Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux,
Jocelyne Béroard
Jocelyne Béroard (born 12 September 1954) is a Martinican singer and songwriter. She is one of the lead singers of the Zouk and Compas band Kassav'. As a solo artist, she helped create zouk Beton, a music genre started by Kassav'. The main memb ...
, Jean-Philippe Marthély,
Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left to form Volt Face and returned). Kassav' have issued over 20 albums, with a further 12 solo albums by band members.
The music of Kassav' is an extension of
cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso is a fusion of cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago that has also spread to other English speaking countries of the Caribbean. Originated in the 1970s by the Dominican band Exile One on the island of Guad ...
or
compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
bands, such as
Grammacks
Gramacks (or "Les Gramacks") was a Cadence-lypso group from Dominica.
Biography
The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other ...
,
Exile One
Exile One is a cadence musical group founded by Gordon Henderson in the 1970s with musicians invited over from Dominica, to be based in Guadeloupe. The band was influential in the development of Caribbean music. It became famous throughout the C ...
,
Les Aiglons
Les Aiglons was a 1970s Guadeloupean cadence band. Their single "Cuisse-la" was the greatest selling record of any Antillean band until Kassav's ''Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni'' in 1985.
History
Les Aiglons was a classic Guadeloupean band ...
and
Experience 7
Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean kadans band formed in the mid-1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. However unlike Kassav' or Malavoi, the small band produced most songs with Henry Debs in Guadeloupe.
Biography
Career
The group was ...
of the 1970s.
History
Kassav' was formed in 1979 by Pierre-Edouard Décimus (former musicians from the Les Vikings de Guadeloupe) and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
studio musician
Jacob Desvarieux
Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left ...
. Together and under the influence of well-known
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
n,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an and Guadeloupean
kadans
Cadence rampa ( ht, kadans ranpa, ), or simply kadans, is a dance music and modern méringue popularized in the Caribbean by the virtuoso Haitian sax player Webert Sicot in the early 1960s. Cadence rampa was one of the sources of cadence-lypso. ...
or compas bands like
Experience 7
Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean kadans band formed in the mid-1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. However unlike Kassav' or Malavoi, the small band produced most songs with Henry Debs in Guadeloupe.
Biography
Career
The group was ...
,
Grammacks
Gramacks (or "Les Gramacks") was a Cadence-lypso group from Dominica.
Biography
The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other ...
,
Exile One
Exile One is a cadence musical group founded by Gordon Henderson in the 1970s with musicians invited over from Dominica, to be based in Guadeloupe. The band was influential in the development of Caribbean music. It became famous throughout the C ...
,
Les Aiglons
Les Aiglons was a 1970s Guadeloupean cadence band. Their single "Cuisse-la" was the greatest selling record of any Antillean band until Kassav's ''Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni'' in 1985.
History
Les Aiglons was a classic Guadeloupean band ...
,
Tabou Combo
Tabou Combo is a Haitian compas band that was founded in 1968 in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The orchestra has performed throughout the world (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and especially in the Caribbean). ...
, Les Freres Dejean, etc., they decided to make
Guadeloupean carnival music recording it in a more fully orchestrated yet modern and polished style. The name of the band is
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole (Antillean French Creole, Kreyol, Kwéyòl, Patois) is a French-based creole that is primarily spoken in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary include elements of Carib, English, and African languages.
Antillean Creol ...
for a local dish made from
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
root.
Kassav' is the creator of the fast carnival
zouk
Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...
Beton style. The
French Antilles
The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean:
* The two overseas departments of:
** Guadeloup ...
' Kassav' was the first to apply the
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
technology to cadence and fused the genre with funk, and Makossa.
Music of Guadeloupe and Martinique:
* The
gwo ka
Gwo ka is a French creole term for big drum. Alongside ''Gwotanbou'', simply ''Ka'' or ''Banboula'' (archaic), it refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music. Moreove ...
, traditional
music of Guadeloupe
The music of Guadeloupe encompasses a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zouk music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an impo ...
, of which there are 7 versions (rhythmic)
* The
bélé
A bélé is a folk dance and music from Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica, Haiti, Grenada, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad and Tobago. It may be the oldest Creole dance of the creole French West Indian Islands, and it strongly reflects influences from ...
, traditional music from Martinique, of which there are 11 variants (rhythmic)
* The
biguine
Biguine ( , ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, bigin) is a rhythm-centric style of music that originated from Saint Pierre, Martinique in the 19th century. It fuses Bèlè and 19th-century French ballroom dance steps with African rhythms.
History
...
music of Martinique
The music of Martinique has a heritage which is intertwined with that of its sister island, Guadeloupe. Despite their small size, the islands have created a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zo ...
* The
chouval bwa
Chouval bwa is a kind of folk music originated on the slave plantations of Martinique. There are two versions, traditional and modern. Chouval bwa has been popularized by artists such as Claude Germany, Tumpak, Dede Saint-Prix, and Pakatak.
...
, traditional
music of Martinique
The music of Martinique has a heritage which is intertwined with that of its sister island, Guadeloupe. Despite their small size, the islands have created a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zo ...
associated with the city of
Saint-Pierre
* The
mazurka
The mazurka (Polish: ''mazur'' Polish ball dance, one of the five Polish national dances and ''mazurek'' Polish folk dance') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character de ...
and
quadrille
The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six '' contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of opera melodie ...
, European music of the French Antilles
* The
Compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
, modern Haitian
méringue
Méringue (; ht, mereng), also called ''méringue lente'' or ''méringue de salon'' (''slow'' or ''salon'' méringue), is a dance music and national symbol in Haiti. It is a string-based style played on the lute, guitar, horn section, piano, ...
popularized by Nemours Jean-Baptiste in 1955
* The
cadence rampa (kadans), alike
compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
, a modern Haitian
méringue
Méringue (; ht, mereng), also called ''méringue lente'' or ''méringue de salon'' (''slow'' or ''salon'' méringue), is a dance music and national symbol in Haiti. It is a string-based style played on the lute, guitar, horn section, piano, ...
popularized by Webert Sicot in the very early 60s that spread to the Caribbean
* The
cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso is a fusion of cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago that has also spread to other English speaking countries of the Caribbean. Originated in the 1970s by the Dominican band Exile One on the island of Guad ...
of
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
cadence popularized by
Exile One
Exile One is a cadence musical group founded by Gordon Henderson in the 1970s with musicians invited over from Dominica, to be based in Guadeloupe. The band was influential in the development of Caribbean music. It became famous throughout the C ...
with Gordon Henderson and also interpreted by groups such as
Grammacks
Gramacks (or "Les Gramacks") was a Cadence-lypso group from Dominica.
Biography
The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other ...
with Jeff Joseph as a senior member.
Experience 7
Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean kadans band formed in the mid-1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. However unlike Kassav' or Malavoi, the small band produced most songs with Henry Debs in Guadeloupe.
Biography
Career
The group was ...
was a Guadeloupean
cadence
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...
band formed in the mid-1970s, led by
Guy Houllier and
Yves Honore
Yves may refer to:
* Yves, Charente-Maritime, a commune of the Charente-Maritime department in France
* Yves (given name), including a list of people with the name
* ''Yves'' (single album), a single album by Loona
* ''Yves'' (film), a 2019 Fren ...
.
Most authors credit Décimus, his brother Georges, the band's bassist and Desvarieux as its inventors. Their first album was ''Love and Ka Dance'' (1980). The band gained popularity in their much-heralded live performances in Paris's Club Zenith and toured widely. For a band ostensibly operating in a "narrowly focused" Caribbean dance-based new genre, their success and influence on other artists was remarkable, although they were most influenced by a veritable cornucopia of other styles as noted above.
Kassav' continued to gain popularity both as a group and by several members' solo recordings, eventually peaking in 1985 with ''
Yélélé'', which featured the international hit "Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni" (meaning "Zouk is the only medicine we have" in French Antillean Creole). With this hit song, zouk rapidly became a widespread dance craze in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, and was popular in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
. Zouk performers became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects, stage spectacles and colorful costumes. One important contribution of Kassav' in concert was the appearance of featured dancers on stage with the band; these dancers were in many ways as much a part of the band as any musician. Kassav' has been noted by its acolytes and aficionados as a dance band par excellence.
Among the strengths of Kassav' that helped lead to the group's success were and are its members' superior musicianship, songwriting and production skills, and worldwide audiences eager for lively dance music more sophisticated than the
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
/
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
-based styles that otherwise dominated dance music charts in that era. The especially gravelly singing voice of Desvarieux, Décimus's driving bass, Naimro's and Joseph's inventive keyboards and superior drum-machine-based and Vamur's solid
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
-inflected live percussion, along with dance party-inspiring simple French-creole lyrics are among unique Kassav' "trademarks". During his tenure with Kassav', St. Eloi's soaring vocals were another unique ingredient, and the romantic vocals of Marthely and Naimro's as well as Béroard's very strong vocals, a plethora of fun songs, and significant guest appearances including by
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
and others are important parts of the Kassav' mix.
They have appeared with
Admiral T
Admiral T, whose real name is Christy Campbell, is a French singer of reggae- dancehall music. He is one of the most popular and successful Guadeloupean singers.
He is also a designer and the creator of the clothing trademark WOK LINE.
Biograph ...
, a famous
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
singer, and many other popular artists. Singer-songwriter/keyboardist Jean-Claude Naimro also appeared with
world beat
Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural con ...
artist
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
. Lead vocalist Jocelyne Béroard has also had a number of successes both solo and as a guest with other artists, being the first woman artist in the Caribbean to win certain music awards; she continues to perform with Kassav' and as a solo artist.
Jocelyne Béroard's stunning "amateur" photography of natural scenes and people seen from her unique traveling-artist perspective's island-paradise visuals could be cited among their songs' inspirations. The band's songs with a "political" edge or insinuation are typically double-entendre in the African-American and
calypsonian
A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
that delved deep into synthesized sounds after exploring many acoustic timbres, with rhythms based fundamentally in a
gwo ka
Gwo ka is a French creole term for big drum. Alongside ''Gwotanbou'', simply ''Ka'' or ''Banboula'' (archaic), it refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music. Moreove ...
(French Caribbean folkloric drumming/chanting) context, especially in earlier recordings. It has been suggested that their success was largely outside of the large U.S. music market due to a nearly total absence of English lyrics; instead, they use a very localized version of ''Créole Français'' unique to Guadeloupe and Martinique, very distinct from European French or even Haitian French ''Kreyòl.'' Their choice of language however did not limit their artistic vision, and it remains carnival-like and eminently danceable; the success of Kassav' was ongoing in the 2010s.
On 30 July 2021, Jacob Desvarieux, 65, passed away at the University Hospital of Abymes in Guadeloupe. He had been medically induced into a coma for almost a month. His death was attributed to COVID-19 by media reports.
Musicians
Current
* Vocals: Jean Philippe Marthely (1981–present), Jocelyne Beroard (1980–present)
* Keyboards: Philippe Joseph (1994–present), Jean Claude Naimro (1980–present)
* Drums: Thomas Bellon (2012–present)
* Saxophones: Claude Pironneau (1999–present)
* Bass: Georges Decimus (1979–present)
* Trumpets:
**Fabrice Adam (1994–present)
* Trombone: Hamid Belhocine (1982–present)
* Backing vocals: Marie-Céline Chroné et Marie-Josée Gibon
Past
* Drums: Claude Vamur (temporarily replaced by Hervé Laval, although Vamur did not leave the group)
* Percussion: Patrick Saint-Elie
* Percussion: César Durcin (died 11 February 2016)
* Saxophones: Claude Thirifays
* Trumpets: Jean-Pierre Ramirez, Freddy Hovsepian (1982–2021) (died 12 February 2021)
* Trombone: Claude Romano
* Backing vocals: Catherine Laupa
* Keyboards: Douglas M Bida
* Bass: Frédéric Caracas, Pierre Edouard Decimus, Guy n Sangué et Stéphane Castry
* Vocals: Patrick Saint Eloi 1982 - 2002 (died 18 September 2010)
* Vocals: Jacob Desvarieux 1979 – 2021 (died 30 July 2021)
Guests
* Vocals: Zouk Machine, Jean Luc Guanel, Princess Lover, Tanya Saint Val, Shoubou,
Philippe Lavil
Philippe Lavil (born 26 September 1947 in Fort-de-France, Martinique), pseudonym of Philippe Durand de La Villejégu du Fresnay, is a French singer. He remained particularly famous for his hits singles "Il tape sur des bambous", "Elle préfère ...
, Daly, Passi, Tony Chasseur, Jocelyne Labylle, Tribal Jam,
Edith Lefel
Edith Lefel (November 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana - 20 January 2003, in Dreux, France) was a French singer.
Biography
Lefel's mother was from French Guiana and her father, a meteorologist, from the island of Martinique; she is Edith in mem ...
, (died 20 January 2003), Ralph Thamar.
* Backing Vocals: Claudine Pennont, Suzy Trébeau, Sylvie Aïoun, Jean-Jacques Seba
* Drums: Jean-Philippe Fanfant, José Zébina, Jérome Castry
* Percussion:
Dédé Saint Prix, Albert Vigne
* Keyboards: Ronald Tulle, Thierry Vaton, Didier Davidas
* Guitars: Thierry Delannay, Ryco Loza (died 24 February 2022), Jean Christophe Maillard
* Saxophones: Allen Hoist, Alain Hatot (died 16 December 2020),
Bruno Ribeira
Discography
Albums
;Studio albums
* 1979 ''Love and kadance''
* 1980 ''Lagué mwen''
* 1981 ''Kassav n°3''
* 1982 ''George Décimus with Kassav
(joint album George Décimus / Kassav')
* 1983 ''Kassav''
* 1983 ''Kassav n°5''
* 1983 ''Passeport''
* 1984 ''Ayé''
* 1985 ''An-ba-chen'n la''
(2× Gold)
* 1987 ''
Vini Pou''
(Gold and Platinum)
* 1989 ''
Majestik Zouk''
(2× Gold)
* 1992 ''Tékit izi''
(2× Gold)
* 1995 ''Difé''
;Live albums
* 1987 ''Kassav au Zenith''
* 1990 ''Le Grand Méchant Zouk''
* 1993 ''Live au Zénith''
* 1996 ''Kassav cho''
* 2005 ''Carnaval Tour 2005'' (FR #124)
* 2006 ''Le Grand Méchant Zouk''
;Compilation albums
* 1987 ''Les Grand Succès de Kassav vol.1''
* 1987 ''Les Grand Succès de Kassav vol.2''
* 1998 ''Kassav Gold''
* 1998 ''Un toque latino''
* 1999 ''Le Meilleur de Kassav : Best of 20e anniversaire''
* 2002 ''Les Indispensables de Kassav''
* 2003 ''Légendes Kassav''
* 2006 ''Best of''
* 2006 ''Kassav: Les années sonodisc''
* 2009 ''Saga''
(3 CD with 53 remastered numbers and 4 unedited) (FR #45)
* 2012 ''Le meilleur de Kassav (FR #20)
Singles
(Selective, charting)
DVDs
* 1999 ''Les 20 ans de KASSAV à Bercy''
* 2005 ''Carnaval tour''
* 2006 ''Le grand méchant zouk''
* 2008 ''All u need is zouk tour''
* 2009 ''Nuit créole les 30 ans de KASSAV au Stade de France''
Discography (members)
;Joint with others
* 2006 ''Partie pour zouker'' (Lorie & Jacob Desvarieux)
* 2007 ''Fòs a péyi la'' (
Admiral T
Admiral T, whose real name is Christy Campbell, is a French singer of reggae- dancehall music. He is one of the most popular and successful Guadeloupean singers.
He is also a designer and the creator of the clothing trademark WOK LINE.
Biograph ...
, Jacob Desvarieux & Jocelyne Beroard)
References
External links
Official website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kassav
Zouk musicians
Musical groups established in 1979
1979 establishments in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupean musical groups