I finally watched this endearing documentary! Orchestre Septentrional has been one of my favorite orchestras of Haitian music for some time now, and I have been meaning to learn more about the band through this documentary for quite some time. The documentary covers the bands 6 decades of history with interviews, video footage, live performances, some background history, and brief analysis of Haitian music in relation to Haitian culture and politics. The viewer is treated to some of the infighting and tensions in the band (debate over the change in sound, conflicts over pay and leadership, complains by and about the older members like Michel Tassy, the legendary singer) and how the band's long history relates to the proud people of the North of Haiti, Cap-Haitien's history, and Haitian history. The documentary shows both sides of Cap-Haitien, the pollution, horrible roads, and poverty, but also the palace of Sans Souci, Cap-Haitien's elegant, older styles of architecture, and the beauty of Haitian music, culture, and history (one of the founders of the band, Maestro Ulrick Pierre-Louis is shown at Sans Souci speaking about the need for another Henri Christophe).
The documentary does a good job of showing how Septen's music falls into the "Vodou-jazz" style popularized by bands like Jazz des Jeunes, which formed around the same time (unfortunately, Jazz des Jeunes is not mentioned at all, and Ulrick Pierre-Louis is presented as being the only Haitian artist wishing to fuse Vodou rhythms with jazzy, dance bands). One could have done much more with this by covering Haitian cultural nationalism in the 20th century, the influence of Vodou music on Haitian classical music, or even exploring further the links between Septen and Cuban music, supposedly an influence. The band even plays examples of different rhythms, emphasizes the importance of Vodou, music, and dance in Haitian culture and history, and the orchestra's current director, Nikol Levy, also leads a Vodou music choir. Unfortunately, the documentary was a little lacking on Haitian politics, and presented biased clips from the 1940s and 1950s that made Haiti before Duvalier seem like some amazing place (I suspect at least one of those clips was for promoting tourism). Despite Robert Fatton's inclusion, Haitian politics only gets marginal attention, focusing on Duvalier and the rise and fall of Aristide is covered.
The band's fate under Duvalier also reminded me of how Haitian compas and other "Vodou-jazz" bands like Jazz des Jeunes were all, at one point or another, forced to compose pro-Duvalier songs (after a makout opened fire at the Rumba nightclub and killed a member of the band), exemplifying how, as Gage Averill argues, music is power in Haiti and was inherently linked to politics and ideological movements (noiriste, for instance, in the case of Duvalier). Regardless of some of the misses of the documentary, it's nice to see the band members tell their own story, though those expecting a fully detailed year-by-year breakdown of the band and its musical evolution will be disappointed. Also, I was not sure exactly how comparing the leadership in Septen can be compared to political leadership, but fortunately, that aspect of the director's vision is not too apparent. Enjoy!
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