There came end last year a fat box out on Harte recordings with old recordings from Alan Lomax he did in 1936-37 when he was 21 years old. There is a story about each cd on the project weblog but not about the most interesting cd, the first. There was always rara, but pop music has begun when they did the recordings.
Urban Music - CD 1
1. Suprise Jazz - Mesi papa vincent (1:42)
2. Alan Lomax - Test strip (0:50)
3. Surprise Jazz - Gonaives (3:20)
4. Surprise Jazz - Merengue (1:32)
5. Surprise Jazz - Instrumental merengue (2:47)
6. Surprise Jazz - Instrumental merengue (2:34)
7. Ludovic Lamothe - Loko (1:50)
8. Ludovic Lamothe - Nibo (2:22)
9. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Profound admiration (3:06)
10. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Medanm-yo ki jalou (5:12)
11. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Fanm ki jalou (4:45)
12. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Le grand sympathie (5:16)
13. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Bon kleren de nicanor petiguy (5:25)
14. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Deus blues (3:39)
15. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Ochan pou president Trujillo (1:55)
16. Orchestre Granville Desronvil - Toulejou se yon sel chason (4:00)
17. Dr. Rieser - Drapeau benis (1:13)
18. Dr. Rieser - Boumbaya boumbe (0:28)
19. Zora Neale Hurston - Bluebird (0:37)
20. Zora Neale Hurston - Bama bama (0:36)
21. Zora Neale Hurston - There stands a bluebird (1:11)
22. Tresse a Rubans - Nan neyi-m fanm pa konmande (3:07)
23. Tresse a Rubans - Fanm-sa-a wa tiye gason (2:43)
Sound clips* of all tunes...
Disc 1: Urban Music
Disc 2: Haiti’s Rustic Troubadour Music
Disc 3: Marti Gras
Disc 4: Rara
Disc 5: Children’s Songs
Disc 6: European Son/Romances
Disc 7: Francilia
Disc 8: Kraze Gato
Disc 9: Work Brigades and Worship
Disc 10: Zondo Ceremony/Sosyete Workbook
See package*
As Gage Averil writes in the beginning of his notes to the second volume within the boxset: "During his initial month in Haiti, Alan Lomax fell in love with the rough-hewn music of small ensembles that he called malinoumbas groups (sometimes called manoubas or manoumba) after the name of the large boxlike "thumb piano" on which a player sits and plucks metal tongues suspended over a sound hole. Along with malinoumba, these rustic ensembles typicaly feature one- or two-string instruments (a guitar and/or a four-string banza banjo sometimes a twa or trois, a stringed instrument equivalent to the Cuban tres, with three courses of double strings, a tchatcha (gourd rattle, similar to the Cuban maracas) a tanbou (barrel drum played by hands), bwa (percussion sticks comparable to the Cuban claves) and sometimes an accordion. These same ensembles go by many names; sometimes they're simply called ti bann (little ensembles) or twoubadou groups."
How the Haiti Project Came About - Pt. 1*, Pt. 2* / Alan Lomax in Haiti*
The late 1930s would be a time of influence for French Caribbean music in the U.S.: At the time of Lomax's sojourn, Artie Shaw and Cole Porter were just about to popularize the beguine (from Martinique), and Porter would soon compose "Katie Went to Haiti." In 1939, the great New Orleans jazz virtuoso Sidney Bechet would record an album of Haitian-influenced jazz, including a four-part work entitled "Original Haitian Music."
WSJ - Haiti's Hidden Treasures*
Another theme what hit me while I was browsing the web...
The people are attracted by rara field recordings, less then ballroom music by Jazz des Jeunes or Issa el Saieh. Similar to the world music market where rara and racine have more attention compared to the haitian music industry.
some of these stuffs are extremely rare to find.
Now those are some recordings that I'd like to get a hold of. I have some of the field recordings that he conducted in Carriacou and Martinique.
Who's picture is this?
@ gnb911 posting on Mon 3/8/10 a Profile picture ( What's the name of the musician/ Artist?) It looks like a 1930's photo..?
That is a photo of the creator of Compas Direct, Nemours Jean-Baptiste
Thanks for your quick response! Do you have any photos of any musician from the 1930's. (Orchestre) Granville Desronvil?
Any pictures of these musician ?
I don't own this box set so I'm not sure if photos of these musicians are included in the set.
Interview with Gage Averill on Q TV about these recordings...
(found on HB*)
I just wished that the songs were in better condition, a good number of them are almost inaudible. I'll post a few others.
Ago's Bal Band - Moun Podepe*
Surprise Jazz - Instrumental Meringue*
Ludovic Lamothe - Nibo*
I like that piano tune...
While Surprise Jazz has much Rara in their urban orchestre recording...