Compas music

Compas (sometimes written Compas Direct, konpa direk, konpa, kompa or compa) is a Haitian musical genre derived from African and European roots. It is also known as kompa, kompas, kompass, compas direct, or konpa direct. The genre has been adopted and recognized as the national music of Haiti, and it is often featured at Haitian festivals and events; worldwide, several festivals annually feature compás music and other aspects of Haitian culture. Compás music is also available in recorded form from record stores which specialize in world music.

History

The genre was developed by Nemours Jean Baptiste, a Haitian jazz artist who was witness and actor of a musical and cultural trade between Haiti and Cuba. Although Jean-Baptiste was given credit for inventing Compas, it was said to be his conga player Quedzere (or Pouedzer) Durozo during practice who actually struck the conga in a manner which would later be known as compas direk. That name reportedly came from an army officer who was awakened by what he had heard and said in creole (a la yon kompa direk papa) loosely translated "what a direct beat". 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 accompanied with singing in Haitian Creole.

Although Nemours Jean-Baptiste founded his orchestra (“Ensemble Aux Calebasses” named after the club “Aux Calebasses” located at Carrefour - just South of Port au Prince, Haiti's capital - where the band was performing on week ends) in 1955, Compas Direct (Konpa) came to the forefront in 1957 with the album containing the popular song De P'ti Piti Kalbass as perhaps the first compas hit. The genre quickly took off. It enjoyed a heyday in the 1960s and 1970s with an assortment of talented musicians performing compás music and building on it to create their own sound. Jean-Baptiste believed the compás music was almost like a building block; it could explore in any direction under the right hands, making the genre incredibly diverse.

Some traditionalists criticized the introduction of the electric guitar first at the beginning of 1958 and the electric bass a year later in the Compas - which was a marked departure from traditional Haitian music. Although Dodophe Legros had already used the electric guitar in urban popular music in Haiti, it was Nemours who introduced it to a wider audience. It is to be noted that Nemours Jean-Baptiste turned out to be an innovator as everybody else soon thereafter followed and the genre probably made traditional Haitian music more prominent, by introducing the sounds of Haiti to a wider audience as the music spread beyond Haiti's shores.

Konpa Direk did not achieve the great success it enjoys today without challenges. In fact, Nemours Jean-Baptiste faced a barrage of criticisms on the part of rival musicians, mainly those who, until his arrival, had relished the adulation of their compatriots. Two groups in particular rose the most effective campaigns against the founder of Konpa Direk: Jazz des Jeunes and Ensemble Weber Sicot.

Jazz des Jeunes (literally, “Band of the Young—“ in Haiti, the word “jazz” means “band,” “musical group), at the peak of its glory when Konpa Direk emerged, leveled the most reviling accusation at Nemours Jean-Baptiste whom it called in a song a plagiarist. By the same token, it denounced Konpa Direk as a bad, disharmonious, imitation of Dominican “merengue.” “Car compas voisin, hélas, n’est pas de vous, mes frères.” (For, the neighbor’s “compas,” alas, is not yours, my brothers.) Jazz des Jeunes predicted that Konpa Direk was just a fad that would pass. As a result of these attacks, a full-fledged polemic erupted. With the flamboyant ladies’ man Gérard Dupervil as its singer, Jazz des Jeunes was shining and had an established reputation for being the true and only “jazz” of the young. Nemours Jean-Baptiste was quick to reply. In a song of his own, he retorted that Jazz des Jeunes was outdated and that its musicians should retire. “Manman kanson, al fe dentisyon.” (You, old men, go chew on your toothless gums.) “Mamman kanson,” (baggy trousers) was an allusion to Magloire St Aude, the maestro and saxophonist of Jazz des Jeunes who still wore baggy pants fashionable in the 1920’s. Finally, Nemours hit where he thought it would really hurt. He pointed that his ensemble was indeed the real favorite of all Haitians, young and old: “Lelit, la mas di konsa/ se Ansanm Nemou yo vle /Depi ou kon mache o pa/ ti cherie ou sou konpa” (Both the elite and the masses say that/ it’s Ensemble Nemours they want/ As long as you know how to march in step/ little darling, you’re into konpa.)

No one can deny that the advent of Konpa Direk made a huge dent in the popularity of Jazz des Jeunes since the “jazz” lost a considerable percentage of its public. Nevertheless, Jazz des Jeunes stuck to its guns and continued to draw from the traditional African rhythms (yanvalou, ibo, petro, etc…) and ra-ra tunes that constituted the true musical heritage of the Haitians, and helped define Jazz des Jeunes as the guardian and most eminent representative of Haitian music. This being said, we should note also, that Jazz des Jeunes did its very best to cultivate young people’s interests. In particular, it incorporated many interpretations of Afro-Cuban music in its repertoire. Jazz des Jeunes would end all its soirees with one or two potpourris containing popular Latin tunes such as “El Zapatero” and “El Manicero.” The reason being that, before Nemours Jean-Baptiste, young Haitians danced mostly to the music of Celia Cruz, Daniel Santos and the Sonora Matancera, Tipico Cibaeño, the “boleros” (slows) of Los Panchos and Los Tres Diamantes, and the rancheras of Mariachi Miguel Aceves Mejia. Other existing Haitian groups and maestros of the 1950’s such as, Dodophe Legros, Orchestre Citadelle, Joe Trouillot, Guy Durosier had a lot of fans but could not rival their Latin counterparts. In addition they presented no major competition to the two leading bands and were not part on any level of the struggle for first place.

Less fierce was Weber Sicot’s attack. He and his brother Raymond had created a new rhythm to counter Konpa, but it was only in a spirit of competition. They called it Kadans Ranpa. It was to be danced like a sweeping of the floor with one’s feet or as if one slid the feet back and forth on the floor. The rest of the body swung from side to side exactly the same as for dancing Konpa Direk. Soon, the public realized that Kadans Rampa, far from being original, was just an astute rearrangement of Konpa Direk and without losing interest in it, did not find it consequential enough to deserve their applause. Besides, the Sicot Brothers were not as prolific as Nemours and did not release enough new albums, notwithstanding the fact that they were consummate musicians.

Sicot must have known that he did not have a winner with Kadans Ranpa since he did not insist on challenging Nemours very long. Even as early as the 1957, he was seen performing in public with Nemours. While the populace thought that they were each other’s enemies, Nemours and Weber were socializing. André Dorismond and Gary French, singers for Sicot’s orchestra were friends with Louis Lahens and Jean-Claude Félix (aka Ti Jean-Claude), singers for Nemours. When Haitians began to emigrate to the US in the early seventies, the fame of Kadans Ranpa suddenly dwindled because most of its supporters had left Haiti. Eventually, Weber Sicot traveled to New York and continued to play there, but Kadans Ranpa’s success in Haiti was short-lived.

As for Nemours, he continued to grow and made great strides as Jazz des Jeunes became less and less significant in the cultural landscape. His music was considered more modern, more dynamic, and more adaptable to the tastes of new generations. Nemours was more brilliant and more productive with every passing year. When he died in May 1985, he was already recognized as the King of Konpa. He had revolutionized Haitian music and catapulted it from traditionalism to the age of electric guitars, keyboards, and digital technology. Today, every group, every composer of dance music in the Caribbean owes something to Konpa, even Zouk, considering the strong influence of Konpa musicians on Jacob Desvarieux, the major founder of Zouk. Konpa was able to survive many attacks and challenges thanks to the strong character and determination of Nemours Jean-Baptiste. And also, thanks to his talent, for the man was very highly talented. If he were alive today, he would be proud to witness the extraordinary evolution of his music, which has conquered the world. Most of all, he would appreciate the fact that the drum beat of three, five or nine strokes followed occasionally by two strokes has not changed since 1957, even though Konpa is played faster nowadays, and with less lyrics. One way or the other, it remains a great Haitian invention that will continue to bring joy to many hearts. As one musician puts it, “misik la dous kou siro.” (The music is sweet like syrup.)

Etymology and characteristics

The word “compás” in Spanish means “beat” or “rhythm,” and one of the most distinctive characteristics of compás music is the consistent pulsating drum beat, a trait common to many styles of Caribbean music. Compás music is easy and fun to dance to, incorporating musical traditions like Merengue, which propel dancers around the floor with lively, active beats (though Compas has a slower beat and dance than Merengue). You may hear the notes of compás music in a community of Haitian immigrants anywhere in the world, and where there is compás, dancers are usually not far behind. Unlike zouk, the lyrics are mostly in Haitian Creole, and it has a faster rhythm than zouk.

It must be said that the plethora of rhythms that exist in Haiti (from the many tribes coming from Africa) included in some other forms the Compas (Konpa). Konpa Dirèk is a genre of music emulated throughout the Caribbean (Zouk etc.) and parts of Africa.

In North America, compas festivals take place frequently in Montreal, New York, Miami, and Boston.

Compas artists

Well Known Compas Artists and Bands

Rafrechi: ESKE'N PARE

• TANTAN/OLE
• Nickenson Prud'Homme
• Jose E Gabriel
• ayitizz
• Coupé Cloué
• Sweet Micky
• Zin
• Carimi
• T-Vice
• Robert Charlot / Nu Vice
• K-Dans
• Djakout Mizik
• Evangel
• Dega
• D'sire
• D'zin
• [Jean Michel Daudier][http://www.jmicheldaudier.com
• Nu-Look
• LES FRERES DERONETTE
• Misty Jean
• Alan Cavé
• Vilx ( Rap )
• Nu-Vice
• Zenglen
• Kreyol La
• Gracia Delva
• Hangout
• perin joseph bass
• Gabel
• Fabrice Rouzier
• Top-Vice
• Mizik Mizik
• Black Parents
• Tabou Combo
• Magnum Band
• Skahshah
• Sweet Konpa
• Krezi Mizik
• Alberto S. Pierre
• King Kino
• Mr. Fraunchise
• EVO
• Vizyon
• All Stars Music Magic de Port-de-Paix
• Sinic Music de Port-de-Paix
• Harmonick
• Kazak Eksperyans
• Fuzion

Historical kompa artists

• Coupé Cloué
• Les Freres Deronette

• l'Orchestre Septentrional
• l'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haiti
• Ibo Combo
• Les Freres Dejean
• Shleu-Shleu
• Skah-Shah
• Scorpio Universel
• Les Gypsies de Petionville
• DP Express
• Gemini Allstars
• Bossa Combo
• Tabou Combo
• Magnum Band
• Mini Allstars
• System Band
• Papash
• Djet-X
• Zekle
• Les Loups Noirs
• djazz la
• Alan Cave
• darnika
• Nemours Jn Baptiste
• Julien Paul
• Webert Sicot
• Missile 727
• Mario DeVolcy
• Les Freres Duroseau

References

• Manuel, Peter (2006). Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-463-7. 

See also

• Caribbean Music
• Music of Haïti
• Zouk

External links

• ANTILLESCOMPAS Premier site francophone de COMPAS!
• Haitian Music Resource Center
• Haiti Compas Events Database
• West Indies Radio, Dancehall Reggae Zouk Kompa Soca
• Kompa Videos (Haiti FM Kompa Music Videos)
• Kompastation.com | 100% Kompa & Zouk Music, Radio and Video 24/7
• Listen to Compa Music
• [1] (What is Compás Music)
• (Learn The Words To All Your Favorite Kompa Songs)
• Listen to new and classic Haitian music online

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