Compas music

Compas music (written as compas direct in French, kompa direk, kompa or konpa in Haitian Creole) is a modern Méringue, a national music genre of Haiti that people have been dancing and singing since the 1800s. Popularized by Haitian sax and guitar player Nemours Jean-Baptiste in 1955, Compas is the main music of many countries such as Dominica and the French Antilles, etc.^[1] Whether it is incorrectly called zouk where French Antilles artists of Martinique and Guadeloupe have taken it^[2] or compas in places where Haitian artists have toured, this méringue style is very influential in the Caribbean, Africa, Cape Verde, Portugal, France, part of Canada, South and North America.^[3][4][5]

History

Compas direct is a modern méringue popularized in 1955 by the Nemours Jean Baptiste, a Haitian sax and guitar player. Nemours Jean-Baptiste presented his orchestra “Ensemble Aux Calebasses” in 1955 (named after the club “Aux Calebasses” located at Carrefour, a western neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; Haiti's capital where the band used to perform on weekends). Compas popularity took off likely due to the genre's ability to improvise and hold the rhythm section steady. Jean-Baptiste incorporated a lot of brass and easily recognized rhythms. Compas music is sung in Haitian Creole, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.

Nemours' popularity grew in and out of the country. Its clean horn section was remarkable and the band featured méringue tunes that gained instant popularity. In Martinique, several music groups: Ensemble Abricot (bienvenue, festival compas), les djoubap's (Isabelle), combo jazz (electronique compas, pa gadem sou cote), Georges Plonquitte (vini dance compas direct), etc. have all within a year conquered the public with the many tunes or compositions of Nemours.^[6] Haitian compas and cadence bands were asked to integrate Antillean musicians. Consequently, the leading "Les Guais troubadours", with influential singer "Louis Lahens" along other bands, played a very important role in the schooling of Antilleans to the méringue compas or kadans music style. Later Nemours became a favorite of Dominican president, Joachim Ballaguer who often contracted the band. This is why hits like "ti Carole", "Chagrin d'amour" featured by known Dominican stars Luis Miguel and others are also sung in Spanish.

Mini-jazz

The Mini jazz movement started in the mid-1960s, small bands called mini-djaz (which grew out of Haiti’s light rock and roll yeye bands of the early 1960s) played kompa featuring paired electric guitars, electric bass, drumset and other percussion, often with a saxophone. This trend, launched by Shleu Shleu after 1965, came to include a number of groups from Port-au-Prince neighbourhoods, especially the suburb of Pétion-Ville. Tabou Combo, Les Difficiles, Les Loups Noirs, Frères DéJean, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour, Bossa Combo and Les Ambassadeurs (among others) formed the core of this middle-class popular music movement.

From 1968 to the 1970s prominent bands like Bossa Combo, les Shleu shleu, les Ambassadeurs, les Vickings, les fantaisistes, les Loups noirs, les Freres Dejean, les Difficiles, les Gypsies and mostly the majestic Tabou Combo have exerted a dominance on the Caribbean and many places in Europe and South America musical scene. For example, Tabou Combo has remained on the Paris hit parade for weeks with its "New York City" hit. Tabou did filled New York Central park in the same period. Guitar based mini-jazz such like Les Difficiles and Gypsies influenced many flamenco artists. The guitar was the king instrument.

These young Haitian mini-jazz musicians were critical in the creation of new technics that contribute to the fancyness of the style. Although Raymond Guaspard (Nemours) had already started it in the 50s, however, guitar players such as Corvington (Les Corvington), Serge Rosenthal (Shleu shleu), Ricardo/Tiplum (Les ambassadeurs), Robert Martineau (Les Difficiles/Gypsies/Scorpio/Topvice...), Dadou Pasket (Tabou combo/Magnum band), Jean Claude Jean (Tabou combo/Super star...), Claude Marcellin (Les Difficiles/DP. Express/Zekle...), Police Nozile (Freres Dejean/DP. Express...) and many more have created intricate mostly rhythmic guitar styles that constitute a strong distinguishable feature of the méringue.

Cadence/in the Caribbean

As early as 1962 the Sicot Brothers from Haiti would frequently tour the Caribbean, especially Dominica, the French Islands of Martinique & Guadeloupe, Aruba, St. Martin, Bahamas and others to spread the seed of the méringue-cadence. Webert Sicot, the originator of cadence recorded three LPs albums with French Antilles producers: two with "Celini disques" in Guadeloupe and one with "Balthazar" in Martinique. In addition to the Sicot brothers, almost all existing Haitian compas bands have toured these Islands that have since adopted the music and the dance of the méringue. Exile One, Grammacks, Les Leopards, la Perfecta, and Kassav, are all cadence/compas or méringue bands.

Cadence-lypso or Dominica kadans

Cadence-lypso is the Dominica kadans introduced in the early 60s by the Sicot brothers. The most influential figure in the promotion of Cadence-lypso was the Dominican group Exile One(based on the island of Guadeloupe) that featured the calypso music and reggae from the English speaking Caribbean and mostly the cadence rampa from Haiti. Kadans music was also pushed in the 1970s by groups from Dominica, Exile one was the first Dominican band to find international acclaim.

Aside from Exile One, other bands included the Grammacks, Black Roots, Black Machine, Naked Feet, Bill-O-Men, Belles Combo, Mantra, Black Affairs, Mammouth, Liquid Ice, Wafrikai, Midnight Groovers and Milestone, while the most famous singers included Bill Thomas, Chubby Marc, Gordon Henderson, Linford John, Janet Azouz, Sinky Rabess, Tony Valmond, Jeff Joseph, Mike Moreau and Anthony Gussie. Ophelia Marie is a popular singer of cadence in the 1980s.

Gordon Henderson, Exile One's leader and founder coined the name "Cadence-lypso" in his full band that used a full-horn section, and the first to use the synthesizers in kadans. Many mini-jazz from Haiti and the French Antilles followed this format. Exile one exported kadans music to the four corners of the globe: Japan, the Indian Ocean, Africa, North America, Europe, The Cape Verde islands.

Digital era, new generation or light compas

In the mid 80's, French Antilles kassav, which music repertoire is 85% compas music, was the first in the Caribbean to apply the MIDI technology, already in use in pop and rock bands, to compas. In the late 80's, After Robert Charlot Raymonvil came out with Top Vice, young Haitian music groups applied the MIDI technology that reduced the band's size and offered a variety of new sounds. They were called nouvelle generation; however, most of them later, along with many other musicians in the world, went back to a full band with live instruments. The new generation was a moment of experiment with the MIDI technology. Popular new generation bands were Zin, Phantom, Lakole, Papash and a few more. Phantom was the first to return to a full band in less than two years while zin, lakol and papash continued with the MIDI without a live horn section.

In the early 2000, several compas bands such as Carimi, T-vice, Top vice, and Zeglen toured the French Antilles as usual with success. The singer Vro who sang in duet with Robert Charlot on her album Softcore and many other Antillean artists have adopted this light compas style, which is more popular in France and the Caribbean. The compas' fine guitar lines with the chorus and other synthesizer effects is being heard now in zouk, the French Antilles compas music. For example, French Antilles singer Tanya St. Val who has collaborated with many great Haitian compas artists like Alan Cave, Dadou Pasket from the great Magnum band, etc. is very close to this style. The beauty of this is that these compas lands influence one another with nice chorus, guitar lines, female voices...within the team up of the conga-drum-cowbell.

Cabo Verdean, Caribbean and African artists usually feature one another via compas songs. A review of several CDs from African, Cabo Verdean, French Antilles and Haitian artists shows many similarities.

Méringue-compas music and its derivatives

Today the méringue compas, deeply rooted in many countries, has influenced many music styles and been called other names:

Cadence/Kadans/cadence-lypso

In Dominica, the same méringue called either cadence or compas introduced in the late 50s with the frequent tours of the Sicot brothers is often called cadence-lypso. Webert Sicot, the originator of cadance known for his great harmonic skills, was well appreciated in Guadeloupe. This is why the term cadence was more popular than the word compas.

Exile One, the leader of the word cadence-lypso, featured some reggae, calypso but mostly cadence music.^[7] It is not sure whether the band's intent was to fusion Trinidadian calypso with Haitian cadence since little was done. The song "La Dominique" in the album "Exile One Old School Session" could be an attempt, however, not often repeated. Exile one music repertoire is mostly cadence with all the features of the style.^[8] Of course the band had its personality; it was a great kadans band.

Zouk

Originally zouk béton, the only zouk style created is a fast carnival tempo. A mix of gwo ka, tibwa, African styles and mostly kadans or méringue-compas with the full use of the MIDI technology. By the late 80s zouk béton lost ground; after all French Antilleans and Dominicans are important players of the méringue-compas or cadence style. Musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe have labeled compas music as zouk. Therefore compas music has been erroneously called zouk creating a big confusion in Africa, Cabo Verde, Angola and even in Portugal and other places. Actually since the late 80s zouk béton has faded away^[9] French Antilles kassav, the originator of the zouk béton, is a superb compas music band that has taken compas to many places in Africa, France, Portugal, Cabo Verde, Angola and others.

Coladeira

From the 80's one can notice the strong compas music influence in Cape Verdean music. Cabo Verdeans have been exposed to compas in the USA and France where they adopted the styles. In addition, French Antillean artists whose main music is compas toured the island to spray the seed. Many Cabo Verdean artists feature compas music. A good example is The talented Tito Paris who produced several CDs. "danca mami Criola" 1994, is a good compas CD close to Tabou combo, kassav, Caribbean Sextet, Exile One, Tropicana, etc...Today the new generation of Cabo Verdean artists features a ligh compas close to Haitian and French Antillean compas to what several names have been given: cola-dance, cola-zouk, cabo-swing, cabo-love, kizomba, etc.

Kizomba

Kizomba is a popular music from Angola. It is a derivative of traditional Angolan samba associated strongly with French Antilles compas music. Although most music came from Africa, however, Angola has been receiving Haitian influence for years. For instance, great méringue queen, Haitian Martha Jean-claude, has lent her voice and music to the Angolan revolution. She came with the Cuban troups.^[10] During the 70s, Haitian bands such as Coupe cloue, bossa combo, Dp Express...were popular in Africa. During the 80s-90s, French Antilles kassav has toured the country with its fast zouk béton and mostly compas music leaving great influence. Lately, kizomba has been close to French Antilles and Cape verdian light compas music and sung generally in Portuguese. No wonder why kizomba shows that strong similarity with Méringue compas.^[11]

Etymology and characteristics

The word “compás” in Spanish means “beat” or “rhythm,” and one of the most distinctive characteristics of compas music is the consistent pulsating beat tanbou, a trait common to many styles of Caribbean music. Compas music is easy and fun to dance to, incorporating musical traditions like méringue, which propel dancers around the floor with lively, active beats (though compas has a slower beat and dance than méringue). You may hear the notes of Compas music in a community of Haitian immigrants anywhere in the world, and where there is compas, dancers are usually not far behind. Compas / Kompa is a genre of music that is emulated throughout the Caribbean and parts of Africa. In North America, compas festivals take place frequently in Montreal, New York, Miami, Boston and Orlando.

Most influential méringue (compas/cadence) bands

Jazz Des Jeunes, Nemours Jean-Baptiste, Ensemble Webert Sicot, Les Guais troubadours, Ochestre Tropicana, Martha Jean-claude, Les Gypsies de Pétion-Ville, DP Express, Tabou combo, Magnum band, Coupe Cloue, Les Freres Dejean, System Band, Exile One, Grammacks, Kassav, Les shleu sleu, Djet-X, Les Skah Sha, Sweet Miky, etc.

Notable compas or méringue artists

• Alan Cavé
• Carimi
• Coupé Cloué
• Dan Junior
• Djakout Mizik
• DP Express
• Ensemble Nemours Jean-Baptiste
• Ensemble Webert Sicot
• Eric Virgal
• Experience 7
• Harmonik
• Jet-X
• Jocelyne Beroard
• Kassav
• Kompa Kreyol
• Kreyol La
• La Perfecta
• Les ambassadeurs
• Les Difficiles
• Les Freres Dejean
• Les Gypsies de Pétion-Ville
• Les Leopards
• Les Shleu Shleu
• Les Skah Shah
• Nu Look
• Sweet Micky
• System Band
• T-Vice
• Tanya Saint-Val
• Tabou Combo
• Ti Manno
• Tito Paris
• Volo Volo
• Toxic

See also

• Cadence rampa
• Cadence-lypso
• Caribbean music
• Haitian Carnival
• Méringue
• World Creole Music Festival
• Zouk

References

• Manuel, Peter (2006). Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-463-7. 
• Experience Haitian music on Mizikpam Internet Radio Accessed May 18, 2010
• Gage Averill (1997). Caribbean Current: A day for the hunter. A day for the prey. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.