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INTRODUCTION
None of this would exist without the influence of African
culture on the Caribbean musical landscape. Nor would
the music of the Caribbean have developed as it has
without the European ballroom dances, military marching bands and the songs, rituals and celebrations of the
church. The music of the Caribbean owes its special
flavor to the unique combination of ingredients that
were stirred together over the past 500 years. The
songs on Afro-Caribbean Party represent many different
aspects of the irresistible dance music of the Spanish,
French and Anglo-Caribbean.
Photo by Maho
The identity of the Caribbean today is the result of the coming together
of African, European and American cultures, and that union of distinct
worlds has resulted in a musical force greater than the sum of its parts.
The Caribbean has been the source of some of the most impactful music in
human history. Whether it is reggae from Jamaica, the Afro-Cuban rhythms
of salsa and mambo or Trinidadian calypso, the Caribbean has spawned
sounds that have blown across the globe to forever affect the music we all
listen to today.
1. KALI
La Grev Bare Mwen
Jean-Marc Monnerville, better known as Kali,
was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique in
1956. After traveling to Paris to study music in
the 1970s, Kali returned to Martinique, where
he played in a number of local bands, including 6ème Continent (Sixth Continent), which
fused the traditional folk music of Martinique
with reggae. Kali ultimately decided to pursue
a solo career, focusing on the banjo-driven
swing of beguine. Beguine, which experienced
international fame in the 1930s and was
immortalized in the 1938 Cole Porter song
“Begin the Beguine,” is rooted in the folkloric
bèlè dance with added touches of European
ballroom dances such as mazurkas and quadrilles as well as New Orleans jazz swing.
“La Grev Bare Mwen” is from Kali’s now
classic 2004 album Racines Vol. 4, the fourth volume in a 5-part series in which Kali
explored Martiniquan roots music. Kali’s banjo provides a rustic, old school flavor
while Luther Francois’ nimble clarinet and the offbeat swing of the piano, played by
Léo Lancry, give the song a timeless elegance.
2.
CLINTON FEARON
SKA CUBANO
Clinton Fearon was born in St. Andrew,
near Kingston, and grew up deep in the
hills of St. Catherine, Jamaica. After discovering a love for music and singing in
the local church choir, Fearon left the
countryside at age 16 to live with his
mother in Kingston. At 17, he founded
his first band, The Brothers, and in 1969
Photo by Rob McDougallhe was invited to become a member of
The Gladiators, a group that already had
one hit single at the time. He sang and
played bass with The Gladiators for 18
years, during which they released many classic reggae tracks and toured the world. In
1987, Fearon moved to the US and started The Defenders. By 1994, he had settled
in Seattle, Washington and started to record solo albums with the backing of the
Boogie Brown Band. Most recently, Fearon has gained acclaim for his acoustic reggae
albums, which capture the essence and soul of this universally appealing music style.
Take the propulsive backbeat
shuffle of Jamaican ska and blend
it with soulful Afro-Cuban son,
and the result is Ska Cubano.
The band is the creation of
London promoter Peter Scott,
who came up with the brilliant idea of blending two of
the Caribbean’s most influential music styles. He brought
London ska artist Natty Bo to
Santiago de Cuba where they collaborated with local musicians to create the unique
Ska Cubano sound. It was in Santiago that they discovered the band’s future lead
singer, Juan Manuel Villy Carbonell, a.k.a Beny Billy, a rough-and-tumble former boxer
and crooner whose voice is a dead ringer for that of Cuban legend Beny Moré.
Courtesy of Clinton Fearon
Cachita
According to Fearon, “The world is full of inspirations...nature, people, politics,
love. I write about them all. My music is good for the soul - always with a message
of hope and betterment for tomorrow. It’s good for dancing, good for listening and
I think it’s good for all.” That’s certainly true of “Come By Yah,” an upbeat reggae
track with a positive spirit and catchy, toe-tapping beat.
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3.
Come By Yah
Courtesy of Ska Cubano
A catchy “rumbita” penned by prolific Puerto Rican songwriter Rafael Hernandez,
who worked for a while in Cuba, the lyrics of “Cachita” champion the rumba in its
struggle against the rising popularity of Cuban son montuno (“rumba is better than
son”) in the 1920s and 30s. Outstanding versions of this pan-Latin classic include
hits by mambo kings such as Xavier Cugat. This retro treatment goes back to the
roots of rumba, with a “woo-wooing” botijuela (a clay jug that is blown into to make
deep tones) plus some marimbula (a large box with metal tines that plays bass lines)
plucking by Diogenes Manfarrol.
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4. WESLI
Bèl Ti Fanm Kreyol
MICHAEL BLAISE
Fem’m Sa
Now based in Montreal, Canada, Haitian
singer Wesli is a supremely creative and
innovative talent who promises to be one
of the great Caribbean voices on the international scene for years to come. Born in
Port-au-Prince, Wesli (Wesley Louissaint)
built his first guitar out of an old oil can and
nylon shoelace when he was just eight years
Photo by Rob McDougall
old. Raised with seven siblings in a family
where music served as a balm against the
daily struggles of life in a ghetto in one of the
world’s poorest countries, music also provided Wesli a path to a better life. He has
been a member of a number of successful
Haitian music groups, and has also become
a respected producer, film music composer
and leading figure on the vibrant Montreal
music scene. Wesli’s first album, Kouraj, was released in 2009. In 2015, he released
Immigrand and Ayiti étoile nouvelle, his third and fourth albums.
Drummer and singer Michel Blaise is
one of Haiti’s most respected performers of the classic compas dance
music style, not to mention one of his
country’s top basketball and soccer
players. After debating whether to
pursue an athletic or music career,
Blaise chose to devote himself to
his artistic passions, “to unite people
of the world through the spirit of
music.” He was a member of System
Band, a popular compas group, but
Courtesy of Michael Blaise
he left to focus on his solo career.
Compas (often spelled kompa) is a style of Haitian dance music that developed out
of the mèringue, a ballroom dance derived from African interpretations of European
contra-danses in the Caribbean. Jazz-inspired horn arrangements and intricate, interlocking guitar lines buoy the infectious, driving beat of compas. Offshoots of compas
include zouk from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and the style has influenced Cape
Verdean coladeira, Trinidadian soca and even Angolan kizomba.
“Bèl Ti Fanm Kreyol” (Beautiful Creole Girl) features guest appearances by BélO
et BIC, also leading new generation Haitian talents. “Beautiful creole girl / You are a
tricky story / Such a beautiful image / Praised in prose and poetry.”
“Fem’m Sa” appeared on Blaise’s 2000 release A L’aise Comme Blaise. Recorded in New
York, which, along with Miami, is an epicenter of Haitian music production, the album
also features vocalists Isnard Douby, Jean Michel St. Victor, Jacques Sauveur Jean and
Georgy Metellus backed by a lineup of the Haitian community’s top musicians.
Courtesy of Wesli
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5.
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6. ASERE
A Favor del Viento
Not just the bailiwick of the
elderly, traditional Cuban son,
guaracha and bolero have also
inspired a new generation of
young Cuban musicians. Asere
is a group from Havana that
was formed by young musicians
interested in playing the music
Photo by Rob McDougall
of their grandparents. Following
in the footsteps of their musical
idols, Miguel Matamoros, Ñico
Saquito, Ignacio Piñeiro and othCourtesy of Astar Artes
ers, Asere brings new energy to
old styles. They recorded their first album, Cuban Soul, in 1998. In 2008 they released
De Cuba Y De Panama with legendary jazz drummer Billy Cobham. The group has
toured extensively across Europe, impressing audiences with their infectious energy.
Asere has also collaborated with Colombian singer Totó La Momposina and African
guitar legend Papa Noel.
The unstoppable melodic lines of trumpeter Michel Padron provide the backbone of
“A Favor del Viento,” a song that blends Cuban son and comparsa flavors with other
Caribbean styles such Jamaican mento and Colombian cumbia. The lyrics lament the
mixed emotions of sorrow and liberation that follows a romantic break-up.
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7.
FAMARA
Famasound
Thomas Nikles, aka Famara, may be
from Switzerland but his heart and
musical inspiration lies firmly with
the music of the African diaspora.
Raised by a working class family
in a small Swiss city, Famara fell in
love with African and Caribbean
rhythms after attending a percussion workshop in 1984. His upbeat
reggae grooves put him in the same
school of Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah
Fakoly, Ismael Isaac and other West
African reggae stars whose sound reflects the deep influence of Jamaican music
on the African scene. While he may have grown up far from the homelands
of Caribbean reggae and African beats, Famara has released many albums and
performed alongside Ziggy Marley and Youssou N’Dour. He’s become one of
Switzerland’s leading reggae artists.
Courtesy of N-Gage Productions
“Famasound” is from the album of the same name released in 2004. “We
mash up reggae music in a Mandingo style,” sings Famara, referring to his
blending of Jamaican and West African rhythms and languages.
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8.
JAN SEBON and KAZAK INTERNATIONAL
9.
CHISPA LABORI
La Barca
Ethnomusicologist, musician, poet,
painter, teacher and composer Jan
Sebon derives his creative inspiration
from the music of his native Haiti
and the African diaspora. He lives
between Miami and Illinois, teaching drumming at Northern Illinois
University and acting as a prominent
Photo by Rob McDougall representative of Haitian music and
culture in South Florida. A former
radio host on public radio stations
Photo by by Luis Olazabal
WDNA and WLRN, Sebon has performed with Don Cherry, Nana Vasconcelos, Frank London and others, and his
music has brought him to China, Ecuador and other far flung locales.
Originally from Cuba and now living
in Quebec, Chispa Labori is the son
of the respected Cuban singer and
songwriter Freddy “Chispa” Labori
whose work has been performed
by Ibrahim Ferrer (of Buena Vista
Social Club), Merceditas Valdes,
Silvio Rodriguez and other Cuban
legends. After performing alongside
his father for 10 years in Cuba,
Labori decided to settle in Canada.
Also a writer, he published his first
novel, Death of a King, in 2005. In
2006, Labori released his first solo album, Amores y Cuba, followed by Coffee, Rum
& Rock in 2009.
His most recent recording with his band Kazak International is Haiti, A Love Story,
which included the song “Mango Fransik”. The song was composed for Sebon’s
aunt Nana who left Haiti by boat with three of her sons, but they perished on
their way to Miami. Sebon has fond memories of his aunt cleaning mangoes for
him to eat. Fransik is a type of mango popular in Haiti. “I’d like to eat a mango /
I’d like to dance petro / A good plate of griyo / Not to get too used to this life / In
my country / Haiti, my mother / Haiti, my darling / Haiti, my love.”
(Petro is a traditional Haitian rhythm)
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Courtesy of Bladimir Laborit
Mango Fransik (Mango Lafrance)
“La Barca” (The Boat) was written by Emilio Cabailon and features a
bouncy, Colombian cumbia-inflected rhythm. “How happy I feel / When I
arrive at the coast / Because I know she waits for me / My Caribbean girl
from Piñar del Rio / The boat comes and goes / The moon shines at dawn /
The sun arrives early in the morning / To warm the meadows / Making my
Caribbean homeland even more beautiful.”
(Griyo is a traditional dish of grilled pork)
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10.
FRED FERGUSON & GRAFFITI
Spence for da Soul
Fred Ferguson is one of the most respected
musicians and producers in The Bahamas, and
he has devoted himself to the preservation,
development and promotion of local Bahamian
traditions. Born and raised on remote Acklin’s
Island, Ferguson’s earliest musical influences
came from the a capella spiritual music sung
in local churches. His only exposure to the
music of the outside world was through a battery operated radio that occasionally received
AM stations from the US and the rest of the
Caribbean. He taught himself to play an old
Photo by Farreno Ferguson of F.DoT Photography
mandolin that his father had lying around the
house, followed by guitar and had a few organ lessons with an elderly local lady.
CARIBBEAN RUM PUNCH
Ingredients
1 shot of lime juice (one part sour)
2 shots of simple syrup (two parts sweet)
3 shots of dark aged rum (three parts strong)
4 shots of water (four parts weak)
A dash of bitters
A dash of nutmeg
Directions
Shaken, served over ice
Ferguson eventually left for the “big city” of Nassau, following his passion for
music to become the guitarist and music director of a local band called High
Voltage. They eventually changed their name to the Baha Men, and in 2002 took
the world by storm with the hit song “Who Let the Dogs Out.” He left the
Baha Men at the height of their fame to follow his own musical passions. One
of Ferguson’s greatest inspirations is Joseph Spence, a Bahamian folk musician
whose unique vocal and guitar style earned him an international following in the
1950s and 60s. On “Spence for da Soul,” Ferguson pays tribute to this iconic
figure in the music of The Bahamas.
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Executive Producer & Song Selection: Dan Storper
A&R and Liner Notes: Jacob Edgar
Project Coordination: Akari Uchiyama, Calvin Winzler-Lane,
Asterik Muradian and John McQueeney
Design: Lisa Lee Illustrations: Nicola Heindl
Mastering: Elliott Federman at SAJE Sound
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Licensing Credits
Kali “La Grev Bare Mwen” (Leona Gabriel) from the album Racine Vol. 4 on Hibiscus Records (20011)
C Public Domain P 2004 Kali
Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band “Come By Yah” (Clinton Fearon) from the album Goodness
on Boogie Brown Productions C Jamin International Music (BMI) P 2014 Boogie Brown Productions
Inc. under exclusive license to Wagram Music / Chapter Two Records
Ska Cubano “Cachita” (Rafael Hernandez) on the album Ay Caramba on Cumbancha (CMB-CD-1) C
Southern Music Publishing Co. Inc. o/b/o Peer International Corporation P 2006 Cumbancha
Wesli “Bèl Ti Fanm Kreyol” (Wesley Louissaint) from the album Liberte Dans Le Noir on W.U.P.
Records C Wesley Louissaint P 2011 W.U.P. Records
Michel Blaise “Fem’m Sa” (Michel Blaise) from the album A L’Aise Comme Blaise on Antilles Mizik C &
P 2000 Michel Blaise
Asere “A Favor del Viento” (Michel Dario Padron) from the album Destinos on Astar Artes
(AARDLA002) C Annie Reed Music P 2010 Astar Artes Recordings
Famara “Famasound” (Thomas Nikles, Rainer Schudel) from the album Famasound on N-Gage
Productions (NG 01203-2) C N-Gage Productions (SUISA) P 2004 N-Gage Productions
Jan Sebon and Kazak International “Mango Fransik (Mango Lafrance)” (Michelot “Jan Sebon”
Barlatier) from the album Haiti, A Love Story on Mundo Vibe Arts (MVA1) C Anadamany P 2010
Michelot “Jan Sebon” Barlatier
Chispa Labori “La Barca” (Emilio Cavailon) from the album Amores Y Cuba on Tomeguin Records C
EGREM P 2007 Tomeguin Records
Fred Ferguson & Graffiti “Spence for da Soul” (Fred Ferguson) from the album Fresh Paint on
BluHole Records C P.R.S. Publishing P 2011 Fred Ferguson
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