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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Five Examples Of Haitian Konpa Music By Les Freres Dejean

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - Oct. 18, 2022

This pancocojams post presents one sound file and four videos  Konpas music of  Les Freres Dejean

Information about Kompas (Compas) music is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Les Frères Dejean for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT KOMPA MUSIC
From http://worldmusic.about.com/od/genres/p/Compas-Music-101.htm
"Because the orthography and spelling of the Haitian Creole language (Kreyol Ayisyen) is not fully standardized, Compas is also known as Kompas, Kompa, Compa, Konpa, and Conpa, and is sometimes called Kompas Direk or Compas Direk. Compas is pronounced like "cohm-PA." The word "Compas" comes from the Spanish, and roughly means "beat" or "downbeat."

Compas is a genre of music from Haiti. Like most genres of Caribbean music, compas has deep roots in African music, and the African influence is clear in the back-beated rhythms that help define the genre. Compas descends from a genre of Haitian music called "meringue," which is related to merengue music, the popular genre from Haiti's fellow Hispaniola island nation, the Dominican Republic.
-snip-
That article continues with information about the history of Compas music.

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From https://sites.google.com/site/afropedia/compa-kompa-music
"Kompa (Compa, Konpa) Music
Kompa, Compa (konpa) music is the number one Haitian pop style, developed by Nemours Jean-Baptiste in 1955. The music was originally referred to as Kompa Direct. Compa or Kompa means beat or rhythm in Spanish.

Form
Kompa is sang in Haitian Creole ("Kreyol"). Unlike other Caribbean styles, it has a slow tempo. Kompa makes use of the tambour and conga extensively. The conga and tambour gives Kompa a uniquely Haitian flavor. Improvisation is a major component of the music.
-snip-
That article continues with information about the history of Kompa music.

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From https://www.haitianmusic.net/popular-haitian-music/kompa/
"Kompa

Kompa is the popular misspelling of ‘Haiti’s national music,’ compas (also known by the French as compas direct and as konpa dirèk [or simply konpa] by Creole speakers. The botched spelling “kompa” is a result of a phonetic misunderstanding between French and Haitian Creole – there are no m-sounding consonants before b’s and p’s in Creole). Often described as a “modern merengue,” compas is wildly popular throughout the entirety of the Caribbean; though because of Nemours Jean Baptiste’s (not to be confused with well-known merengue musician Antoine “Ti Manno” Jean-Baptiste) musical contributions to the genre, compas direct is normally seen as rooted in Haiti."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on the date of their posting on YouTube with the oldest date presented first. These dates shouldn't be confused with the order of their recording.)

Example #1: les freres Dejean "malere"



coolfungus, Uploaded on May 7, 2009

Les freres Dejean de Petion ville with one of their biggest hit "malere" . You can see why they are, indeed, the "creme de la creme" of Kompa music

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Example #2: Les Frères Dejean A L'atrium - L'Univers (6-13-2008)



E4Mizik, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2009

This clip features a performance by the legendary Les Frères Dejean, it was recorded at L'Atrium in Martinique in 2008, but was released in 2009.
-snip-
The musicians are listed at this video's link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KujqGT52Rq8

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Example #3: Freres Dejean,LA PRIERE, Atrium ETE 2009(RESIGNAC)



John Fitzgerald Resignac, Uploaded on Sep 17, 2009

Freres Dejean de Petion-Ville, Atrium Summer 2009

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Example #4: Les Freres Dejean en Concert @ Zephyr (French Guiana) July 2009 - Gladia



E4Mizik, Uploaded on Mar 23, 2010
-snip-
The musicians are listed at this video's link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23xmyZsqt7c

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Example #5: Les Freres Dejean - skah-shah- djet-x et system-band /groupes mythiques haitiens par D'jl prod'



Valentino Abauzit, Published on Jun 18, 2012

Montage vidéo fait par d'jl avec des groupes haïtiens qui grâce a eux cette musique perdure .ils nous ont marqué. J'ai choisi ces quatre groupes parce qu'il me rappelle mon enfance merci d'apprécier et très bonne écoute a vous.Les Freres Dejean - skah-shah- djet x et system band D'jl prod'


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