Haiti's Manic Groove

I've really been enjoying this late 70's album by Haiti's Ibo Combo. It's an ongoing mystery to me as to why this and similar (so-called Konpa, or Compas) music from Haiti hasn't caught on, at least with the beat-heads and "deep-crate diggers" of the world. I reckon it's just a matter of time, and have long mulled over producing a compilation to speed the process.




Many uptempo Konpa tunes have a breathless, manic quality, just one of the elements that sets this style of music apart from other styles originating in the African diaspora. Ibo Combo's "Engendré" has the usual exciting mix of hot rhythms, horns, choppy guitar, and exciting vocals, solo and in chorus, but the album is particularly well done and quite distinctive. It features an unusual number obviously inspired by the Spaghetti Western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone, and also a cover of a tune by Ti Paris, a brilliant Haitian folk musician .

The CD is available from antilles-mizik. Ibo Combo's "Café" is another excellent recording, available from the same shop.