Clifton Chenier Sings in Creole

Enjoy a song from one of the legends of zydeco music, Clifton Chenier. In this particular song, Chenier draws from R&B and the blues, which is odd to hear when sung in Creole.

Jazz for Toussaint Louverture

English Jazz artists Courtney Pine has recorded a fine jazz tribute to Toussaint Louverture. While not really bearing any obvious Haitian musical traits, it does have Afro-Caribbean and 'Latin' influences in the pianist's style. Also worth hearing is Pine's composition, "Haiti," which features more "Latin" percussion.

Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry

Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry is an excellent introduction to poetry in the Haitian language. While a more careful editing with translations would have been helpful on certain poems, the reader is introduced to a variety of Haitian poetry of different times and schools of thought. The editors, Paul Laraque and Jack Hirschman, emphasize militant poetry (mostly from the 1960s to the present) of a nationalist outlook, one that is rooted in Haitian popular culture, folklore, tradition, patriotism, and history. Some selections, such as "Konbit" by Hilario Batista Felix, a Cuban poet of Haitian origin, obviously draw from rural and "traditional" pastimes as inspiration and hope for a brighter future of Haiti (brighter in terms of social equality, justice, democracy, liberation, an end to Duvalierism, etc.).

The better poems in the collection tend to come from Felix Morriseau-Leroy, a single poem from Philoctete ("M'Chouke" which explains why he stays in Haiti despite it all), a selection from Dezafi, and some poems from Jan Mapou. The fact that numerous poets represented in this anthology were members of the Sosyete Koukouy is also of note, particularly in how it connects poets of the Haitian Diaspora. On that note, I had the pleasure of meeting Jan Mapou in Miami and did not even realize he had played such an important role in Haitian Creole literature and keeping it alive here in the United States.

Unfortunately, this anthology could have benefitted from older, historical writings, such as songs. I would have liked to see older Creole poetry from the 1700s and 1800s, specifically, "Lisette," Durand's "Choucoune," Sylvain's "Cric Crac," Coicou, Vodou songs, proverbs and folk music. To better appreciate the inventiveness of the language, its ability to express just like any other language, the addition of material from the aforementioned sources would have been appreciated.

Haitian Blues

Check out Fats Waller's recording of "Haitian Blues," a song first recorded by Clarence Johnson and Creole singer Lizzie Miles. While there is nothing really distinctly 'Haitian' about this blues, Lizzie Miles had ancestors from Saint Domingue/Haiti. It's more interesting as another example of Harlem's multicultural musical environment and the stride style, something Fats Waller perfected like Johnson. 

Lizzie Miles Sings in Creole: Un Bon Nòmm

I am quite fascinated by music in the various Creole languages, especially those of the French-influenced languages. Lizzie Miles mixes things up by singing in English later in the song, but nonetheless an important and interesting song that shows the retention of Louisiana Creole and its influence in the music of the region.

Mamzelle Zizi

"Mamzelle Zizi" has been on my mind a lot today. The Creole folk songs of Louisiana are quite beautiful and full of so much history. Orchestre Bourbon has recorded a more "authentic" version of the song lacking jazz touches while Paul Cargnello adds rock elements. Just for fun, here's a more formal version of the piece in concert style. Gottschalk's "La Savane" is also based on this tune.

Imperial Identities: Stereotyping, Prejudice and Race in Colonial Algeria

Patricia Lorcin's Imperial Identities: Stereotyping, Prejudice and Race in Colonial Algeria is an interesting study of how colonialism shapes constructs of race in a North African context. Examining French colonial sources from 1830 onwards, Lorcin traces the rise and fall of the "Kabyle Myth" that divided the population of Algeria into two "racial" groups: savage and irredeemable Arabs and Kabyle Berbers who were seen as "white," more civilized because of their sedentary lifestyle, allegedly less devout Islamic practices, fewer restrictions on women, lower incidence of polygamy, and presumed origins among "white" peoples. This binary division of "good Kabyle" versus "bad Arab" collapsed with the rise of settler colonialism in Algeria, which, as Lorcin elucidates, led to a general stereotype and racial discrimination against all "native" Algerians by the end of the 19th century.

Anti-Islamic sentiment among the French, the shift from military to civil administration, and white supremacist pseudoscience of the 19th century all contributed to the "Kabyle Myth." Kabyles, imagined by the French as "noble savages" and compared to Germanic tribes of the distant past, were assumed to be capable of elevation under French law and tutelage, ignored their Islamic devotion, and even applied Saint-Simonianism as the intellectual bedrock, according to Lorcin.

Even physicians contributed to the racialization of Algerians, dividing Algerians into Kabyles and Arabs. Arabs, as pauperization under colonial rule progressed (including disastrous famine), were racialized as thieves, rapists, savages, lazy, stupid and considered unreliable. Racial discourse from the French even linked "beauty" to advanced civilizations, thereby labeling Arabs as physically unattractive while praising the alleged racial "purity" of the Berbers.

Lorcin's analysis also traces a colonial sentiment of France as a "New Rome" in North Africa and the Mediterranean. This form of neoclassical colonial development facilitated the rise of European settlers, who, as Europeans from lands once held by Rome, could be seen in a new light as proper heirs to the Roman Empire in North Africa. Orientalism and Arabophiles among the colonial intellectuals and administrations also shaped discourse on race, albeit always within the pro-colonial framework.

The French association of the Kabyle Berbers with "whites" also played into this, and contributed to the problems and ethnic conflict in contemporary Algeria given the strong forms of Berber nationalism and violence in the Kabylie region. Although one might suppose its obvious, the importance of European colonialism in shaping local constructs of race or even creating and separating identities is quite powerful in the Algerian case, with drastic consequences here and other African nations after decolonisation.

Conquistador!

While I am not always fond of free jazz, some of Cecil Taylor's early recordings are quite engaging. Taylor has a Monkish sound but is not restricted by the confines of bop. At the end of the day, I prefer Andrew Hill's avant-garde sounds, but this is quite stimulating. 

Also, happy birthday, Charles Mingus! 

Theme de Celine

 

 

One of my favorites from a classic Art Ensemble of Chicago album. Free and "out there" jazz I can dig. 

Eric Dolphy Quintet Featuring Herbie Hancock

 

Enjoy some lively jazz from Eric Dolphy, one of my favorite jazz artists. He has such a unique "voice"and is "out there" but not far enough to make him inaccessible.

Ford Dabney's Haytian Rag

Check out a rag for Haiti from the early 1900s. Ford Dabney, the African-American composer, actually served as a court musician in Port-au-Prince. While there is nothing distinctively Haitian about this piece, ragtime does share some stylistic commonalities with Cuban danzon. 

Haitian Merengue with Astaire

Enjoy a Haitian merengue from Fred Astaire that actually sounds like merengues from Bebo Valdes. 

No Regrets

Cecile McLorin Salvant adds a fresh take on a standard immortalized by Billie Holiday. 

Herby le Jazz et la Musique Haïtienne

This is a very useful documentary on Widmaier and jazz in Haitian music. Widmaier, Richard Duroseau, Issa El Saieh and others discuss the influence of Dominican merengue on Haitian compas, as well as Cuban influences. The footage alone is priceless for performances from some of the most important musicians and dancers in Haiti's folkloric circles. Unfortunately, not the best audio quality, but a good place to start. 

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise

A lively version of one of my favorite standards, "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise. 

Boricua Hasta La Muerte

Enjoy a beautiful salsa song for Puerto Rico, composed by none other than Tite. 

Zoo City

Lauren Beukes has written an engaging thriller that defies categorization. It's urban fantasy with Johannesburg's Hillbrow taking center stage, a strong female protagonist, an interesting concept of the "animalled" featuring magic, and the dark, gritty streets of contemporary urban South Africa. Nothing is quite as it seems, those who commit crimes get "animalled," a concept explained in some of the news reports, online forums, and emails that comprise some of the chapters. Zinzi December, the novel's protagonist, has a sloth for her animal, and while not literally glued together, the magical bond that connects human to their animal is so strong they cannot part way, that is, not without using magical means.

While the novel is quite accurate to the realities of contemporary Johannesburg's Hillbrow (the daily violence, lack of police protection, gang wars, squatters, and refugees from other African countries), and it uses elements of romance, crime thriller, science fiction, and fantasy, it also endeavors to incorporate muti into the narrative. This is dangerous because it can, perhaps, be used to promote negative, outdated stereotypes of Africa as full of superstitious cannibals who believe in witchcraft. The complexities of witchcraft and muti murders in South Africa is too difficult to explain in this novel, and one sees how it ties with the "animalled" concept and Undertow, but can leave the reader with negative stereotypes of Africa. Nevertheless, in a world where animals become magically "tied" to those who commit crimes and the world responds in kind with a combination of discrimination, superstition, and magic (mashavi, the word used in southern Africa), perhaps the retention of muti beliefs in the use of human and animal body parts remains relevant (hey, even non-black characters also use it).

The novel concludes in an open-ended way, with some redemption possible for Zinzi. Ultimately, the novel seems to be about just that, Zinzi restoring her moral balance in a dysfunctional world known. As one might expect, the novel functions as allegory for apartheid in some respects, too, given that those who are "animalled" are segregated in "Zoo City," a fictionalized neighborhood in Hillbrow. Housing segregation, employment discrimination, and the reality of life for poor South Africans haunt the narrative, allowing Beukes to make light social commentary on the social discord in Johannesburg. I will have to follow Beukes's work for some time to read such an interesting science fiction story set in South Africa.

Nabori

Enjoy a salsa classic from Cheo Feliciano (written by Tite). Sounds somewhat like "Anacaona," which makes sense given the Taino allusion the title. 

Congo Maroca

Enjoy a great song from Super Jazz des Jeunes (1961).

Caonabo

Enjoy a salsa contribute to Taino cacique Caonabo of Haiti-Quisqueya. From the same legendary Puerto Rican composer who wrote "Anacaona," Caonabo was the husband of Anacaona, a powerful cacica in her own right. A lively cover of "Caonabo" was also recorded by Chico Alvarez. 

The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction

The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction is a fine introduction to the history of the Spanish conquests for a general audiences. The authors, both experts on the subject, elucidate how "micropatriotism," the stranger-effect, and Spanish alliances with indigenous conquistadors made the Spanish conquests possible. While I was disappointed the authors devoted so little to the conquest of the Caribbean, this remains an accessible introduction to a complex subject. Dismissive of racist and unproved claims by scholars dating back to the 16th century chronicles and narratives, the authors are quick to show how presumptuous and ill-informed mainstream conclusions are regarding the conquistadors.

Instead of being received as "gods," native societies always perceived them as humans from a remote, distant part of the world (thus playing a role in the aforementioned stranger-effect). Moreover, many of the conquistadors were of African descent, such as Juan Garrido, a few were women, and the vast majority were indigenous leaders or polities who saw the Spanish as arbitrators, a way to access new privileges, and weaken their enemies from other indigenous polities. This also helps push away condescending assumptions regarding Native America as being full of "superstitious" natives who saw Europeans as gods instead of making decisions as rational actors leading advanced civilizations of their own kind.

The text also displays how the Spanish conquistadors were basically armed entrepreneurs, privately funded, and quite uneven in a process of colonialism that lasted for 3 centuries. Some indigenous societies, such as the Mapuche, were never conquered while groups in areas of Colombia, the Yucatan, or the US Southwest took centuries to "conquer." Indeed, many of the touted advantages the Spanish allegedly enjoyed were likely minimal in combat, such as their firearms, the diseases they introduced (which also affected their indigenous allies, and in some cases, the outbreaks only came after the conquest), their horses (sometimes not useful in mountainous terrain or hostile climates), and their steel (which, though stronger than obsidian or wooden weapons utilized by Aztecs or other people of the Mexican central valley, were not always the most convenient to wield). In fact, many Spanish adopted the styles of armor, footwear, head protection, and dress of locals.

Furthermore, many if not most of the conquistadors were not formally trained in war, making their dependence on indigenous allies and African auxiliaries even more necessary. Therefore, an understanding of indigenous socio-political systems is necessary to begin to comprehend how and why so many indigenous polities were willing to side with the Spanish, only to have their privileges revoked after the conquests (such was the fate of the Nahua who made the Spanish conquest of Mexico happen). As a very short book on the subject, Matthew Restall and Felipe Fernandez-Armesto provide an exemplary introduction to a complex event in the creation of the early modern world.

Port-au-Prince ca. 1893

Interesting images of Haiti around 1892-1893 can be found in Haiti: A Handbook. We have important edifices in the city, such as the House of Deputies above.

A handful of street scenes can also be found displaying the city, mostly built in wood, with poor roads, and even a pedestrian.

Here is the Place de la Paix, looking rather simple and unadorned.

A less than stellar view of Port-au-Prince from the sea. 

Last, but certainly not least, is the Rue  Américaine.

Que Risa Me Da

Enjoy some salsa from Luis Sanchez & El Combo Show. 

El Aji Caribe

A lively version of "El Aji Caribe" with vocals, unlike the otherwise excellent Damiron recording. 

Le Front Caché Sur Tes Genoux

Enjoy this lovely jazz interpretation with words composed by Ida Faubert, the Haitian poetess and daughter of President Salomon. Also, Cecile McLorin Salvant is one of the more interesting jazz vocalists on the scene these days.

Vodou at the Field Museum

I recently saw the Vodou exhibit at the Field Museum with a friend. My friend is a grad student specializing in Haitian history, so she was the perfect companion to an exhibit on Haiti. We were both underwhelmed (assuming I can be so presumptuous as to speak for her). Certainly designed for people with absolutely no knowledge of Haitian Vodou, the exhibit was overall a useful introduction to many of the key concepts, values, spirits, and history of the religion. There were several different examples of Vodou art, music, ceremonies, and altars for visitors to observe. While we could not speak for all the guests, it seems like some came out of the exhibit actually learning to see Vodou as a religion. My friend, however, was probably right about several visitors retaining their perception of the faith as "exotic."

Las Antillanas

A lovely merengue orchestra sound from Julito Y Sus Merengueros. Also worth hearing are "La Resbalosa" and this one, too. 

Indigenous Caribbean Podcast

Check out Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean: Podcast for a brief conversation with Maximilian Forte. The podcast discusses the history and legacy of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean region, a topic often neglected in Caribbean studies.