality, that he was already composing himself.
On his return from Germany in 1964, invited by relatives for a stay in Chicago, he stayed there for eighteen months and enrolled at the "American Conservatory of Chicago" under the direction of Grand Master G. Moore from which he won the esteem and admiration.
His big entry onto the international scene was at the “First World Song Festival” which was held in Mexico City in November 1970, with the biggest names in European and South American music, and conductors and arrangers like Paul Mauriat, Franck Pourcel, Pochio Perez. Of the 70 countries represented, his song “Maria”, one of his very first compositions, arranged by Pochio Perez, won the third trophy. This earned him a column on the first page of the official newspaper "Olimpo" of Mexico where we could read this: "...With Ansy Dérose of Haiti the chain of European triumphants is broken."
Despite the numerous offers made to him by European firms, Ansy Dérose, after this experience, understood the urgent need to continue his musical studies. Despite the absence of a Conservatory, he decided to return to his native country. Gifted with an incredible capacity to train and perfect himself, our autodidact chose to devote himself body and soul to the task with implacable determination and locked himself away for three months, working day and night, determined to correct his inadequacies. After thirteen years of teaching at the J.B. Damier Professional School, he became its director. After the departure of the experts, the level of teaching dropped considerably and our new director had to go out of his way to raise it: he worked to recruit qualified teachers and above all to find the essential funds (which were always sorely lacking ) for the proper functioning of the establishment. He also followed courses in Architecture and interior design for three years.
In 1972, his first disc “Ansy, his Music and his Poetry” was a delight for music lovers. His second album “Quo Vadis Terra” (1974) enjoyed inexhaustible success. His songs, symbols of hope, love and brotherhood, have made him the most adored singer in the country.
RAM
RAM is a mizik rasin band based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from the initials of its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse. The band's music has been described by Morse as "Vodou rock 'n' roots", and has been one of the prominent bands in the mizik rasin musical movement in Haiti. RAM began performing together in 1990, and recorded their first album in 1996. The band's music incorporates traditional Vodou lyrics and instruments, such as rara horns and petro drums, into modern rock and roll. The band's songs include lyrics in Haitian Creole, French, and English.
RAM is famous for its regular Thursday night performances at the Hotel Oloffson in downtown Port-au-Prince, attended by hotel guests and a wide spectrum of the country's political and racial groups. During the years of the military junta of Raoul Cédras, one of the band's singles, "Fèy", was banned nationwide by the military authorities who perceived it to be a song of support for the exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The band continued to play weekly concerts in defiance of death threats from the regime until Morse only narrowly escaped a kidnapping from the hotel in 1994. The band began recording albums in 1996, after United States military intervention restored Aristide to power. In 1998, the band clashed with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince, a supporter of Aristide, and survived an assassination attempt during their Carnival performance. Through its song lyrics, RAM continues to provoke the antagonism of both the supporters of Aristide and former military regimes.
Languichatte & Orchestre Septentrional
Théodore Beaubrun was born on 26 December 1918 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was an actor and writer, known for Languichatte in the 20th Century (1978), The New Adventures of Languichatte (1988) and Fournérailles (1985). He died on 30 June 1998 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Tabou Combo
Tabou Combo is a Haitian compas band that was founded in 1968 in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince.[1] The orchestra has performed throughout the world (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and especially in the Caribbean). Tabou Combo was the first Haitian band to perform in Japan, Ivory Coast, Senegal among others, and were named the "Official Panamanian Band" in Panama due to their popularity, while also becoming the first Caribbean band to have a number one single in the French Hit Parade. They dynamically sung their songs in both English, French, Spanish and in Haitian Creole. Tabou Combo refer to themselves as the "ambassadors of konpa."
In 1968, band founders Albert Jr. Chancy and Herman Nau, performed their first concert. At first they named themselves, Los Incognitos because they were virtually unknown, but soon changed it in to "Tabou Combo" the following year to better fit Haitian culture. That year, the band won "Best Musical Group of the Year" in a televised talent contest, gaining a national reputation in Haiti and the sight of a promising international career.
Tabou Combo's musical repertoire, is a mixture of vodou ceremonial rara drums, Haiti's French colonial kontradans and quadrilles, African soukous and funk from the American soul era, while commanding a dominant presence of compas.
Coupé cloué
Jean Gesner Henry (10 May 1925 – 29 January 1998), known professionally as Coupé Cloué, was a Haitian footballer, singer, guitarist, and bandleader. He was known for defining a style of Haitian compas music he called kompa mamba, and for the sometimes bawdy innuendo used in his songs. During his career, he was one of Haiti's most prominent musicians, and found much success in West Africa as well.
As a young man, he received a classical music education and worked as a cabinetmaker before becoming a professional football player. It was from football, playing defense for the Port-au-Prince club Aigles Noirs, that he acquired his nickname, "Coupé Cloué" or "cut and nailed".
He began performing on guitar in 1951, and in 1957 he formed the band Trio Crystal, which he later renamed Trio Select, along with another guitar player and a maraca player. Their first album, one of the dozens Henry released during his career, was released in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s the group expanded from its original three, and renamed itself Ensemble Select. That decade also saw an increase in his use of racy spoken preaching and storytelling in addition to singing during songs; this became one of his trademarks.
In 1978 Coupé Cloué toured extensively in Africa, greatly increasing his international prominence. His popularity in West Africa was especially boosted by similarities between the rhythms and sounds of Henry's music an African soukous music. It was there that Henry earned the nickname, Roi Coupé (or "King Coupé"). During the 1980s and early 1990s, Henry continued to perform and record prolifically.
Henry died of diabetes in January 1998, having only retired from performing the previous month. He was mourned in Port-au-Prince by a day-long outdoor funeral celebration, attended by thousands of people, including the interim Minister of Culture.