West Indians feature prominently at Festival Banlieues Bleues, France (updated with video)

GUADELOUPE

Originally published, March 16  2011; updated with video, April 30  2011 

Guadeloupean saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart’s virtual visit to the shores of Haiti on March 11, 2011 for Jazz Racine Haiti put him at a crossroads from where he forged a new musical journey, one that began with his Contemporary Jazz explorations of the Gwo Ka drums on “Soné Ka la” and culminating with his most recent work, “Rise Above,” a product of the New York Jazz scene…and now an investigation into the roots of Voodoo Jazz.

Schwarz-Bart’s collaborators for Jazz Racine Haiti were Ewol Josué (vocals), Milan Milanović (piano), Luques Curtis (bass), Jean Bonga (percussions), Obed Calvaire (drums); and flying in from Carnival in Trinidad, Etienne Charles (trumpet).   

This show was part of the 28th edition of Festival Banlieues Bleues, Jazz en Seine-Saint-Denis at Espace 1789 2-4 Rue Alexandre Bachelet, Saint-Ouen, France 93400.

The next concert of note is on March 18 with the Christian Laviso Trio + Dédé Saint-Prix.

Laviso has, for thirty years, been plowing the deep grooves of the Ka for a completely original sound, Free Gwoka you could call it.  Laviso would say that his style was partly informed by the work songs he heard his Marie-Galante mother singing when he was a child and the Free Jazz of Ornette Coleman.

Saint-Prix, a multi-instrumentalist (flutist, singer, percussionist) and an alumnus of Malavoi and Pakatak, re-awakens his flagship band, Avan Van to once again light a flame under the indigenous ‘Bwa-Chouval,’ rhythms of Martinique.

(Sources: le bananier bleu, Banlieues Bleues)

Other Resources: Etienne Charles: Jazzy and Original