Blog

Orchestre Septentrional has stood the test of time

Several musical acts from Haiti have been doing so for the past thirty to sixty years and have actually been successful with their purpose for creating and performing music. One of the most notable of all is the Orchestre Septentrional.

Founded in Haiti in 1948 by Hulric Pierre-Louise, Orchestre Septentrional was behind the orchestra's distinct Cuban sound, as well as its Haitian musical elements which are common in Haitian Voodoo ceremonies. Despite the constant changing of musical era, Septen, like their fans call them, has stood the test of time by blending in popular culture's elements to their traditional sound. more »

July 27, 2012 6:36 AM

Roger Colas a Peerless Master of Song

Roger Colas, a brilliant poet, singer, and painter, born on January 6, 1937, in Quartier Morin, Haiti, studied at Durand College, L'instruction Chretienne, and Lycee Philippe Guerrier, where he gave his first performance.

While continuing his studies at Lycee Petion of Port-au-Prince, Roger Colas made a decision to leave and become a pilot in the Haitian Air Force. During his military stint, he continued to perform and caught the attention of Pierre-Louis, founder of the group Septent, in 1955. more »

July 24, 2012 6:41 AM

Jim Rama and Patrick Andrey Two Cool Zouk Dudes

Jim Rama and Patrick Andrey, both residents of Martinique, an island situated in the West Indies, are the reigning Kings of Cool. Zouk Cool that is. Zouk is a rhythmic, airy, danceable music that uses lots of keyboard work and synthesizers to create the zouk sound, the electronic music of the Caribbean. The overall feel of zouk music is sensuous, lively, with irresistible dance-beat rhythms.

Jim Rama and Patrick Andrey both possess light tenor voices, with similar tonal qualities. Jim's voice has earthy chest tones, while Patrick sings with more head tones. When paired, their voices blend perfectly, lending a fuller vocal quality to the sound they've become famous for. Patrick and Jim have enjoyed overwhelming success as a duo, selling millions of copies of their first album, Face a Face. And they have managed to achieve commercial success as solo artists as well. more »

July 22, 2012 6:30 AM

Jacque Sauveur Jean, The Prince of Love Jakito

Jacque Sauveur Jean is a very popular Haitian personality and is known as the "Prince of Love" when it comes to Haitian music. He is a successful singer and has recorded multiple albums since the late 1980's to 1990's. Jean earned the love of his fans by actively joining several Haitian activities. Because of his activeness he was respected regardless of his roots and background. more »

July 10, 2012 6:40 AM

The Easy Appeal of Kompa band Bossa Combo

Bossa Combo, a Haitian jazz band, rose to fame in the late 60s. Made up of ten musicians in the beginning, they played organ, saxophone, lead and rhythm guitar, bass, and percussion. Two band members doubled as vocalists. Reymond cajuste was the lead singer for the band. They were all born and bred in Haiti.

Bossa Combo's first album issued in 1970 titled Haiti . . . Que J'amie brought them their first flush of fame, which endured for over 25 years. A prolific band, they issued numerous albums during their career, among them Te Quiero, Compas Kekal, and Live El Rancho Hotel. Eventually, some of the band members broke away to form a new group, based on one of their top three albums Accolade. They called themselves Accolade de New York. more »

July 3, 2012 6:29 AM

Alan Cave, a Familiar Singer

A Haitian Kompa and Zouk singer who has had a very successful career as an artist, Alan Cave started singing at a very tender age where his father encouraged him to follow his career and interests such that he got to where he has reached so far. He is one of the few artists that have been able to make it out of their own interests in the music industry and a good follow up on the talents they have. more »

June 26, 2012 6:35 AM

Luck Mervil, the Haitian singer

Haitian singer, actor and songwriter, Luck Mervil was born in Haiti's capital, Port au Prince, in 1967.

His family moved to Canada while he was still young.

In 1993 he released his first album called RudeLuck which began his music career. more »

June 19, 2012 6:42 AM

A brief introduction to Daan Junior

Daan Junior is a very famous Haitian musical artist. He was born in Miragoane, Haiti but he was moved to Paris, France during his childhood.

In Paris Daan was able to improve his musical talents in singing and playing the piano.

He got into the music business by first creating a band. Soon enough, however, Daan Junior went solo and released his first album named "Di'm Sa'w Vle". more »

June 12, 2012 6:42 AM

Farah Juste, the Haitian artist

Fara Juste started releasing her album in 1977 as solo artist. She has about 14 self produced albums under her belt.

The main themes in her songs are poverty, abuse, corruption and exploitation. Fara Juste sings about pain and misfortunes facing the poor people and she is always there to sing about them.

She describes in her songs the effect of bad government and how baldy it affected the Haitian people. more »

June 5, 2012 6:14 AM

Haitian Compas band T-Vice with Roberto and Reynaldo Martino

Thi is an eight band musical group. T-Vice is a Haitian Compas music band that is based in Miami, Florida. The founders of the group are two brothers namely Roberto and Reynaldo Martino, sons of renowned Haitian guitarist Robert Martino of the classic Top Vice band, T-Vice's predecessor. The band was formed in 1991. The two brothers used to watch their fathers performances and that is where they got their inspiration from. Longtime friends James Cardozo and Gerald Kebreau were soon part of the group thus completing the quartet as they were originally known. The band has traveled to European, and Caribbean countries, as well as U.S for concerts. more »

May 5, 2012 6:12 AM