Music library

Vwa e Gita, Fyèten We is the 2nd volume of the Vwa e Gita series Vocals and Guitar series). My guitar playing is more percussive and yet, one may feel my attempt to come up with Haitian Jazz Progressions
in a few songs such as “Kanpe Fèm” (Stand up Strong) where the 3rd is missing on all my chords and the same chords are being used for both minor and major melodic lines within the song; and “Begle, Ya Sispann
Begle” (literally –They’ll stop cowing us) where I used a CM7 chord and E Major over a E minor pentatonic melodic line.

Vwa e Gita, Volim I, (Vocals and Guitar, Volume I) is the first in a 4 volume series, focused on adapting the guitar to the sounds of Haitian music within its spectrum. This is regarding different genres such as folk music or siwèl, Haitian Creole Jazz, Haitian Roots music, Voodoo Jazz, Haitian Pop Music and Haitian Contemporary music. This CD is the beginning of the end of my research and offers part of the synthesis of my findings through my inspirations, my effort to think as a Haitian peasant and a concerned Haitian musician determined to lay down the foundations of the future of Haitian music.

My dedication to playing Haitian music in a much more challenging manner has allowed me to approach folk music with a new vision regarding the adaptation of western instrumentation. This project opens also a new perspective on Haitian Creole Jazz–which I call “natif” now, and Haitian Contemporary music.

I wanted to write not only a timeless song, but also a song that every Haitian from any social class could sing with passion and love for Haiti, our country. More than a patriotic song, it is also a song of hope for unity among us, Haitians, in order to secure progress and advancement for our people. A voodoo beat could have been divisive, so I opted for the Haitian Merengue, much slower than the Dominican Merengue, that was very popular in the 50’s in our country.

After playing Hard Voodoo Jazz for almost four years in New York, I moved to Boston where the upbeat tempo and very dissonant chords presented a rather challenging listening experience for my audience. I tried to find a fine line in order to make them more comfortable and a niche over there at the same time by playing Soft Voodoo Jazz and tunes such as “Mwen Manke w Sovajman” (I’m Missing You Savagely), and “Balade Manman We” (A ballad for My Mom) are a testimony of such an effort. The influence of Brazilian music spices tunes such as “Hesou” (Jesus) and “Marasa” (Twins). In fact, in the latter, I talked about the similarities between Voodoo and Macumba and the musical intonations in both Haitian and Brazilian music.

Rara Mwe is the second project produced for me by Robert Aaron, and the first solo project I have ever published. Released in 1991, this project did not quite get the attention of the Haitian community. The country was in turmoil because of the coup endured by the most popular President elect in our history. This project evokes the sounds of Sakad, my former band which I co-founded with Nikol Levy and Ronald Felix. Most lyrics convey the struggles and hopes of our people. I strongly believe that this music needs to be rediscovered.