Bethova Obas:  Unfortunately, I have not yet decided upon a name for my sixth CD.  Nonetheless, I am confident that it's will serve as my “CUBHABRA” (i.e. moving to the upper level) of my career.  By that I mean: same fundamentally rousing rhythms, yet under the auspices of a fresh, decadent influence, clean color and newfound inspiration.  I anticipate its completion by Easter.

AfricaSounds:  Could you tell about your creative process? Where do you begin, generally with a story you want to tell... Or perhaps with the music itself?

Bethova Obas:  Inspiration is everywhere.   One only needs to observe the environment and manifest his or her talent, skill and service into the message that needs to be transmitted via composition.  I confess that every time I'm in Haiti, my inspiration is copious.  It is rich, abundant, fertile and more prolific.  I was born in a family where Fine Arts was paramount.  My father, Charles Obas (one of Haiti’s most prominent painters) was not only a lover of music, but also a gifted musician in his own right.  An accomplished pianist, accordionist, guitarist and composer, I had the humble (and immature) privilege to inherit a few of my father’s worn instruments.  Murdered by the François Duvalier Regime, my only lifelong regret is that he did not live see me perform any of them, nor hear the notes I create through their design.  They are his.

AfricaSounds:  I am interested in the role migration plays in music for contemporary musicians, How has migration affected your life and music?

Bethova Obas:  The world has become a vanguard of new technology and multimedia.  With it comes the collapse of barriers and frontiers that once served as ramparts of oppression and creative inhibition.  Now we easily bear witness to a cultural amalgamation of innovative artists and their ethnic influences via the Internet and satellite venues.  However, the influence of the other cultures in our music has been a longtime presence through migration fact and consequence since, fundamentally, Haitian music is rhythmically acquired from Africa.  As a subsequence, our sound has since adopted a more melodic and harmonic influence from the European Colonists

AfricaSounds:  Any thoughts on the historical role migration played in the development of Haitian musical traditions?
 

Bethova Obas:  The basic rhythm (which is similar to the heartbeat) is the point that intersects not only my music, but the whole Caribbean sound and harmony that is related to the essential nourishment of our African spirit.  It provides a channel for improvisation and interaction between the interveners.  My next CD will capture this relationship and reflect the same – hopefully, more so than the previous ones.  While you will easily discern the importance that I place upon the instrumentalist, I believe lyrics and melody (variation) exist on the same platform and should be evaluated with equal respect and value.  Ultimately, the true “dance” represents a balanced interaction between the singer and the performer.

Etoumba, was notable for its high energy and eclectic approach, Led by the excellent playing of saxophonist and bandleader Olivier Perrin the band introduced us to a number of great artists in the format of similar to Femi Kuti, a large ensemble with dancer that moved on and off stage in unison. The music defied easy description as it restlessly changed rhythms within pieces, cold cutting from Jazz, to Afrobeat, Cuban, French Caribbean, and Dancehall. Particularly impressive was the guitar playing, and Afro-Cuban drumming and percussion.

Compared to other artists on the program, Etoumba's approach was more cut-and-paste various music styles rather than melding everything into one sound, despite that all these artists seemed to be influenced by many of the same backgrounds.  The word the group itself uses to label the music is ethno-jazz.  Each song seemed to have a spontaenuity as if it was a moment in time and this spontenaity seemed to play a role in terms of which direction this music went.  Etoumba seemed almost more like a collective than a band and for that reason the music seemed to capture a certain moment in time where all these musicians are intersecting and revealed where their interests are.  In a way their approach their music was similar to Russell Gunns but their sources were more equatorial.

Olivier Perrin, band leader, named the group Etoumba after the Congolese Lingala word signifying "combat" and the bandleader envisions the musical voyage that traverses continents, cultures and rhythms.  The band musical voyage encompasses sounds and experiences from Mozambique, Madagascar, Reunion, Brasil, the Gnawa rhythms, music of the pygmies, capoera of angola and brazil, merengue and ends up in Guyane where they intertwine with the rhythms of le casé-kô, la mazurka, la biguine, « le kili-kili ».  The band experiments with mixing and "metissage" of the musical experiences and presents it through an energetic stage show encompassing a couple hours.

Its a fairly new project and sounds like a samplying of these diverse musical influences rather than an integrated sound - the emphasis was on a high energy, entertaining performance.  It was a party and the shifts and variations in the music (song starts as a ballad and then turns into dancehall and then into afrobeat, etc) kept the crowd involved and guessing where things were going.

The saxophonist was the leader and front man in the band.  They played at least 1.5 to 2 hours. The four dancers came on for short periods of time during longer songs.  When the energy was more African with stepped up percussion. 

It was like a party band that got people up and moving into the energy with great musicianship  - they had a wide range of knowledge of different rhythms and music and the dancers were featured in a more african vein - they came onstage and danced similiar to how dancers would perform in a Congolese show - they'd come up on stage, do their thing and then scoot out. The group has not been together that long although they are all musicians who have been around for a while so it has a collage affect rather than a unified sound.

Olivier Perrin - saxophone - born in 1970, started on piano at eight years old but once shifted focus to saxophone - also extensive travel in africa

James Chow - singer - born in 1979 in Guyana, was part of groups "Ras Miro" and "Meltingpotes" until he ran into Olivier Perrin and joined Etoumba

Thomas Couteau - piano - previously with rock band Ad Libitum, next pop rock group El Mono, next the Acid Jazz Agent.  Finally in 2000 Thomas traveled to Guiana where he participated in diverse musical projects involving rock, jazz and reggae.  Next he created the group Mangroove and partipcated in the Big Band de Kourou before connecting with Olivier Perrin in 2006.

Remy Davis - bass - born in France but grew up in USA during 1980s.  Regouped in Guiana and played in groups with diverse musical interests from punk to reggae until meeting with Olivier Perrin 2006.

Omar Sepulveda - Percussion - born in 1962 in Chile, next lived in France and finally moved to Guiana in 1996.  Next, in 2002 he joined the École Municipale de Musique de Kourou.  He is a multi instrumentalist, (guitare, charango, chant, percussions) and is passionate about traditional music.  In Guiana he has collaborated with Salsa Cimarron (musique populaire cubaine), Poto Mizon (percussions), Dalia Negra (musique cubaine et latine) and Komanti (electro jazz).

Eric Valerius - Drums - born in Guiana in 1974, he worked with his brother focusing on Jazz and performed regularly at Dixoeland, à la Bodéga au Café de la Gare ou à la Baie des Iles.  In 1999, he left for Paris where he worked with Claude Gastaldin and Moktar Samba.  He returned to Guiana in 2000 and focused on drums.  He accompangied Laura Littardi and other musicians including Victor Sabas, Eric Bonheur, and Emile Romain.

Eric Bonheur - Guitar - born in Martinique - in 1991, 1992, 1994 he won the first prize for jazz composition in Martinque.  He has participated in festivals including Festivals de Jazz de Monségur, Caracas, Hambourg, Festival de Jazz et Carrefour Mondial de la Guitare de la Martinique.  He has collaborated with a wide array of musicians including: Andy NARELL, Charnette MOFFET, Philippe CATHERINE, Dave LIEBMAN, Peter GIRON, Kenny BURELL, Garrison FEWEL, Chuck LOEB, Louis WINSBERG, Mino CINELU, Roy HARGROVE, Earl KLUGH

Dancers, incredible sax playing, a very tight rhythm section well versed in Creole and African rhythms are the elements that made up the show.  Extraordinary guitar playing which ranged from African to jazz.  They changes musical frequently moving between raga, afrobeat, jazz, creole rhythms.  Songs were elongated for the live performance and transformed into musical jams and it retained a bit of the informal in the way they were extended and gave it a more impromptu element.