World Creole Music Festival 2008

Sunday Night Concert

 

Belles Combo

Belles Combo’s lead singer Cletus “Halibut” Abraham stole the show from the moment he walked on stage in a flamboyantly patriotic green suit, hand painted for him by the noted artist Earl Etienne (See the Culture and Travel page). His rapport with the crowd was spontaneous - instant smiles all around for those who have loved him for decades, and those won over for the first time.

Cletus "Halibut" Abraham

He pranced across the stage theatrically with an audience member’s Dominican flag as if leading a parade of thousands. He madly roused the collective spirit in the audience, gently needling the over the top patriotism surrounding the 30th anniversary. Halibut’s theatrical entrance roused the audience but it was the quality of the music that kept the audience on their feet through the entire set.

The band featured Cletus "Halibut" Abraham on lead vocals, Jeffrey Hill on guitar, Francis Esprit on Bass, Augustus Bertrand on Drums, Desmond Dublin on Keyboards, Denny on Percussion, Arthur Pascal on vocals, Calvin Esprit on vocals, Linford Destouche and Peter Letang on horns. We learned that 5 of the musicians are original members, and the band generally tours with 10 artists including a second guitarist.

Francis Esprit on Bass ---------Arthur Pascal & Calvin Esprit on vocals,

Augustus Bertrand on Drums

We talked to Halibut about the music and his background. With the concert fresh in our mind, we wanted to know about the roots of Cadence music, particularly the role of the cowbell, which seemed to be at the very center of his music, rather than just a peripheral percussion element. Halibut grew excited that someone picked up on this, and responded “We are all Africans, we ended up in the Diaspora. The very music of Cadence - the roots - are back there. The cowbell features in these songs…you’ve got to hear (feel) it: ‘cap dunc dunc doo doo dunc dunc’ – it’s like the expression. Positively the cowbells are leading (the music), you will hear the sound of cowbells. There could be other harmonies, but the cowbells keep the beat, the aura of the music. It is typically Dominican… we incorporate the cowbell into our music."

Denny on Cowbells

Halibut continued "Cadence music was the first electrified music in Dominica. Is there any place for Cadence music? Every other music has its space and place. Cadence music is alive. Certainly, if there is a place for Halibut, then there is a place for Cadence music. Am I not alive? You see its is living, am I not alive? The Renaissance is still on. You see Cadence music, it’s a music (where) we get public opinion, we do social commentaries. Cadence music has never had a negative vibe."

"I live in Mahaut… it’s just 5 miles down from Roseau on the West Coast. I live right on the main street. Everybody find me. Most of the guys don’t live out there. From 1973 I have been doing this music, but due to economic reasons dropped out a bit, 24 years, between 1980 and 2004. In 2005 I had another hit called ‘Powerball’ which the last song I sung tonight. (This song) also took me to France in 2006, when I received a golden trophy."

Linford Destouche and Peter Letang on horns

Desmond Dublin on Keyboards

As the interview closed, Halibut seemed to be speaking for all musicians of his generation. "I don’t want to let this kind of music off of my back because most of the guys already dropped out of it. It was the first electric music of Dominica, created locally, where every village had 1-2 bands in the 1970s. Today groups like Belles Combo, Exile One, and the Groovers of Grand Bay, try to keep the vibes alive still. But then there is certainly another trend with the young people, Bouyon, which is a little more banging. But this (Cadence) music is deeper, more fundamental, because we’ve get commentaries, messages, maybe even rumors. You know, it’s like a Calypso. It’s a Cadence Lypso so you get the whole spectrum."

Julie Mourillon

Julie Mourillon took the stage with an international band and played a set that defied expectations. He was one of the founding members of Exile One, the renowned Cadence-Lypso band in the late 1970s, but tonight his music broke down the boundaries of music styles in a deconstructive process and emphasized extreme cohesiveness between instruments. Julie Mourillon's set of music featured his guitar playing focused on tightly controlled rhtyhmic chords, charged with energy and choreagraphed a sense of polish. It was intellectualized to a point, not that it lost awareness of its stylistic origins. Julie even exhorted the crowd "this is your music, this is your music!"

It was abstracted into a formalized space that discounted improvisation and melded countless styles together, for example: zouk, reggae, makossa, funk. It raised the music above party music into an intellectual art form as well. In the music, something was gained while something was lost. For example, at one point two drumers were playing their drumsets to the exact same rhythm, later in the set the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist were playing the same notes and chords in unison.

As a front man, Julie provided some exciting guitar work. It called to mind the music of Art Blakey, who began as a Be-Bop drummer and evolved into Neo-Bop, with the band playing as a single cohesive unit behind the soloist, in this case Julie, rather than playing off each other that is the hallmark of Creole music. The band were all superb musicians, for example the keyboardist played a beatuiful solo jazz composition for the flute. It was an interesing contrast from the other performances we heard that evening.

Kassav

Kassav returned to World Creole Fest in very solid form - and had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands as they performed hit after hit - medleys that encompassed their Antilles classics along with newer hits such as "Nou Pa Bizwen Sa" from the recent "All U Need Is Zouk" release.

Marie-Josee Gibbons & Jocelyne Beroard

One of the set’s interesting moments was witnessing Jean-Claude Naimro using a vocoder mouthpiece attached to his keyboard, adding breathing textures to his keyboard playing, which was accentuated during an extended solo. Other memories from the set included the dynamic vocals and stage energy from Jocelyne Beroard who sang lead vocals on several hits but also shared chorus when others took lead. During an extended african djembe drum solo by Claude Vamur, Marie-Josee Gibbons let loose and danced, it was almost for that moment as if drumer and dancer were locked into the groove together. She totally cut loose and the crowd loved every moment of it.

Marie-Josee Gibbons & Jacob Desvarieux

Jocelyne Beroard ----------------------------------------------Claude Vamur

 

Marie-Josee Gibbons & Jocelyne Beroard

Machel Montano

 

Machel Montano has been perfoming professionally for 27 years, almost as long as Dominica has been independant. Of all the artists to perform WCMF, his apperance created a fever of anticipation in the crowd. His juggernaut of a stage show didn't disappoint... the frenzy of choreographed dancing... the potent musicianship... the spiraling lead vocalists... and most of all Machel's magnetic presence.

The crowd surged forward when Machel pranced across the stage and he revelled mischeiviously in the pandemonium that his appearance caused. What makes his performance so special is the bond he creates with his audience, unrivaled by any other star in the Caribbean except possibly Admiral T. As Machel is performing, he seems to connect with each person individually and holds them in his gaze for a few moments as he sings. This relationship with the crowd seems to energize him. Because of his talented fellow artists on stage, his show never feels repetitive, it is always evolving: over the years we have noticed two key points that has raised his music to a new level. One is the talented msuicians that join him on stage and share rotating lead singing roles. Nothing seems to happen the same way, and different talents are able to revel in the limelight adding their own unique tilts. The second thing is Machel is now incorporating a variety of rhtyhms into Soca, sourcing material from Mighty Sparrow to Cuban Rap.

"Soca is not just 'our' music anymore" he recently told a Trinidadian audience - tellingly his latest CD ‘Wining Season’ reflects this with music provided by Pit Bull, Lil Jon, Shaggy, Buju Banton, and The Mighty Sparrow. Soca is reaching a broader audience and brings a Montano is preaching a broader message, Caribbean Unity, that goes deeper in his stage show than running through the names of the islands.

He was joined on stage by his regular crew, Farmer Nappy, the riveting Patrice Roberts, and Zan, as well as his four female dancers who were joined by two additional male dancers on one song.

Midnight Groovers

As dawn arrived on the last evening of World Creole Music Fest, Poppa Chubby, band leader of the Midnight Groovers, was still bouncing across the stage and die hard fans were jumping to the cadence lypso rhythms. Pressed together at the front of the stage were several who were singing along word for word in patoi with the slight dreadlocked local legend, not wanting the twelfth annual World Creole Music Festival to end.

Midnight Groovers laid down a thick groove with 3 guitarists, 1 bassist, 2 keyboards, 2 percussionists and 1 drumkit. Cadence Lypso is the rhythm that defined Dominican Music at the time of the country’s independence and Poppa Chubby was one of the primary forces behind it along with Belles Combo and several others. Again, we noted the strong driving beat of the Cowbell provided the foundation for the groove, with percussion and the three intertwining guitars layering over it. Poppa Chubby’s lyrics were echoed by two back-up singers includung his daughter and the band was joined by dancers in traditional creole dress.

 

 

The lifelong Grand Bay resident told us that his music begins with the message he wants to get across in lyrics, later the band led by his brother Coe works out the musical arrangement. Favorites performed included Hypocrites and Mort Vivant about a woman lst to HIV/AIDs, Pou Yon Coco, Get Ready, Milk & Honey, Coco Sec as well as several new tunes that the lifelong Grand Bay resident says will be recorded this november, the group’s 36th album.

Cadence Lypso is the rhythm that defined Dominican Music at the time of the country’s independence and Poppa Chubby was one of the primary forces behind it. His energetic performance defied his age as he bounded across the stage, and he performed with a full 13 (?) piece band including three guitars (lead, rhythm and the Dominica version of Mi-Solo (which floated independantly over the complicated rhythmic changes). To our observers, the cow bell also played a prominent role in the music cutting through the swirling guitars and keyboards keeping a steady beat. Poppa Chubby’s lyrics were echoed by two back up singers includung his daughter and the band was joined by dancers in traditional creole dress. The lifelong Grand Bay resident told us that his music begins with the message he wants to get across in lyrics, later the band led by his brother Coe works out the musical arraingement. Favorites performed included Milk & Honey, Hypocrites and Mort Vivant about a woman lst to HIV/AIDs and several new tunes that the lifelong Grand Bay resident says will be recorded this November in Connecticut, which will be , the group’s 36th album.