Music in Haiti

Since the tragic earthquake and heartbreaking aftermath in Haiti, the news media has been providing almost non-stop coverage of the situation on this Caribbean island. I thought it would be appropriate to honor and memorialize the Haitian people with a post about their music.

First, here is a link to an NPR story in which we hear how music helps people in grave circumstances to survive, heal, and pull through:

NPR

Second, here is a Canadian jazz saxophonist and composer, Jane Bunnett, who has been incorporating Caribbean sounds and musicians into her music for years. She and her band were to play the 4th Annual Haitian Jazz Festival this week, spending time in the country performing, giving clinics, and distributing donated instruments. Instead, she stayed in Toronto and put together a fundraiser for the relief efforts. Here is the full story along with some video clips of Bunnett playing with the Haitian choir, Grupo Vocal Desandann:

Jane Bunnett and Grupo Vocal Desandann

Finally, when world music aficionados speak of Haiti, the first band that comes to mind is the legendary Boukman Eksperyans. Their exotic name comes from an 18th-century vodou priest and the Kreole word for Experience, a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. They are known for their exciting party music with strongly worded political messages, creating enough controversy that they went into exile during the 1990s. Listen below to their revolutionary single, "Ke M Pa Sote," which became an anti-government rallying cry in 1991.

Ke M Pa Sote - Boukman Ekspery...