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Compas, the pulse of Haïti
From Tabou Combo to Ti Kabzy
10/04/2009 -
Haiti has been ravaged by poverty, natural disasters, dictatorships and political coups. But the island's chaotic history and its position at the crossroads of a network of influences means it has also become a fertile hotbed of music over the years. Haiti was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 who promptly claimed the island for the Spanish crown, but in subsequent years Haiti became a French colony while the British temporarily seized control of the south. Haiti declared independence in 1804, a year after the death of Toussaint-Louverture (who, after a long and bitter struggle, finally led enslaved Africans to victory over the Europeans). American forces occupied Haiti in 1915, servicemen bringing jazz with them in their cultural baggage and Western influences began to meld with Haiti's sophisticated island rhythms and the African heritage imported by slaves.
In the mid-1950s, a local saxophonist by the name of Jean-Baptiste Nemours invented compas, a driving new sound that went on to become the musical emblem of Haiti and one of the island's most successful exports over the years. Compas, a speeded-up form of the island institution of merengue, was not only a rhythm, but a style of dancing, dressing and even talking. "An entire culture grew up around compas," explains Yves Joseph - aka Fanfan, composer, lead singer and manager of the legendary compas group Tabou Combo. This ultra-danceable cocktail went on to take the French West Indies by storm, paving the way for the zouk craze to emerge in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
40 years of Tabou Combo
Tabou Combo, one of the most influential bands in compas history, played a major role in pioneering the sound at home and abroad. The band trace their beginnings back to 1967 when musicians Albert Chancy and Herman Nau first performed together in a local church in Pétion-Ville (a suburb of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince). The following year, after recruiting an extensive line-up of musicians and adopting their definitive stage name, the group enjoyed a lightning rise to fame. In 1969, Radio Haiti elected Tabou Combo 'Best Band of the Year' and, after moving to Brooklyn, New York, at the end of 1970, Tabou Combo's fame spread even further afield, winning them fans all the way to Japan.
Tabou Combo managed to whip up a compelling mix of rara (Haitian carnival music), voodoo drums and European musical heritage (integrating elements of the 'quadrille', for instance). They wrapped their tropical mix up in the funkiest of beats, inventing what would become an instantly recognisable sound: "compas-funk." In 1974, the band's exuberant single New York City took European dance floors by storm and rocketed to the number 1 spot in the French charts. Over the past forty years, Tabou Combo have maintained their reputation as the undisputed "kings of compas", packing out major venues such as Le Zénith and L'Olympia. Their classic Juicy Lucy was used on the soundtrack to Maurice Pialat's film Police in 1985 and Mabouya was covered by Carlos Santana in 2002.
"It's been a pretty rough crossing to get where we are today," says Tabou Combo's lead singer Fanfan, "There have been quarrels and splits, but the most important thing is that there's also been plenty of collaboration with up-and-coming talents who have helped the sound evolve." Fanfan claims that Tabou Combo's success is largely based on three watchwords: "respect, discipline and perseverance" and that their primary motivation is to get audiences up on their feet dancing. However, the band also slip social and political messages into their songs at times and Fanfan points out that a track from their upcoming album makes reference to President Obama. Fanfan is a major fan of America's first black president and is committed to doing his own bit to make a difference, too. "Personally, I'd like to live in a world where less people are starving and illiterate," he says, "a world with more opportunities for young people because young people are our future." (This is one of the reasons Fanfan set up the Fondation Fernande-Joseph, an organisation providing education for children in need.)
New generation compas
Compas has evolved significantly in the course of the past forty years with the introduction of modern technology, Western-style arrangements and the influence of zouk and hip-hop. "New generation compas" is easily distinguished from the more traditional style, with groups such as Top-Vice or artists such as Wyclef Jean (of Fugees fame) taking the Haitian sound in a new direction.
Ti Kabzy, one of the leading proponents of "new generation compas", hail from Montreal. The band have concocted their own original take on compas, blending the Haitian sound with reggae, pop, rock, rap and even a hint of country music. Ti Kabzy's hybrid sound, forged out of their associations with both Haiti and Canada, has helped put compas on the international music map. Jean-Sébastien Duperval, who formed Ti Kabzy with his father, Raymond, explains that "What started out as father and son getting together to have a bit of fun and get the local Haitian community in Estrie dancing, turned out to be an overnight success… Our music isn't just entertainment, either, our songs reflect what we see around us. Our sound has evolved with passing trends - 'twoubadou' at one point or, more recently, ragga - but we're also into the idea of total innovation. Each of our songs has its own musical flavour, be it merengue, zouk, calypso or raggaton."
Jean-Sébastien points out that compas is finally gaining popularity abroad, but the Haitian sound still has a long way to go in terms of international recognition. "We're getting there very slowly," he says, with a trace of bitterness, "at the same snail's pace as Haiti itself is developing… Obviously, the best way to promote compas would be for foreigners to come to our island and experience it for themselves. But that means we'd have to have a proper tourist industry and that requires political stability." For the moment, fans in search of tropical island vibes will have to content themselves with Tabou Combo and Ti Kabzy's appearance at the Mizik Factory festival, in Paris.
Compas Night at the Mizik Factory Festival (La Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris, 11 April 2009)
Anne-Laure Lemancel
Translation : Julie Street
