Kompa
Encyclopedia
Compas is a musical genre derivative of the Haitian
Méringue
, the national music of Haiti that people have been dancing and playing since the 1800s. written as Compas Direct in French, and Kompa or konpa in Haitian Creole. Worldwide, several festivals annually feature Compas music and other aspects of Haitian culture. Compas is the basic music of many countries in the Caribbean such as the French Antilles of Martinique
& Guadeloupe
; most of the Lesser Antilles
like Dominica
, Grenada
, Nassau
/Bahamas, St. Lucia, etc. known in French Guyana and many African Countries, Meringue-compas is also the basic music of Cape Verde
. Whether it is known as zouk
where French Antilles artists have taken it or compas in places where Haitian artists have toured, the truth is that this light meringue compas is very influential in the Caribbean, Africa, Cape verde, South and Central America.
popularized in the mid-1950s by the sax and guitar player Nemours Jean Baptiste
. In 1954, Nemours worked together with the sax player Webert Sicot
in the International Orchestra, where a new sound of Haitian music was born. Although Nemours Jean-Baptiste founded his orchestra “Ensemble Aux Calebasses” in 1955 (named after the club “Aux Calebasses” located at Carrefour
- a western neighborhood of Port au Prince, Haiti's capital - where the band used to perform on weekends), Compas Direct (Kompa) came to the forefront in 1957 with the album containing the popular song De P'ti Piti Kalbass as perhaps the first compas hit. Compas' popularity took off likely due to the genre's ability to improvise and hold the rhythm section steady. Jean-Baptiste incorporated a lot of brass and easily recognized rhythms. Compás music is typically sung in Haitian Creole.
Webert Sicot
left Nemours Jean Baptiste Compas band to form a music called cadence rampa
.
For the past years the congas and the gong patterns still remain the same...it is different for the drums since in the early days of Konpa the cymbals didn't have the same patterns as they do today.
Even in the mini-jazz
era, many drummers used to play the drums their own magic ways....
If you listen to Les Shleu Shleu/Difficiles/Fantaisistes/Ambassadeurs... you will notice that the drummers/bands had their own respective beat and format.
However the template that most drummers are using today is the one left by Smith Jean Baptiste of Les Shleu Shleu.........which is the BOLO BOLO...the tiap ti tiap ti tiap tiap ti tiap ti tiap....a style that was later improved and made popular by his successor Yves Arserne Appolon in both Shleu Shleu and Shah Shah in the early 70's. Smith Jean-Baptiste (Smitty) “kale senbal” style (hitting the crash cymbal in a hot cadence) was an addition to Konpa rhythm.
yeye bands of the early 1960s) played kompa featuring paired electric guitars, electric bass, drumset and other percussion, often with a saxophone. This trend, launched by Shleu Shleu after 1965, came to include a number of groups from Port-au-Prince
neighbourhoods, especially the suburb of Pétion-Ville. Tabou Combo, Les Difficiles, Les Loups Noirs, Frères DéJean, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour, Bossa Combo and Les Ambassadeurs (among others) formed the core of this middle-class popular music movement.
In the mid-1970s, when the sounds of the antillian bands such as les Aiglons
, Grammacks
, Les Vikings and later kassav in the 80's started hitting the airwaves. It was a serious call for the mini-jazz bands. As a result, Many mini-jazz started to do a make-over by adding full-horn section
and synthesizers. Furthermore, Some mini-jazz bands changed their names after this make-over for example:Les Difficiles de petioville became D.p express, Les gypsies de petionville became Scorpio Universel etc. Predominant in Haiti in the 1970s, its popularity has waned since the 1990s.
New generation and digital
The mid-1980s saw the success of zouk (itself derived from the compas of the French Antilles). Zouk was originated by the band Kassav' among whose innovations was the use of sophisticated technology including MIDI
. In the late 80's, Top Vice came with his digital kompa by recording predominantly on synthesizers and electronic instruments to reproduce a fuller sound. In the early 90's, bands such as Zin
, Lakol, Papash (amongst others) took the New Generation movement to a new standard by using the MIDI technology.
and the French Antilles of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Compas-love started as a fusion of Zouk-love
with Compas, also known as Zouk-Compas "New Generation". It is almost identical to Zouk-love but a bit faster, it features more live instruments, and it relies heavily on the Haitian Compas guitar. This style of zouk is more popular in France, and the Caribbean. Caribbean, Cape Verdean and African zouk artists usually feature each other via compas-love songs. Popular Compas-Love artists includes artists like Jacky Rapon in song like "Mi Amor" , Ludo
in song like "Weekend", Jackito in song like "Je l'aime a mourir" and Priscillia in song like "Dis le moi", Ali Angel in song like "Zouk Bordel 2003", and Iron
in song like "Mr DJ". These songs are available through youtube.
means “beat” or “rhythm,” and one of the most distinctive characteristics of Compas music is the consistent pulsating beat (Tambora (drum)), a trait common to many styles of Caribbean music
. Compas music is easy and fun to dance to, incorporating musical traditions like Meringue, which propel dancers around the floor with lively, active beats (though Compas has a slower beat and dance than Méringue). You may hear the notes of Compas music in a community of Haitian immigrants anywhere in the world, and where there is Compas, dancers are usually not far behind. Compas / Kompa is a genre of music that is emulated throughout the Caribbean ( in Zouk etc.) and parts of Africa. In North America, compas festivals take place frequently in Montreal
, New York
, Miami, Boston
and Orlando
.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
Méringue
Méringue
Méringue, also spelled "mereng" in Creole, is a music genre native to Haiti . It is musically and historically connected to Dominican Merengue. It is a guitar-based style , and is generally sung in Haitian Creole.-History:The history of méringue is similar to that of much Caribbean popular music...
, the national music of Haiti that people have been dancing and playing since the 1800s. written as Compas Direct in French, and Kompa or konpa in Haitian Creole. Worldwide, several festivals annually feature Compas music and other aspects of Haitian culture. Compas is the basic music of many countries in the Caribbean such as the French Antilles of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
& Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
; most of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
like Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Nassau
Nassau
- Placenames :Germany*Nassau, Germany, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate founded in AD 915, after which all the following are named, directly or indirectly*Nassau Castle, ancestral seat of the House of Nassau...
/Bahamas, St. Lucia, etc. known in French Guyana and many African Countries, Meringue-compas is also the basic music of Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. Whether it is known as zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
where French Antilles artists have taken it or compas in places where Haitian artists have toured, the truth is that this light meringue compas is very influential in the Caribbean, Africa, Cape verde, South and Central America.
History
Compas direct is a modern Haitian MéringueMéringue
Méringue, also spelled "mereng" in Creole, is a music genre native to Haiti . It is musically and historically connected to Dominican Merengue. It is a guitar-based style , and is generally sung in Haitian Creole.-History:The history of méringue is similar to that of much Caribbean popular music...
popularized in the mid-1950s by the sax and guitar player Nemours Jean Baptiste
Nemours Jean Baptiste
Nemours Jean Baptiste was a Haitian saxophonist, writer, and band leader. He is credited with being the inventor of compas, a style of Haitian music. The BBC has described him as Haiti's most influential band leader....
. In 1954, Nemours worked together with the sax player Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot was an Haïtian sax player, composer and band leader. H is recognized as one of the creators of konpa dirèk, a style of Haïtian dance music born in the 1950s.- Biography :...
in the International Orchestra, where a new sound of Haitian music was born. Although Nemours Jean-Baptiste founded his orchestra “Ensemble Aux Calebasses” in 1955 (named after the club “Aux Calebasses” located at Carrefour
Carrefour, Haiti
Carrefour is a largely residential and a commune in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. The commune had a population of 373,916 at the 2003 Census, and was officially estimated to have grown to 465,019 inhabitants in 2009. It is mostly a bedroom community for those who work in central...
- a western neighborhood of Port au Prince, Haiti's capital - where the band used to perform on weekends), Compas Direct (Kompa) came to the forefront in 1957 with the album containing the popular song De P'ti Piti Kalbass as perhaps the first compas hit. Compas' popularity took off likely due to the genre's ability to improvise and hold the rhythm section steady. Jean-Baptiste incorporated a lot of brass and easily recognized rhythms. Compás music is typically sung in Haitian Creole.
Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot was an Haïtian sax player, composer and band leader. H is recognized as one of the creators of konpa dirèk, a style of Haïtian dance music born in the 1950s.- Biography :...
left Nemours Jean Baptiste Compas band to form a music called cadence rampa
Cadence rampa
Cadence rampa is a variety of music from the Caribbean country of Haïti. Cadence rampa is originally a modern Haitian Méringue popularized by the talented sax player Webert Sicot in the early 60s...
.
For the past years the congas and the gong patterns still remain the same...it is different for the drums since in the early days of Konpa the cymbals didn't have the same patterns as they do today.
Even in the mini-jazz
Mini-jazz
Mini-jazz is a type of jazz music characterized by swing dancing and jazzy melodies with influences from rock music.-History:...
era, many drummers used to play the drums their own magic ways....
If you listen to Les Shleu Shleu/Difficiles/Fantaisistes/Ambassadeurs... you will notice that the drummers/bands had their own respective beat and format.
However the template that most drummers are using today is the one left by Smith Jean Baptiste of Les Shleu Shleu.........which is the BOLO BOLO...the tiap ti tiap ti tiap tiap ti tiap ti tiap....a style that was later improved and made popular by his successor Yves Arserne Appolon in both Shleu Shleu and Shah Shah in the early 70's. Smith Jean-Baptiste (Smitty) “kale senbal” style (hitting the crash cymbal in a hot cadence) was an addition to Konpa rhythm.
Mini jazz
The Mini jazz movement started in the mid-1960s, small bands called mini-djaz (which grew out of Haiti’s light rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
yeye bands of the early 1960s) played kompa featuring paired electric guitars, electric bass, drumset and other percussion, often with a saxophone. This trend, launched by Shleu Shleu after 1965, came to include a number of groups from Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
neighbourhoods, especially the suburb of Pétion-Ville. Tabou Combo, Les Difficiles, Les Loups Noirs, Frères DéJean, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour, Bossa Combo and Les Ambassadeurs (among others) formed the core of this middle-class popular music movement.
In the mid-1970s, when the sounds of the antillian bands such as les Aiglons
Les Aiglons
Les Aiglons were a 1970s Guadeloupean cadence band. They were the best selling Antillean band with their record Cuisse-La, until the release of Kassav's Zouk-La Se Sel Medikamen Nou Ni...
, Grammacks
Grammacks
Grammacks was a 1970s musical group from Dominica.-Biography:The band was started in a village on the west coast called St. Joseph. The band was formed by Anthony "Curvin" Serrant, guitar Anthony "Tepam" George, bass Elon "Bollo" Rodniy drums and keyboard player McDonald "Mckie" Prosper. Jeff...
, Les Vikings and later kassav in the 80's started hitting the airwaves. It was a serious call for the mini-jazz bands. As a result, Many mini-jazz started to do a make-over by adding full-horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
and synthesizers. Furthermore, Some mini-jazz bands changed their names after this make-over for example:Les Difficiles de petioville became D.p express, Les gypsies de petionville became Scorpio Universel etc. Predominant in Haiti in the 1970s, its popularity has waned since the 1990s.
New generation and digitalDigitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
era
The mid-1980s saw the success of zouk (itself derived from the compas of the French Antilles). Zouk was originated by the band Kassav' among whose innovations was the use of sophisticated technology including MIDIMusical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
. In the late 80's, Top Vice came with his digital kompa by recording predominantly on synthesizers and electronic instruments to reproduce a fuller sound. In the early 90's, bands such as Zin
Zin
Zin may refer to:*Zin, Afghanistan, a town in Afghanistan*Zin Desert, in the Sinai*Wadi Zin, a wadi in the Negev desert, that flows to the Dead Sea*Zinfandel, a variety of red grape commonly used to make wine...
, Lakol, Papash (amongst others) took the New Generation movement to a new standard by using the MIDI technology.
"Compas-love" or zouk love"
Some artists have used the term "Compas-love" or "zouk love" which is nothing but a light and slower tempo traditional compas played with lots of synthesizer and guitar with lovely lyrics in French, Creole, English or other languages. This light compas is more popular in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the French Antilles of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Compas-love started as a fusion of Zouk-love
Zouk-love
Zouk-love is a genre of popular French West Indian music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish...
with Compas, also known as Zouk-Compas "New Generation". It is almost identical to Zouk-love but a bit faster, it features more live instruments, and it relies heavily on the Haitian Compas guitar. This style of zouk is more popular in France, and the Caribbean. Caribbean, Cape Verdean and African zouk artists usually feature each other via compas-love songs. Popular Compas-Love artists includes artists like Jacky Rapon in song like "Mi Amor" , Ludo
Ludo
Ludo may refer to:* Ludo , a board game of the Cross and Circle game family* Luděk Mikloško Czech football goalkeeper.* Ludwig II of Bavaria, nicknamed 'Mad King Ludo', a king of Bavaria who reigned between 1869 and 1886...
in song like "Weekend", Jackito in song like "Je l'aime a mourir" and Priscillia in song like "Dis le moi", Ali Angel in song like "Zouk Bordel 2003", and Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
in song like "Mr DJ". These songs are available through youtube.
Etymology and characteristics
The word “Compás” in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
means “beat” or “rhythm,” and one of the most distinctive characteristics of Compas music is the consistent pulsating beat (Tambora (drum)), a trait common to many styles of Caribbean music
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
. Compas music is easy and fun to dance to, incorporating musical traditions like Meringue, which propel dancers around the floor with lively, active beats (though Compas has a slower beat and dance than Méringue). You may hear the notes of Compas music in a community of Haitian immigrants anywhere in the world, and where there is Compas, dancers are usually not far behind. Compas / Kompa is a genre of music that is emulated throughout the Caribbean ( in Zouk etc.) and parts of Africa. In North America, compas festivals take place frequently in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Miami, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Notable artists
- Tabou Combo
- DP Express
- Shleu Shleu
- L'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haiti
- L'Orchestre septentrional d'haiti
- Magnum Band
- System Band
- Les Frères Dejean
- Volo Volo
- Gemini all Stars
- Skah shah
- Exile OneExile OneExile One is a legendary musical group of the 1970s from Dominica based in Guadeloupe. Gordon Henderson is the leader and founder of the famous musical group "Exile One" and the one who coined the name "Cadence-lypso" for a genre of music that revolutionized modern creole music worldwide....
- Sweet MickySweet MickyMichel Joseph Martelly , also known by his stage name "Sweet Micky", is a Haitian politician, former musician and businessman, currently the incumbent President of Haiti....
- Kassav
- Tito ParisTito ParisTito Paris, is a singer and musician . He has a long career behind him and is among the most popular musicians from Cape Verde successfully blending the sound of Cape Verdean traditional mornas, coladeiras and funanas with the moderns sounds of Portugal and the rest of the world...
- La PerfectaLa PerfectaLa Perfecta was a big band from Martinique whose styles included cadence and compas.- Discography :*Pour toujours *L'inoubliable Perfecta *A youskous pas fe fou *Help me baby*La divinité...
- GrammacksGrammacksGrammacks was a 1970s musical group from Dominica.-Biography:The band was started in a village on the west coast called St. Joseph. The band was formed by Anthony "Curvin" Serrant, guitar Anthony "Tepam" George, bass Elon "Bollo" Rodniy drums and keyboard player McDonald "Mckie" Prosper. Jeff...
- Patrick St. Eloi
- Jocelyne BeroardJocelyne BéroardJocelyne Béroard is a Martinican singer and songwriter born in 1954. She is one of the lead singers of the band Kassav' and as a solo artist helped popularize zouk, a music created by KASSAV. The main members are from Guadeloupe and Martinique.-Biography:...
- Eric Virgal
- Experience 7Experience 7Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean cadence band formed in the mid 1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. It was also one of the very first band to emphasized future Zouk pioneer band such as Kassav'...
- Disip
- Djakout MizikDjakout MizikDjakout Mizik is a Haitian compas band based in Carrefour, Haiti, Djakout Mizik is notable for their slow jazzy style and have produced songs such as Septieme Ciel, Naje Pou Souti, and Biznis Pam....
- Les Gentlemen
- Les Leopards
- Les Vikings de Guadeloupe
- MalavoiMalavoiMalavoi was a Martinican band consisting of Mano Césaire, Jean-Paul Soïme, Christian de Negri, Denis Dantin, and Marcel Rémion. They formed in 1972, naming themselves after a kind of sugarcane and a street on Gorée, a Senegalese island...
- Les AiglonsLes AiglonsLes Aiglons were a 1970s Guadeloupean cadence band. They were the best selling Antillean band with their record Cuisse-La, until the release of Kassav's Zouk-La Se Sel Medikamen Nou Ni...
New generation
- CaRiMi (Carlo Vieux, Richard Cavé, and Mickael Guirand)
- T-Vice
- Alan CavéAlan CavéGeorges Alan Cavé is a Haitian Kompa and Zouk singer and the lead of the group Zin. He was born on February 27, 1966 in New York City but spent most of his adolescent years in Haiti. He toured with his father, Syto Cavé, all over the French Antilles, France and Canada. In 1987, he met with Alex...
- Harmmonik
- Toxic
- Kreyol La
- Relaks
- Krezi Mizik
- ZinZinZin may refer to:*Zin, Afghanistan, a town in Afghanistan*Zin Desert, in the Sinai*Wadi Zin, a wadi in the Negev desert, that flows to the Dead Sea*Zinfandel, a variety of red grape commonly used to make wine...
See also
- Cadence rampaCadence rampaCadence rampa is a variety of music from the Caribbean country of Haïti. Cadence rampa is originally a modern Haitian Méringue popularized by the talented sax player Webert Sicot in the early 60s...
- Cadence-lypsoCadence-lypsoCadence-lypso, popularized as simply Cadence is a cultural music of Dominica based in Guadeloupe in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scence in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of...
- MéringueMéringueMéringue, also spelled "mereng" in Creole, is a music genre native to Haiti . It is musically and historically connected to Dominican Merengue. It is a guitar-based style , and is generally sung in Haitian Creole.-History:The history of méringue is similar to that of much Caribbean popular music...
- MerengueMerengue musicMerengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
- ZoukZoukZouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
- Zouk-loveZouk-loveZouk-love is a genre of popular French West Indian music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish...
- Music of HaïtiMusic of HaitiThe music of Haiti is influenced mostly by Europe, colonial ties, and African migration through slavery. European musical influence derived primarily from the French and by the Spanish-infused influence of Cuba and the bordering Dominican Republic. Styles unique to Haiti include music derived from...
- Caribbean musicCaribbean musicThe music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...