Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Adia" performed by Gabonese (Central Africa) Afro-Zouk singer and composer Oliver N'Goma (also given as Oliver Ngoma; Oliver N'goma).
Part II showcases a sound file of Oliver N'Goma performing "Adia" and presents selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread, with a particular focus on comments from a number of African nations as well as comments from some other nations worldwide.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/gabonese-singer-oliver-ngoma-adia-part.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams post abouot Oliver N'Goma's song "Adia". This post provides information about Oliver N'Goma, showcase a sound file of the song, and provides three versions of this song's lyrics (in its original language from Gabon+ French; in English, and in French).
UPDATE: July 11, 2018- Part I also includes an excerpt about Afro-Zouk music.
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Oliver N'Goma for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. And thanks to the producer of this video and thanks to the publisher of this song file on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Oliver Ngoma...ADIA
jennithony, Published on Apr 19, 2008
4,065,894 total # of views [as of July 10, 20181; 12:51 AM EDT]
total # of likes 10K
total # of dislikes 608
total # of comments- 1,056
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Most of these selected comments identify the nation that the commenter is in or is from.
These comments are given in relative chronological order, except for replies. English translations by Google Translates are given under comments. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
This compilation doesn't include all of the comments from that discussion thread which identified a geographical place. However, after reading that entire discussion thread to date, I attempted to include at least one comment from every nation that was cited. My apologies if I inadvertently omitted a nation that was cited in that discussion.
1. asadraza5367, 2009
"I remember this song, when i was living in the Caribbean from 1999-2001. It was played a lot at the dance clubs there, along with his other songs like Fely and Bane."
**
2. Linje Manyozo
"i remember one radio dj playing this song often on radio mbc in malawi. very popular..and ngoma sounds like a malawian name anyway.."
**
3. dorlika, 2010
"this is pure african musique you feel the heart of africa by listening to this , i remember i was very young when this came out but it still rock , every single country of africa knows this song"
**
4. Domsta333, 2010
"RIP RIP RIP Olivier Ngoma! King of African Zouk!"
**
5. Aminah K., 2010
"ça me rappelle mon pays, le Sénégal!!!! Okhooooooo!!!!"
-snip-
"it reminds me of my country, Senegal !!!! Okhooooooo !!!!"
**
6. charleslester assoumou, 2010
"Que de bons souvenirs , quelle musique, un salut a partir de Montréal, Québec, Canada"
-snip-
"What good memories, what music, a salute from Montreal, Quebec, Canada "
**
7. ibara gaston, 2010
"congolese people respect you , forever in our mind , one of the big left us rest in peace ibaragaston from paris"
**
8. TheDarinelo, 2010
"Angolan peaple cry for you oliver ngoma R.I.P"
**
9. monace Productions, 2010
"im from mz.. and im telling you it is still a hit here =)
i love this guy"
-snip-
“mz”= probably Mozambique
**
10. cturiel, 2010
"Quel perte pour la musique africaine, puisses tu seulement reposer en paix l'ami ! Au paradis des musiciens ou tu te trouves maintenant tu nous as fait vibrer au son de ton afro zook tellement international. Cela fait plaisir de voir tous ces messages de condoléances affluer de partout dans le monde et cela prouve si il en était besoin que ton sound à su transcender les frontières...et les couleurs de peau !!! Pour sûr les enfants auront droit à Bane et Adia en boucle ce soir à la case :-) !!!"
-snip-
"What a loss for African music, can you only rest in peace the friend! In the paradise of the musicians where you are now you made us vibrate to the sound of your afro zook so international. It is nice to see all these messages of condolence pouring in from all over the world and that proves if it was necessary that your sound knew to transcend the borders ... and the colors of skin !!! For sure the children will be entitled to Bane and Adia loop this evening to the box :-)!"
**
11. Daryl Richardson, 2010
"in the caribbean too, we love us some Oliver N' gouma"
**
12. TimF, 2011
"I was clueless of his passing away. His video accidently popped out of a query I was conducting. Being one of his countless endearing fans, I went on to play the video miles away from expecting the awful news that was about to leave me speechless. When one resides within the U.S., one's completely shut off from the outside world!
Thankfully he left us with a cluster of perennial masterpieces and a beautiful voice that will never cease to marvel us. May GOD welcome him with open arms!!"
**
13. Gaira Alhadi, 2011
"Noli, you went too soon, but God knows best and may light perpetual shine upon you...Your music will live on forever, Love from Sierra Leone."
-snip-
"Noli" is Oliver N'goma's nickname.
**
14. eliott jonath, 2011
"olivier ngoma est le plus celebre artist d'afro zouk pour les mauriciens! repose en paix!!"
-snip-
"olivier ngoma is the most famous Afro zouk artist for the Mauritians! rest in peace!!"
**
15. Al-Jean J. Sauray, 2012
"Nice, the beat reminds me of the Konpa from Haiti and Martinique -- Nice, Love it1"
**
16. Willy E. Victoria Ramírez, 2012
"I like this song, great music. I am listen from dominican republic. Me gusta esta cancion, gran musica. estoy escuchando desde republica dominicana."
-snip-
Spanish to English translation : "Me gusta esta cancion, gran musica. estoy escuchando desde republica dominicana" = "I like this song, great music. I'm listening from the Dominican Republic."
**
17. JOHNWISLY OFFICIAL, 2012
"I like this song it makes me go crassy wisly am listening it in Belgium [ ik vind de lied heel heel super
-snip-
Dutch to English translation = "ik vind de lied heel heel super" = "I find the song very whole"
**
18. Alix, 2012
"that afro music that some of us youngn's grew up hearing :) (SOUTH AFRICA)"
**
19. Patra Okelo, 2012
"im 2o years old from sudan grew up in nairobi kenya and i listened to tjis song every tuesday it never missed the countdow it feel like im hearing it for the first time.....i love love this one..."
**
20. gyler972, 2013
"Je suis antillaise et j'ai dansé et vibré sur les sons de ce grand Monsieur à la voix pleine de sensibilité.J'avoue apprécié d'avantage l'afro zouk (Monique Séka etc...)au zouk purement antillais.INOUBLIABLE! Oliver ngoma.Paix à son âme.Merci pour les émotions qu'il nous a donner."
**
21. gyler972, 2013
"I am West Indian and I danced and vibrated on the sounds of this great gentleman with a voice full of sensitivity. I have enjoyed more afro zouk (Monique Séka etc ...) zouk purely antillais.INOUBLIABLE! Oliver ngoma.Peace to his soul.Thanks for the emotions he gave us."
**
22. Anibal DaSilva, 2013
"Noli, we Cape Vedeans love you. Rest in Peace!
Paz a tua alma!"
-snip-
Portuguese to English translation: "Paz a tua alma!" = "Peace to your soul!"
**
23. MrKoolvictor, 2013
"Manu Lima a Capeverdian producer helped with the tracks. Great music. viva Afrika"
**
24. sami guelawe Palm, 2013
"la musique africaine en general te donne la chaire de poule. comme un sage à tes cotés. très éducative en general la musique afrique; on se diverti mais éducative. Le journalisme africain est notre musique. Très sociale e éducative. chaque matin, nous écoutons nos journaux à travers ces chanteurs qui nous donnent beaucoup. Bref d'enchainer avec les media et journaux."
-snip-
"African music in general gives you goose bumps. like a wise man by your side. very educational in general music africa; we are entertained but educative. African journalism is our music. Very social and educational. every morning we listen to our newspapers through these singers who give us a lot. In short to chain with the media and newspapers."
**
25. Richardson Mzaidume, 2013
"It's unfortunate that he passed away without having seen him perform live. I'd have paid whatever amount. African politics also revolve around colonial times. As result, us from Anglophone Africa know very little about musicians from Francophone Countries. It's sad but true. Gone too soon!!"
**
26. peace kazungu, 2013
"Rip Ngoma now i talk on behalf of Ugandans even though we don't understand the mean ,but the music so good it sounds ."
-snip-
"Rip" = "Rest in peace"
**
27. kevin wamaya, 2013
"mad respect from KENYA!! my father loved this song so much. it reminds me of the good times we had together"
-snip-
"Mad respect" = an African American Vernacular English phrase meaning "lots of respect"
**
28. joseph mcgill, 2014
"I'm Liberian and a huge zouk fan and noli is my all time zouk favorite. His voice and rhythm gives you an indescribable feeling. Rip noli you sure are missed"
**
29. SuperPeace1970, 2014
"i have no idea what he is saying, however this music is soothing to my soul!! Loving this....from the U.S. Virgin Islands"
**
30. James Gitonga, 2014
"Wish i could turn back the hands of time.Gone are the days.RIP Oliver.
Kenyan in Krefeld,Germany."
**
REPLY
31. Tim Harvey, 2014
"I just feel exactly the same! I'm in Germany too"
**
32. elisabeth tenberge, 2014
"we from Surinam (South America) also knew his songs.
oh man what a rhythm"
**
33. Arturo, 2014
"wwwooooowww que riiiitmo. Supremo. Para bailar y bailar sin parar"
-snip-
Spanish to English translation: "wwwooooowww what riiiitmo. Supreme." = "Wow. What rhythm Supreme. To dance and dance without stopping"
**
34. essenamism
"Cette chanson me rappelle mon enfance au Togo. Je ne peux pas cesser de verser des larmes quand j écouté cette chanson et c est pour cette raison que j écouté rarement cette chanson aujourd'hui . Cette chanson me rappelle les amis d enfance et les rues de Lomé . Tout a changé . Les rues ne sont plus les même . Les amis sont tous mort ou à l étrange ou très pauvre."
-snip-
"This song reminds me of my childhood in Togo. I can not stop shedding tears when I listened to this song and that is why I rarely listened to this song today. This song reminds me of childhood friends and the streets of Lome. Everything changed . The streets are not the same anymore. Friends are all dead or strange or very poor."
**
35. SuperCapuka, 2014
"Boy i was 5 when i used to stay up till 5 am when we had party's at home, and this song remembers me of those days, life in Europe wasnt great but everyone was happy! We didn't had much but we shared among us Africans look at how we are separated now due to litle money! R.I.P Oliver N'Gomma, great songs!"
**
36. Marcos Bile by nze. 2015
"Mi infancia en Gabón"
-snip-
"My childhood in Gabon"
**
37. Nature Isle, 2015
"ahhh memories!!! Oliver's songs always brings me to tears.these good old days will never come back!!"
**
38. embe1, 2015
"Thanks so much! Listened to him as a small boy, didn't know he was from Gabon until right this minute. Always thought he was from Cameroon."
**
39. Léon-Paul BOUNOMBAR, 2015
"je saivas connu Oliver Ngoma dans les années 1977 en classe de 4éme au Lycée Technique National O. Bongo à Libreville. Des années plus tard, j'apprendrai qu'il serait devenu un célèbre musicien. Que son corps repose en paix dans les profondeurs du néant."
-snip-
"I knew Oliver Ngoma in 1977 in 4th class at the O. Bongo National Technical High School in Libreville. Years later, I will learn that he would become a famous musician. May his body rest in peace in the depths of nothingness."
**
40. Lil Mal, 2015
"forget Redsun and the likes.. now this is what i call muuussiiiiiic!!! a kenyan in the UK"
**
41. MySt Justin, 2016
"Nice music make me remember 90s in librevile lovely city"
-snip-
Libreville is the capitol of Gabon.
**
42. Appiah Eric, 2016
"I'm Ghanaian but I like Adia, a song by Oliver Ngoma"
**
43. yashouberry, 2016
"Mauritius? someone? ok im alone,,"
**
44. lapologang semong, 2016
"Am from Botswana and i love this song very much ,true african music.."
**
45. Bravia muyakane, 2016
"From Nairobi Kenya, Is all about Originality and not faking. I love this piece."
**
46. EL MIMOUNI Abla, 2016
"I am from Morocco and I love this music which make me feel extra happy, dancing like nobody watching ;)"
**
47. henrietta swen, 2016
"I 'm from Liberia, this song make me think on so many things during our civil war."
**
REPLY
48. Ettie Manjo, 2017
"Hello, my family is from Liberia, but I was born in America. I know it was hard back then auntie, but thankfully Liberia is getting better now. My father used to play this song allllll the time, I basically grew up listening to Oliver Ngoma."
**
49. Tawanda Chakupeta, 2016
"I'm a zimbo this music is good"
-snip-
My guess is that "Zimbo" means "Zimbabwe; "a person from Zimbabwe".
**
50. Ghuma Bama, 2016
"when i hear this Song i remenber my wonderfull childhood in Angola:) granda queta. ..😎"
**
51. loise mbaye, 2016
"am loise from kenya this song is awesome even if i dont understand the words it makes me feel so relaxed"
**
52. Gaelle M, 2016
"Mon enfance à Saint-Martin! jusqu'à mtn je l'entends. Une belle étoile qui nous a laissé de merveilleuses chansons qu'on n'oubliera jamais! R.I.P grand Monsieur"
-snip-
"My childhood in Saint-Martin! until I hear it. A beautiful star who has left us wonderful songs we will never forget! R.I.P tall gentleman"
**
53. Katongole Paulinho II, 2016
"anyone from Uganda here??"
**
REPLY
54. Roland Ainembabazi, 2016
"+Katongole Paulinho II Here iam.. i love the song so much, it just reminds me of how Wonderful African classics are, and above all of how African music is real music"
**
55. Prémices Lw, 2016
"who listen this in April 2016 like me ? vieux bons souvenirs!"
-snip-
"vieux bons souvenirs" = "old good memories"
**
REPLY
56. Priscah Wairimu, 2017
"Prémices Lwanzo am listening 2017 April😂love love Oliver ngoma songs though can't understand but i do enjoy. ...From Kenya👌"
**
REPLY
57. Cathrine Ntore, 2018
"Priscah Wairimu still listening December 2017 I so love Oliver Ngoma thought I was the only one from Kenya"
**
58. Esperanza Dias, 2017
"tolle musik höre ich mir fast täglich an und die anderen Songs auch.Andenken an früher in einer Disco in Strasbourg.merci pour ca"
-snip-
German to English translation = "I listen to great music almost every day and the other songs too. Remembering at a disco in Strasbourg.merci pour ca"
**
59. Marie Sambou, 2017
"love from Gambia :) :) :) :) :) : ) :) :) :)"
**
60. Essy Mirembe, 2017
"I really love and appreciate how a song can brew so much love and unity among us all...... God bless Africa...Rip Mr.Oliver Ngoma
**
61. N Jame, 2017
"One love to mother Africa!"
**
62. Masaba Masaba, 2017
"Am still loving Oliver Music ..Here in Uganda Kampala"
**
63. Owen Sampule, 2018
"Gabonese People please translate for us. It will make pipo enjoy the music even more."
-snip-
Lyrics for this song can be found by clicking http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/gabonese-singer-oliver-ngoma-adia-part.html (Part I of this pancocojams series).
**
64. 20x5 lao atr, 2017
"Merci, enfin la traduction d'une chanson très populaire en Nouvelle-Calédonie ! Thanks so much ;)"
-snip-
"Thank you, finally the translation of a very popular song in New Caledonia! Thanks so much;)"
[Note: That comment was written to a commenter who posted the French translation of "Adia"'s lyrics]
**
65. Edith Hoff, 2017
"edith from atlanta love this song .rest in peace oliver"
-snip-
Atlanta= Atlanta, Georgia [United States]
**
66. FATOU AWA THIAM, 2017
"Je suis Sénégalaise et j'adore cette chanson. Elle me rappelle mon premier jour d'école.
-snip-
"I am Senegalese and I love this song. She reminds me of my first day of school."
**
67. Abudushakulu Damulira, 2017
"Namibia windhoek city live"
**
68. TheSushiraw, 2017
"thumbs up from, NORWAY..."
**
69. My Dental Wig, 2017
"OMG! I danced this song at AFRO-Antillaise parties in FRANCE! Damn!!!!! Cette Terre sait ouvrir sa bouche et engloutir des vies!!!! Suis speechless d'apprendre qu'Olover N'Goma est decede depuis Juillet 2010 et nous sommes le 28 decembre 2016! Repose en paix l'Artiste!"
-snip-
..."This Earth knows how to open its mouth and swallow lives !!!! Am speechless to learn that Olover N'Goma has died since July 2010 and we are on December 28, 2016! Rest in peace the Artist!"
**
70. Chris4, 2017
"Composition et Interprétation: Oliver N'GOMA (Gabon)
Programmation et Arrangements: Manu LIMA (Cap Vert)
Deux génies de la musique africaine 😃"
-snip-
"Composition and Interpretation: Oliver N'GOMA (Gabon)
Programming and Arrangements: Manu LIMA (Cape Verde)
Two geniuses of African music 😃"
**
71. SuperCapuka, 2017
"When your kid asks for good and beautiful African music, here is a place to start!"
**
72. mara louna, 2017
"Africa Africa Africa i love you"
**
73. Matheus Nkandanga
"I'm from Namibia, I may not understand the language used in this music but it carries some African rhythms and lyrics. RIP Ngoma"
**
74. fredy adam, 2017
"He was a King, Genius and most of all he was our own brother.... everytime i hear this song my heart gets peace."
**
75. Natasha Washaya, 2017
"very nice song to dance along to on a wedding, will still have it on mine, it will never get outdated"
**
76. Unicornfan 246, 2018
"love from togo✊❤💛💚😄"
**
77. simon creevo, 2018
"Je kiffe trop. Ici Comores"
-snip-
"je kiffe"= French slang from Arabic; "Je Kiffe trop" = I really enjoy it.
**
78. OTHMANE MAJOR, 2018
"je suis de Maroc souvenir inoubliable merci infiniment"
-snip-
"I am from Morocco unforgettable memory thank you very much"
**
79. Rony Paul, 2018
"Afro-zouk! We truly miss you Mr Oliver N'goma..."
**
80. Rodgers Gasper, 2018
"am from TANZANIA just by listening this song made my day well."
**
81. Sophia Youboty, 2018
"Rip my African brother Oliver n Goma..love from U.S.A. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂"
**
82. mohamed hussien, 2018
"i am from Ethiopia and I love this song he is songs"
**
83. Marliq Kigozi, 2018
"This reminds of my early years when everything was real ,life was more simpler and music was real and even people were real can't get enough of this song"
****
This concludes this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.his is a nice african song,from Gabon, I love this song
Showing posts with label Zouk music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zouk music. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
Gabonese Afro-Zouk Singer Oliver N'Goma - "Adia" (Part I - information & lyrics in its original languages, in English, & in French)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Adia" performed by Gabonese (Central Africa) Afro-Zouk singer and composer Oliver N'Goma (also given as Oliver Ngoma; Oliver N'goma).
Part I of this series presents information about Gabon and information about Oliver N'Goma. Part I of this series also showcase a sound file of the song as well as three versions of this song's lyrics (in its original language from Gabon+ French; in English, and in French).
UPDATE: July 11, 2018- Part I also includes an excerpt about Afro-Zouk music.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-global-reach-of-gabonese-afro-zouk.html for Part II of this series. Part I showcases a sound file of Oliver N'Goma performing "Adia". Part I also presents selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread, with a particular focus on comments from a number of African nations as well as comments from some other nations worldwide.
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Oliver N'Goma for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. And thanks to the producer of this video and thanks to the publisher of this song file on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT OLIVER N'GOMA
Excerpt #1
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_N%2527Goma&prev=search [translated from French to English]
"Oliver N'goma , says Noli , born on March 23 , 1959 at Mayumba and died on June 7 , 2010 , is a Gabonese singer and guitarist of Afro - zouk
Biography
Oliver Ngoma was born in Mayumba, southwest Gabon, on March 23, 1959. His father, a harmonium player, introduced him to music at the age of eight.
In 1971 , his family left Mayumba for Libreville . Oliver studied accounting at the Technical High School in Libreville, where he became a guitarist for Capo Sound, the high school orchestra. Accounting studies do not excite him, Oliver prefers to devote himself to his two passions that are cinema and music. Thus, he will begin by collecting musical instruments, and tinkering a small home studio . In parallel, he is engaged as a cameraman by the second Gabonese television channel (RTG 2).
In 1988 , during an internship in Paris , he met Manu Lima , a director / producer of the African scene in Paris, ex-leader of Cabo Verde Show . Manu takes care of the artistic direction of Oliver's first album, BANE .
In 1990 , the album BANE where is included Bané , goes out without provoking a first outcry. But its constant broadcast on Africa No. 1 and RFI radios, is resumed in force in discotheques in France, as in Africa. Bané became a hit in 1990 throughout Africa and France. From the album BANE will be extracted tracks like Icole and Lusa , which will also know the success.
In 1995 , he released the album ADIA again in collaboration with Manu Lima. The album will be as successful as the first one.
In 2001 , he released his third album SEVA made without Manu Lima, which will have a mixed success.
In 2006 , he released his fourth album SAGA . On this occasion, he returns to the producer Manu Lima.
He died June 7, 2010 of a renal failure in the hospital of Libreville, Gabon 1 ."...
****
Excerpt #2
From a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017
"This is Olivier N'Goma. A product of Capeverdean Music and Gabonese Music.
Oliver’s accountancy lessons did not interest him much. He preferred to concentrate on his two great passions: films and music. Beginning to collect musical instruments, he put together a little home studio and entertained secret hopes of becoming a professional musician. However, when an opportunity arose, it was in the shape of his other love, the camera. He went to work for Gabon’s second TV channel as a cameraman, travelling to Paris for training in 1988. During the long winter he spent in the French capital, Oliver worked on his home demos.
Then he met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.
BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.
On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor.
Oliver refused to get carried away by this massive success, realising he would have to live up to his new status. As he calmly got back to work, he knew that his second album would come under close scrutiny on its release.
He continued his partnership with Manu Lima, with the same capeverdean ancestors of Cesária Évora, from Mindelo and the two started recording sessions together in the late summer of 1995. The album, ADIA, appeared in mid-December of the same year. Combining sophistication with a proliferation of beats, ADIA proved that Oliver was no one-hit wonder. In 2001, he made SÉVA without Manu Lima, but then got back together with the French-Cape Verdean producer whose skill had been so crucial in shaping his first 2 albums. The result, SAGA, was released in May 2006.
Manu’s trademark skills successfully pervade SAGA, which is primarily a dance record of African-style zouk. Apart from title track SAGA, the record includes several other excellent songs, such as NOLI, a kind of rumba-zouk with featured vocalists and Congolese guitars."
-snip-
"Noli" is Oliver Ngoma's nickname. It was created by combining the "N" in his last name "Ngoma" with the letters "oli" from his name "Oliver".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT AFRO-ZOUK
UPDATE: July 12, 2018: Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/excerpts-about-zouk-music-from-1990.html for Part I of a pancocojams post entitled Excerpts About The Roots Of Zouk Music From The 1990 Book "African Rock: The Pop Music Of A Continent", Part I. The link for Part II is found in that post. Part II provides additional information about Kassav (band) as well as information about Zouk in Africa (up to 1987).
****
There's very little information online that describes "Afro-Zouk", a genre (or sub-genre) of music which is much less often called "African Zouk".
Here's the complete Wikipedia article about Afro-Zouk which is translated to English from French. A small portion of this article served as the source for the English language translated Wikipedia article on this music genre:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-zouk&prev=search
"The Afro-zouk
Styles | Origin: 1980
Zouk is a West Indian musical movement initiated in the late 1970s by the Kassav 'group, under the leadership of Pierre-Édouard Decimus and Jacob Desvarieux. It is immediately adopted in Guyana, in the Indian Ocean and in Africa where it is merged with national styles to give afro-zouk.
The text above is under a free license (CC-BY-SA)
Until the early 1980s, the zouk concrete or "chiré", an ephemeral style dancing alone, was fashionable. Very rhythmic and sung in Creole, zouk concrete is a fusion of gwo ka, biguine, calypso, cadence, compass and African rhythms. With the appearance of the band Kassav ', this musical genre disappears in the 1980s.
Having lived for a long time in Senegal where he frequented the capverdian milieu amateur of coladeira (popular musical genre in the archipelago), Jacob Desvarieux had the idea, with the members of the group, of creating a fusion between West Indian music (cadence, biguine, "Mas a sinjan" (mask of Saint-Jean), rhythm of the carnival), the Haitian compass and African sounds (coladeira, Cameroonian makossa brought by Mbida Douglas, one of the musicians of the group), with whirling guitar riffs Congolese soukouss and rock, salsa brass lines and funk keyboard notes.
The release in 1980 of Kassav's first album, "Love and Ka Dance", thus marks the birth of this new musical genre that immediately seduces the Afro-Caribbean community. But it is their title "Zouk The medikaman nou ni se se" which will largely contribute to the sustainability of the zouk. This new musical Caribbean is then adopted in Guyana.
Several derivatives will be derived from zouk: zouk love (very throbbing, slow genre), R & B-zouk, soul-zouk, rap-zouk, reggae-zouk, ragga-zouk.
In addition to the initiating group Kassav 'and its members who release solo albums (Jocelyne Béroard, the brothers Pierre-Édouard Georges Decimus, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Claude Naimrod, Patrick Saint-Eloi), several other formations and artists will report on the international scene in the 1980s / 1990s: Zouk Machine, Dédé Saint-Prix, the late Edith Lefel, Experience 7, Francky Vincent, Joëlle Ursull, Ralph Tamar, Ronald Rubinel, Tanya St-Val, Souskay ...
In Africa and the Indian Ocean it is merged with national styles, giving Kizomba, afro zouk, sega zouk, maloya zouk, comorian zouk, makossa / zouk, zouglou / zook, soukouss / zouk (soukou- zouk), coladeira / zouk (cola-zouk) ...
Among the following: Mpongo Love, Gadji Celi, Awa Maiga, Monique Seka, Oliver NGoma, Mathey, Africa Maestro, Galvao, Vivick, Yvon Paris, Stacy, Roger, Philippe Monteiro, Mobass, Elaisa, Roger Gobea, Pierrette Adams, Kaysha, Patience Dabany, Chantal Taïba, Kino, Jorge Neto, Chamsia Sagaf, Naima, Jerry, Don Kikas and many others ...
by Nago Seck July 14, 2008 - © Afrisson"
-snip-
Based on comments about Oliver N'goma's music, it occurs to me that one feature of Afro-Zouk vocal music might be singing in traditional African languages and/or African Creole languages. Afro-Zouk singers might also combine these languages with French.
Also note this excerpt from a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017. This excerpt refers to Gabonese singer/composer Oliver N'goma's first album having "a Zouk-style beat":
"Then he [Gabonese singer Oliver N'goma] met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.
BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.
On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor."...
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Oliver Ngoma...ADIA
jennithony, Published on Apr 19, 2008
this is a nice african song,from Gabon, I love this song
****
LYRICS FOR OLIVER NGOMA'S SONG "ADIA"
Each of these transcriptions are from the discussion thread for the sound file that is embedded in this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0
Lyrics #1:
[posted by LOVESTAR HIGH, 2015]
Chérie
Vumissio wa murim'agu
Ni skia mune
Oh...Adia
murim'ami n'agu u li
Oh ...n'agu buandi
Ah
Nge ni va tsole
Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami
Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie
Florence
Ngambo bi biva u si
Murime ndzungu
Oh chéri
Ngambo yetu kue tu li
mo murim'agu
Ah....
Murime ufitse
Suze otima
we ma abaraga
mognu'ami
a ngeyu
nge buandi
U li mo
Murim'ami
Bébé
Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami
Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie
Ah... Yo yo yo
Bi uva lile Adia
Duniru duami
Ni va lile Bébé
Duniru a duagu
guagu veke Adia
Chérie Ah...Eh..
Ngulu wandi bébé
Florence...
u ya be lile mama
Chérie...
Uya du gabile
Florence
uya regembe wandi
Adia
Ngukuobu
Bébé
Ngeyu a minu
Bébé
Ka lembu
Biyogu
Biva bandissi
Bébé... Biyogu Musson-
gu... bébé ...
-snip-
Here's a comment exchange about the language that Oliver N'goma used for the song "Adia":
Jean Marie Bafouta, 2017
"Arsene Tchiama
Hello I would like to know Oliver Ngoma sang in what language of Gabon?
**
REPLY
Arsene Tchiama, 2017
"Jean marie Bafouta
bjr. Il chantait en Lumbu. une langue du Sud du Gabon. plus précisément une des 2 langues parlées à Mayumba. Mayumba qui était sa ville natale."
-snip-
bjr. He sang in Lumbu. a language of southern Gabon. more precisely one of the 2 languages spoken in Mayumba. Mayumba who was his hometown. "
In the same discussion thread another commenter, Marie Manomba wrote "it's gabonese and it's my dialect which is ypunu...if you reacts to the answer, i translate for you. best wishes!!!"
-snip-
I don't know if "ypunu" is a dialect of or another name for "Lumbu". I didn't see any translation from this commenter in that discussion thread as of the date of this blog post.
Also, note that Delcia Mwind, a commenter in the discussion thread for Oliver N'Goma's song "Bane" also indicated that "Lumbu" was the language that N'Goma used for that song.
-snip-
Oliver N'Goma also included the French words "Chérie" and "Bébé" in the song "Adia".
****
Lyric #2 [English translation]
[posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]
Adia ( my love )
Calm your heart
I am not anymore in it
Oh... my love.
My heart is yours.
Oh... only to you
Ah...
It's you that i love
That road is a old road
It is you my life baby
You are mine
I am yours for life
Florence
Say me what you are doing
Pain in the heart
Oh darling
Say me how many are we
In your heart
Ah...
What a pain in the heart
Suzy Otima
It's to you i think
My life is you
Only you is in my heart
Baby
That road
It's a old road
It is you my life
Baby
You are mine
I am yours for life
Ah...yo yo yo
What are you crying
This body is yours
Only yours
Florence
Don't cry mama
Darling
Don't tremble
My love listen me
Baby
You are mine
Baby
Let the lamentations
Those make you lose weight
Baby... lamentations are source of diseases...Baby.
-snip-
For clarification purposes, according to several commenters, the word "Adia" means "my love". One commenter interpreted that word as "darling".
****
Lyric #3: in French, posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]
chérie
Calme ton coeur
Je ne suis plus dedans
Oh...Amour
C'est avec toi que mon coeur est
Oh...avec toi seulement
Ah...
C'est toi que j'aime
Cette route là
C'est une vieille route
C'est toi mon amour
Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie
Florence
Dis moi ce qui te fait mal au coeur
Oh chéri
Dis moi combien sommes nous
Dans ton coeur
Ah...
j'ai le coeur noir
Suzy Otima
ne suis pas ca
Ma vie
C'est toi
Toi seule
Est dans mon coeur
Bébé
Cette voie
Est une vieille route
C'est toi
Ma vie
Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie
Ah...yo yo yo
Que pleures tu Amour
C'est mon corps que je pleure Bébé
Ce corps est tien
A toi uniquement
Chérie ah...eh...
Écoutes moi bébé
Florence. ...
Ne pleures plus maman
Chérie. ...
Ne le partage pas
Florence. ...
Ne paniques pas
Amour
Écoutes
Bébé
Toi c'est moi
Bébé
Donc arrêtes ces lamentations
Qui te font maigrir
Bébé. ..les lamentations sont source de maladies
Bébé ...
****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Adia" performed by Gabonese (Central Africa) Afro-Zouk singer and composer Oliver N'Goma (also given as Oliver Ngoma; Oliver N'goma).
Part I of this series presents information about Gabon and information about Oliver N'Goma. Part I of this series also showcase a sound file of the song as well as three versions of this song's lyrics (in its original language from Gabon+ French; in English, and in French).
UPDATE: July 11, 2018- Part I also includes an excerpt about Afro-Zouk music.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-global-reach-of-gabonese-afro-zouk.html for Part II of this series. Part I showcases a sound file of Oliver N'Goma performing "Adia". Part I also presents selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread, with a particular focus on comments from a number of African nations as well as comments from some other nations worldwide.
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Oliver N'Goma for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. And thanks to the producer of this video and thanks to the publisher of this song file on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT OLIVER N'GOMA
Excerpt #1
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_N%2527Goma&prev=search [translated from French to English]
"Oliver N'goma , says Noli , born on March 23 , 1959 at Mayumba and died on June 7 , 2010 , is a Gabonese singer and guitarist of Afro - zouk
Biography
Oliver Ngoma was born in Mayumba, southwest Gabon, on March 23, 1959. His father, a harmonium player, introduced him to music at the age of eight.
In 1971 , his family left Mayumba for Libreville . Oliver studied accounting at the Technical High School in Libreville, where he became a guitarist for Capo Sound, the high school orchestra. Accounting studies do not excite him, Oliver prefers to devote himself to his two passions that are cinema and music. Thus, he will begin by collecting musical instruments, and tinkering a small home studio . In parallel, he is engaged as a cameraman by the second Gabonese television channel (RTG 2).
In 1988 , during an internship in Paris , he met Manu Lima , a director / producer of the African scene in Paris, ex-leader of Cabo Verde Show . Manu takes care of the artistic direction of Oliver's first album, BANE .
In 1990 , the album BANE where is included Bané , goes out without provoking a first outcry. But its constant broadcast on Africa No. 1 and RFI radios, is resumed in force in discotheques in France, as in Africa. Bané became a hit in 1990 throughout Africa and France. From the album BANE will be extracted tracks like Icole and Lusa , which will also know the success.
In 1995 , he released the album ADIA again in collaboration with Manu Lima. The album will be as successful as the first one.
In 2001 , he released his third album SEVA made without Manu Lima, which will have a mixed success.
In 2006 , he released his fourth album SAGA . On this occasion, he returns to the producer Manu Lima.
He died June 7, 2010 of a renal failure in the hospital of Libreville, Gabon 1 ."...
****
Excerpt #2
From a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017
"This is Olivier N'Goma. A product of Capeverdean Music and Gabonese Music.
Oliver’s accountancy lessons did not interest him much. He preferred to concentrate on his two great passions: films and music. Beginning to collect musical instruments, he put together a little home studio and entertained secret hopes of becoming a professional musician. However, when an opportunity arose, it was in the shape of his other love, the camera. He went to work for Gabon’s second TV channel as a cameraman, travelling to Paris for training in 1988. During the long winter he spent in the French capital, Oliver worked on his home demos.
Then he met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.
BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.
On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor.
Oliver refused to get carried away by this massive success, realising he would have to live up to his new status. As he calmly got back to work, he knew that his second album would come under close scrutiny on its release.
He continued his partnership with Manu Lima, with the same capeverdean ancestors of Cesária Évora, from Mindelo and the two started recording sessions together in the late summer of 1995. The album, ADIA, appeared in mid-December of the same year. Combining sophistication with a proliferation of beats, ADIA proved that Oliver was no one-hit wonder. In 2001, he made SÉVA without Manu Lima, but then got back together with the French-Cape Verdean producer whose skill had been so crucial in shaping his first 2 albums. The result, SAGA, was released in May 2006.
Manu’s trademark skills successfully pervade SAGA, which is primarily a dance record of African-style zouk. Apart from title track SAGA, the record includes several other excellent songs, such as NOLI, a kind of rumba-zouk with featured vocalists and Congolese guitars."
-snip-
"Noli" is Oliver Ngoma's nickname. It was created by combining the "N" in his last name "Ngoma" with the letters "oli" from his name "Oliver".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT AFRO-ZOUK
UPDATE: July 12, 2018: Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/excerpts-about-zouk-music-from-1990.html for Part I of a pancocojams post entitled Excerpts About The Roots Of Zouk Music From The 1990 Book "African Rock: The Pop Music Of A Continent", Part I. The link for Part II is found in that post. Part II provides additional information about Kassav (band) as well as information about Zouk in Africa (up to 1987).
****
There's very little information online that describes "Afro-Zouk", a genre (or sub-genre) of music which is much less often called "African Zouk".
Here's the complete Wikipedia article about Afro-Zouk which is translated to English from French. A small portion of this article served as the source for the English language translated Wikipedia article on this music genre:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-zouk&prev=search
"The Afro-zouk
Styles | Origin: 1980
Zouk is a West Indian musical movement initiated in the late 1970s by the Kassav 'group, under the leadership of Pierre-Édouard Decimus and Jacob Desvarieux. It is immediately adopted in Guyana, in the Indian Ocean and in Africa where it is merged with national styles to give afro-zouk.
The text above is under a free license (CC-BY-SA)
Until the early 1980s, the zouk concrete or "chiré", an ephemeral style dancing alone, was fashionable. Very rhythmic and sung in Creole, zouk concrete is a fusion of gwo ka, biguine, calypso, cadence, compass and African rhythms. With the appearance of the band Kassav ', this musical genre disappears in the 1980s.
Having lived for a long time in Senegal where he frequented the capverdian milieu amateur of coladeira (popular musical genre in the archipelago), Jacob Desvarieux had the idea, with the members of the group, of creating a fusion between West Indian music (cadence, biguine, "Mas a sinjan" (mask of Saint-Jean), rhythm of the carnival), the Haitian compass and African sounds (coladeira, Cameroonian makossa brought by Mbida Douglas, one of the musicians of the group), with whirling guitar riffs Congolese soukouss and rock, salsa brass lines and funk keyboard notes.
The release in 1980 of Kassav's first album, "Love and Ka Dance", thus marks the birth of this new musical genre that immediately seduces the Afro-Caribbean community. But it is their title "Zouk The medikaman nou ni se se" which will largely contribute to the sustainability of the zouk. This new musical Caribbean is then adopted in Guyana.
Several derivatives will be derived from zouk: zouk love (very throbbing, slow genre), R & B-zouk, soul-zouk, rap-zouk, reggae-zouk, ragga-zouk.
In addition to the initiating group Kassav 'and its members who release solo albums (Jocelyne Béroard, the brothers Pierre-Édouard Georges Decimus, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Claude Naimrod, Patrick Saint-Eloi), several other formations and artists will report on the international scene in the 1980s / 1990s: Zouk Machine, Dédé Saint-Prix, the late Edith Lefel, Experience 7, Francky Vincent, Joëlle Ursull, Ralph Tamar, Ronald Rubinel, Tanya St-Val, Souskay ...
In Africa and the Indian Ocean it is merged with national styles, giving Kizomba, afro zouk, sega zouk, maloya zouk, comorian zouk, makossa / zouk, zouglou / zook, soukouss / zouk (soukou- zouk), coladeira / zouk (cola-zouk) ...
Among the following: Mpongo Love, Gadji Celi, Awa Maiga, Monique Seka, Oliver NGoma, Mathey, Africa Maestro, Galvao, Vivick, Yvon Paris, Stacy, Roger, Philippe Monteiro, Mobass, Elaisa, Roger Gobea, Pierrette Adams, Kaysha, Patience Dabany, Chantal Taïba, Kino, Jorge Neto, Chamsia Sagaf, Naima, Jerry, Don Kikas and many others ...
by Nago Seck July 14, 2008 - © Afrisson"
-snip-
Based on comments about Oliver N'goma's music, it occurs to me that one feature of Afro-Zouk vocal music might be singing in traditional African languages and/or African Creole languages. Afro-Zouk singers might also combine these languages with French.
Also note this excerpt from a comment this embedded video's discussion thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0 ; posted by Augusto pinheiro, júnior, 2017. This excerpt refers to Gabonese singer/composer Oliver N'goma's first album having "a Zouk-style beat":
"Then he [Gabonese singer Oliver N'goma] met Manu Lima, from Cabo Verde, in the north atlantic ocean, one of the best producers on the African show scene in Paris. Former leader of Cabo Verde Show, Manu had relaunched the careers of many great African artists, from Monique Séka to Pépé Kallé. He was interested by the tunes that Oliver brought him and agreed to work on his first record as artistic director. When the album - which included the song BANE - was finally released, it met with only modest critical acclaim at first.
BANE is one of the greatest hits of modern African music.
On the track, Manu Lima achieved a perfect balance between Africa’s rich melodic heritage and a Zouk-style beat that proved irresistible on the dance floor."...
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Oliver Ngoma...ADIA
jennithony, Published on Apr 19, 2008
this is a nice african song,from Gabon, I love this song
****
LYRICS FOR OLIVER NGOMA'S SONG "ADIA"
Each of these transcriptions are from the discussion thread for the sound file that is embedded in this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ8LUQgbKz0
Lyrics #1:
[posted by LOVESTAR HIGH, 2015]
Chérie
Vumissio wa murim'agu
Ni skia mune
Oh...Adia
murim'ami n'agu u li
Oh ...n'agu buandi
Ah
Nge ni va tsole
Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami
Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie
Florence
Ngambo bi biva u si
Murime ndzungu
Oh chéri
Ngambo yetu kue tu li
mo murim'agu
Ah....
Murime ufitse
Suze otima
we ma abaraga
mognu'ami
a ngeyu
nge buandi
U li mo
Murim'ami
Bébé
Ndzile ine
Ndzile i gulu
a ngeyu
mognu'ami
Bébé
tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
pour la vie
Ah... Yo yo yo
Bi uva lile Adia
Duniru duami
Ni va lile Bébé
Duniru a duagu
guagu veke Adia
Chérie Ah...Eh..
Ngulu wandi bébé
Florence...
u ya be lile mama
Chérie...
Uya du gabile
Florence
uya regembe wandi
Adia
Ngukuobu
Bébé
Ngeyu a minu
Bébé
Ka lembu
Biyogu
Biva bandissi
Bébé... Biyogu Musson-
gu... bébé ...
-snip-
Here's a comment exchange about the language that Oliver N'goma used for the song "Adia":
Jean Marie Bafouta, 2017
"Arsene Tchiama
Hello I would like to know Oliver Ngoma sang in what language of Gabon?
**
REPLY
Arsene Tchiama, 2017
"Jean marie Bafouta
bjr. Il chantait en Lumbu. une langue du Sud du Gabon. plus précisément une des 2 langues parlées à Mayumba. Mayumba qui était sa ville natale."
-snip-
bjr. He sang in Lumbu. a language of southern Gabon. more precisely one of the 2 languages spoken in Mayumba. Mayumba who was his hometown. "
In the same discussion thread another commenter, Marie Manomba wrote "it's gabonese and it's my dialect which is ypunu...if you reacts to the answer, i translate for you. best wishes!!!"
-snip-
I don't know if "ypunu" is a dialect of or another name for "Lumbu". I didn't see any translation from this commenter in that discussion thread as of the date of this blog post.
Also, note that Delcia Mwind, a commenter in the discussion thread for Oliver N'Goma's song "Bane" also indicated that "Lumbu" was the language that N'Goma used for that song.
-snip-
Oliver N'Goma also included the French words "Chérie" and "Bébé" in the song "Adia".
****
Lyric #2 [English translation]
[posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]
Adia ( my love )
Calm your heart
I am not anymore in it
Oh... my love.
My heart is yours.
Oh... only to you
Ah...
It's you that i love
That road is a old road
It is you my life baby
You are mine
I am yours for life
Florence
Say me what you are doing
Pain in the heart
Oh darling
Say me how many are we
In your heart
Ah...
What a pain in the heart
Suzy Otima
It's to you i think
My life is you
Only you is in my heart
Baby
That road
It's a old road
It is you my life
Baby
You are mine
I am yours for life
Ah...yo yo yo
What are you crying
This body is yours
Only yours
Florence
Don't cry mama
Darling
Don't tremble
My love listen me
Baby
You are mine
Baby
Let the lamentations
Those make you lose weight
Baby... lamentations are source of diseases...Baby.
-snip-
For clarification purposes, according to several commenters, the word "Adia" means "my love". One commenter interpreted that word as "darling".
****
Lyric #3: in French, posted by Arsene Tchiama, 2017]
chérie
Calme ton coeur
Je ne suis plus dedans
Oh...Amour
C'est avec toi que mon coeur est
Oh...avec toi seulement
Ah...
C'est toi que j'aime
Cette route là
C'est une vieille route
C'est toi mon amour
Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie
Florence
Dis moi ce qui te fait mal au coeur
Oh chéri
Dis moi combien sommes nous
Dans ton coeur
Ah...
j'ai le coeur noir
Suzy Otima
ne suis pas ca
Ma vie
C'est toi
Toi seule
Est dans mon coeur
Bébé
Cette voie
Est une vieille route
C'est toi
Ma vie
Bébé
Tu es à moi
Je suis à toi
Pour la vie
Ah...yo yo yo
Que pleures tu Amour
C'est mon corps que je pleure Bébé
Ce corps est tien
A toi uniquement
Chérie ah...eh...
Écoutes moi bébé
Florence. ...
Ne pleures plus maman
Chérie. ...
Ne le partage pas
Florence. ...
Ne paniques pas
Amour
Écoutes
Bébé
Toi c'est moi
Bébé
Donc arrêtes ces lamentations
Qui te font maigrir
Bébé. ..les lamentations sont source de maladies
Bébé ...
****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Excerpts From Four Websites About Zouk Music (with three examples of "zouk retro" & two examples of "zouk love")
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Zouk music and showcases five YouTube examples of Zouk music.
Selected comments from some of these examples are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the founders of Zouk music and thanks to all those who have contributed to that music form. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
This post replaces a March 2012 pancocojams post on Zouk music and Kassav (band).
By showcasing examples of these types of Zouk music, I don't mean to imply that these are the only types of zouk music.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZOUK
From https://www.britannica.com/art/zouk
Zouk MUSIC
WRITTEN BY: Shannon Dudley
"Zouk, popular dance music associated mainly with the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as Saint Lucia and Dominica, all in the French Antilles (French West Indies). The music blends a variety of Caribbean, African, and North American music styles. It is characterized by frequent use of French Antillean Creole language, the prominence of electronically synthesized sounds, and sophisticated recording technology.
The French Antillean Creole term zouk was first used on the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique to refer to nightlong dance parties. The collective label for the various types of Caribbean music played at such parties was mizik zouk. Included in the mizik zouk rubric were the Haitian popular music styles known as compas and cadence, beguine from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and cadence-lypso, a hybrid of Haitian cadence and Trinidadian calypso popularized in Dominica in the 1970s.
In 1979 Guadeloupean sound technician and bass player Pierre-Edouard Décimus and guitarist Jacob Desvarieux formed Kassav’, the group that integrated the diverse styles of mizik zouk, injected the mixture with a contemporary urban, studio-produced sound, and marketed the new music as zouk. With the overwhelming commercial success in 1984 of the group’s song “Zouk-la sé sèl médikaman nou ni” (“Zouk Is the Only Medicine We Have”), zouk was firmly established as a new and viable Caribbean dance music genre.
Kassav’ found its principal audience among the French Antillean Creole-speaking population of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, and Saint Lucia. Within this community zouk emerged as an emblem of cultural pride, owing first and foremost to the music’s use of Creole lyrics. By projecting the unofficial common tongue of the region in a modern and cosmopolitan musical setting, zouk appealed to the ideology of créolité (“creole-ness”), a concurrent literary and cultural movement that strove to recognize the language and culture of the French Antilles as legitimate hybrids, both related to and distinct from their predominantly African and European (particularly French) parent cultures.
Aside from its use of the French Antillean Creole language, early zouk was distinguished from its Antillean relatives by its studio sound, including the extensive use of synthesizers, as well as by its female lead and backup singers, a precedent for which existed in calypso music. Moreover, zouk used instruments and rhythms that drew from local traditions, further elevating the status of French Antillean cultural practices. For example, Kassav’ used the distinctively Guadeloupean gwoka (or gwo ka) drums and drum patterns on its early recordings. This helped to bring attention and respect to an Afro-Caribbean drum dance tradition that had previously been disparaged as crude and uncultured. The more broadly Caribbean heritage of zouk was evident in the music’s guiding rhythm, a repeated pattern of two long beats followed by a short beat (a 3-3-2 rhythm, written, for example, as two dotted eighth notes followed by an eighth note in Western music notation). The rhythm was also heard in most of the musics that were played in the mizik zouk context. In zouk music the rhythm was usually carried by the hi-hat cymbals.
For French Antilleans zouk spoke back not only to cultural and political domination by France but also to musical domination by genres from other regions of the Caribbean. Although zouk possessed an undeniably local French Antillean character, it also had an international orientation that enabled it to compete commercially with foreign genres such as reggae, soca, and especially salsa, which enjoyed a strong appeal in the French Antilles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Indeed, the founding musicians of Kassav’, although from Guadeloupe, were well connected internationally. Décimus had toured extensively in France and in the Caribbean beyond Guadeloupe, while Desvarieux had lived and performed in France and Senegal. The band’s later membership even more clearly reflected its international orientation. Martinican singer Jocelyne Béroard, for example, had previously performed with Cameroonian bandleader Manu Dibango. Martinican keyboardist Jean-Claude Naimro had performed with both Dibango and South African singer Miriam Makeba. The group’s horn section (including saxophones, trumpets, and trombones), moreover, consisted of Paris-based musicians with international recording and performing credentials. Such connections to African musicians and styles has remained an especially rich resource for zouk and for French Antillean music in general.
The success of Kassav’ opened a space in the international music market for zouk artists of diverse origins. Typically marketed as individual singers rather than as bands, these artists included Soumia, from France; Kairos, from the French overseas department of Réunion, off the east coast of Madagascar; as well as French Antillean singers Medhy Custos, Orlane, and Jean-Marie Ragald, among others. Along with this diversity of participation, substyles of zouk developed, including zouk love, with romantic themes and slow tempi, and the faster-paced zouk béton (hard, or “concrete,” zouk)."...
****
Excerpt #2
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouk for the Wikipedia article on Zouk.
"Zouk is a fast jump-up carnival beat originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, popularized by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the 1980s.[1] Very rapid in tempo, the style lost ground in the 1980s due to the strong presence of Compas / kompa and kadans, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles compas (Kompa),[2] also called zouk-love.
Etymology
The Creole word zouke, sekwe, or zouke, etc. from the French verb secouer meaning "shake intensely and repeatedly" was used by Haitian artists who toured the French Antilles during the late 1970s and 1980s. It is pronounced to rhyme with "juke", an American style of music which is similar.[1][3]
The word zouk has, over time, come to mean "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French.
Zouk today
Zouk was an attempt to develop a proper local music that would lessen or even eradicate the meringue-kadans or compas influence from the French islands. When the MIDI technology came out, Kassav' used it fully, creating new sound in both their fast carnival beat and compas. The Antilleans were all over with zouk but as other bands from the Caribbean and Africa added the MIDI technology to their music and people got used to it. Because it was a jump up beat the fast zouk béton faded away In the same 1980s and Antilleans would continue to play and dance meringue-cadence or compas. After all, French Antilleans and Dominicans are important players of the style. However, the problem is that musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe have calculatedly labeled compas as zouk in order to remain on the map (keeping in mind Compas was created in 1950 by Haitians); creating a big confusion in Africa, Cabo Verde, Angola, Brazil, Portugal and other places. Kassav', the originator of the zouk béton, is a compas music band that has taken compas to many places, and is the only band that continues to include zouk béton in its repertoire, though to a lesser extent."
****
Excerpt #3:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Zouk
"Zouk versions
Are there different versions of Zouk? I know there are numerous styles, but is there a Caribbean version versus say, a Euro version? I'm only familiar with the Zouk that I've heard from Africans. And, when you write "Afro-Zouk", what do you mean? Does that limit it to francophone countries (like Burkina Faso)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rajpaj (talk • contribs) 17:11, 21 May 2011 (UTC)"
**
"No. The first paragraph does not even mention that it's a kind of music. It says that Zouk is a "jump-up carnival beat". Is that like a heartbeat? Would cardiologists read this article? Or is it violence; are cops beating up black kids again? Carnival - you mean like Cirq du Soleil? 'Jump Up'- there's a lot of reasons for people jumping up - especially in Cirq du Soleil.
I know that you mean it's a style of music - it's just that you didn't say that, and that's the most important thing about what 'zouk' is.
What's a better word for what you mean - is it 'musical cadence'? A kind of rhythm? Whatever phrasing you use, make sure the word 'music' is in there. Imagine the person reading it, doesn't know english very well, and they pick out words that they recognize, and try to figure out the meaning. They get lost really easily if you leave out the obvious.
You mention a couple of other styles of music, I never heard of any of them. Nor that band you mention. Nor, Zouk itself. I'm just into other kinds of music, a lot of hard rock, philip glass, NIN, Björk. I actually flunked music in junior highschool. Never took it again.
OsamaBinLogin (talk) 03:14, 3 July 2016 (UTC)"
**
"Zouk vs Africa
Please do not write aberrations. Was African styles that influenced the creation of Zouk, and not vice versa. Besides all the styles shown, as supposedly having origin or influenced by Zouk (which I obviously deleted), are styles that have existed long before the Americas had been discovered.
And please don't confuse Zouk with Kizomba, the styles are similar but they are not the same.
And the rare bird who wrote that Kuduro was influenced by Zouk-love has never heard kuduro in his life. lol Zorglub-PRV (talk) 18:25, 22 June 2012 (UTC)"
****
Excerpt #4
From http://www.tropicalbass.com/2013/03/15-retro-zouk-tunes-you-should-know/ "15 (retro) Zouk tunes you should know
Posted on 30 March 2013 by Marflix
"As the new music hype “Zouk Bass” is flooding the music blogosphere, the origins of “Zouk” might be unclear to many. So let’s open the book and digg some history knowledge. For a start we go back to the motherland of Zouk – the Caribbean island Guadeloupe.
Although all french creole speaking islands – Haiti, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia – are part of the story, it was mainly Guadeloupe where Compas (Haiti), Cadence / Cadence-lypso (Dominica) and local traditions (Gwo-ka, Beguine,..) merged into a new sound.
The Cadence band “Vikings de la Guadeloupe” of the 70s is the precursor of the band Kassav (Pierre Edouard Decimus founded Kassav later in Paris together with Jacob Desvarieux), which is said to be the inventor of Zouk. The word “Zouk” though is derived from a dance which came from Poland – mazurka/mazouk.
The classic Zouk sound (nowadays called “Zouk retro”) had it’s peak in the late 80s and early 90s, so no suprise most of the featured songs here are from that period."....
-snip-
Thus far, this is the only article on Zouk music which indicates that the word "zouk" comes from "a dance which came from Poland – mazurka/mazouk." I consider this etymology to be questionable.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES- Zouk Retro
Example #1: kassav' - syé bwa
Jimmy B, Published on Dec 18, 2007
Genre : Zouk
Label : CBS
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. landryrita, 2010
"damn! non seulement j'avais jamais vu ce clip, mais je savais pas qu'ils l'avaient tourné à kinshasa!!! trop fracassant le clip!! la joie du peuple c incomparable Afrique-Antilles: memes racines, meme soul, meme feelings"
-snip-
"Damn! not only had I never seen this clip, but I did not know they had shot it at kinshasa !!! too smashing the clip !! the joy of the people c incomparable Africa-West Indies: same roots, same soul, same feelings"
**
2. Traoré Mamady, 2014
"Super, ça rappel du bon vieux temps de la jeunesse,ils sont et restent les meilleurs car toutes les générations y trouvent son compte."
-snip-
"Super, it's a reminder of the good old days of youth, they are and remain the best because all generations find it."
**
3. Shaddy Raddy922, 2016
"Video filmed in Kinshasa, D.R.C, pretty cool. During this period, due to regional concerts from Kassav in various countries, including the Lusophere (Cape Verde, Angola), new sub-genres emerged such as Cabo-Zouk (Cape Verde), Kizomba (Cape-Verde, Angola, Sao Tome), and Afro-Zouk (Francophone). There has been a paradigm shift focusing more on the sensual and romantic Zouk-Love (95 and 110 BPM), but zouk-beton is still there.
**
REPLY
4. Traore Mamady, 2014
"Well, it reminds me of a lot of things, remember it remains an excellent band and even artists pray individually. Very very great"
**
5. Mario Boston, 2016
"The music went back home"
**
6. laer, 2016
"somebody help me. Wich one is the original version? This one of kassav? or the Chayane version "este ritmo se baila así"...Regards from México!!!!"
**
REPLY
7. Benoit Rhumier, 2016
"+laer Kassav is Original Version. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayanne_(1988_album)
****
Example #2: La Medicina - Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman Nou Ni
sonnowak, Published on Nov 19, 2009
By Kassav.
--- Lyrics:
Kijan zot fé
M'pa ka konpran'n
Zot ka viv' kon si
Pa ni pwoblém'
Poutan zot sav'
Lavi la réd
Kijan zot fé
Pou pé sa kenbé
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
M'pa té konnet
Sécré lasa
Ban mwen plan la
P'mwen pé sa konpran'n
Ban mwen plan la
M'poko sézi'i
Si janmé on jou
Mwen tonbé malad
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Si sé sa mwen an nou zouké
Mi'i kon sa ... Mi'i kon sa ...
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
An malad An malad An malad
An malad An malad An malad
sonnowak, Published on Nov 19, 2009
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):
1. AC Downloads101, 2015
"This song is from Guadeloupe, but the kompa mixes in it or from haiti. But legit everyone in the Caribbean loves this song. It should be the national anthem of every island in the Caribbean lol. I loved this song growing up and I still do. They're speaking in patois, but its very similar to Creole."
**
2. Paradise Slaay, 2016
"all the Haitians know this"
**
REPLY
3. ThePrincessLabelle, 2017
"I from the french caribbean and Kassav is a guadeloupean group not haitian, they are singing in guadeloupe creole not haitian creole"
**
REPLY
3. Stanley Dougé, 2017
"The languages differ but minor differences unless you speak both and French then you can tell me how Haïtians don't understand Guadeloupean créole because I understand it completely fine and I'm not even from Guadeloupe"
**
REPLY
4. shaniel fo real, 2017
"Paradise Slaay in Surinam we play this also on parties"
**
5. Cocoa Puff, 2017
"All West Indians tbhh, this gets played at everyyyy family function !"
-snip-
tbhh= My guess is this means "to be honest here"
**
6. M'caiah Jewels, 2017
"the group is st lucian"
**
REPLY
7. Topaz Citrine, 2017
"No, they are from Guadeloupe. Though as a Lucian myself, I heard it so much as a little girl that I thought they were Lucian too lol"
**
REPLY
8. Trey Johnson, 2017
"Forget all that y'all talking about... EVERY CARIBBEAN PERSON KNOWS THIS SONG!!! I'm bahamian and vibe to this just fine! Granted, my husband is haitian, but I've been listening to this looooooong before I met him.
#CaribbeansStandUp"
**
9. A Google User, 2018
"Dogegista Dog be quiet this isn't Haitian. Some members of Kassav are Guadeloupeen and others are Martiniquais. I have family from Haiti, Martinique, and St Martin (Gwada)..I know because I'm all of them and can tell the difference in the pronunciation of each Creole. Jacob the singer of this song is singing in Guadeloupeen Creole"
**
REPLY
10. OG509, 2018
"I'm haitian and i know that Kassav are not haitians but they performed a lot in haiti and even lived there at some point"
****
Example #3: Kassav' - Oh Madiana
hermespty, Published on Feb 7, 2011
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Rabina Blackshear, 2014
"Love this music"
**
REPLY
2. Carlos Vieira, 2015
"IN ANGOLA, WE LOVES THIS SONG SINCE 19WÁWÉ! AH AH AH"
**
3. Vladimir Alviz Velez, 2014
"Mucho sabor ese tema!"
-snip-
Spanish to English: "I really like that theme".
**
4. Saxemard Dyandrah, 2014
"Ce n'ai pas de ma génération mais j'ai toujours aimé Kassav .."
-snip-
"This is not my generation but I always liked Kassav .."
**
5.gabriel vandune, 2014
" Tempo bom e boas muicas"
-snip-
Portuguese- "Good time and good music"
**
REPLY
6. acedivaful, 2015
"muy buena musica"
-snip-
Spanish to English "very good music"
**
7. Shanyce Cetoute, 2017
"hummmm cela me rappelle quand j'étais toute petite et que je regardais ma mère se déhancher sur ce son là. ah lala bon souvenir. Merci pour tout ce bonheur KASSAV😍."
-snip-
"hummmm it reminds me when I was very small and I watched my mother wiggle on this sound there. ah lala good memory. Thank you for all the happiness KASSAV😍."
**
8. avaholic67, 2017
"ça me rappelle mon premier voyage en afrique..bon temps!!!"
-snip-
"it reminds me of my first trip to Africa..good time !!!"
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES OF ZOUK LOVE
HARRY DIBOULA (Tu me manques)
974MARIE13, Published on May 24, 2011
ZOUK LOVE (Harry Diboula)
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Ahoutou, 2017
"SOUVENIR SOUVENIR ANNEE 1994 QUI DIT MIEUX?C'ETAIT LE ZOUK LOVE LE PLUS DANSE ET IL EST RESTE INTACT."
-snip-
"SOUVENIR SOUVENIR YEAR 1994 WHO SAID BETTER: IT WAS THE ZOUK LOVE THE MOST DANCED AND IT REMAINS INTACT."
**
2. Ninis Bens, 2017
"Les anciens son sont les meilleur ❤️❤️❤️"
-snip-
"The old ones are the best ❤️❤️❤️"
****
Tu es mon soleil
Ginno Regales, Published on Oct 14, 2008
Princess Lover Parole
Tu es mon soleil, éclaires mes jours, mes nuits
Tu es mon soleil, tu es lhomme de ma vie
Tu es mon soleil, illumines mes jours, mes nuits
Tu mémerveilles, tu nourris mes envies
C nest plus pareil, depuis que tes parti
Toute seule jessaye, mais seul ne me poursuit
Je donnerais ma vie tu sais, pour te suivre
Je ferais changer le passé, je veux vivre
Auprès de toi je resterai, je mennivre
De toi et des tous les secrets, qui nous lient a jamais
Tu es mon soleil, la lumière qui me guide
Dans mon sommeil, tu dessines mes rêves aussi
Tu es larc-en-ciel, qui a coloré ma vie
Tu es mon soleil, tu es mon meilleur ami
Je voudrais plus quune amitié, je suis ivre
Pour toi je peux me contenter, dêtre libre
Pouvoir seulement te parler, je veux vivre
De toi, être à tes côtés, et poursuivre
Seront réalité
Etre a tes côtés.
Tu es ma destinée, ma destinée
Tu es ma destinée
Si tu veux de moi (x6) Emmènes moi
Si tu veux de moi, si tu veux de moi
Si tu veux de moi, emmènes moi
Emmènes moi où tu veux, emmènes moi si tu veux
Si tu veux de moi (x4)
Je e laisserais jamais briser, briser ce qui va suivre
Si tu veux de moi, si tu veux de moi
Si tu veux de moi , emmènes moi
Si tu veux de moi(x6)
Emmènes moi où tu veux, emmènes moi si tu veu
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
gary durand, 2015
"Faut pas chipoter longtemps pour entendre que Princess Lover à crée le morceau de zouk love complètement ultime. C'est le plus beau zouk love en français à jamais, enfin mais c'est quoi ces paroles et ce dub de ouf?! Le pire c'est quand on le danse avec une inconnue... Frisson an tchou' aw!!!"
-Do not quibble long to hear that Princess Lover to create the piece of zouk love completely ultimate. This is the most beautiful zouk love in French forever, but what are these words and this dub of phew ?! The worst thing is when you dance with an unknown ... Frisson an chou 'aw !!!"
****
Thanks for visiting Pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about Zouk music and showcases five YouTube examples of Zouk music.
Selected comments from some of these examples are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the founders of Zouk music and thanks to all those who have contributed to that music form. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
This post replaces a March 2012 pancocojams post on Zouk music and Kassav (band).
By showcasing examples of these types of Zouk music, I don't mean to imply that these are the only types of zouk music.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZOUK
From https://www.britannica.com/art/zouk
Zouk MUSIC
WRITTEN BY: Shannon Dudley
"Zouk, popular dance music associated mainly with the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as Saint Lucia and Dominica, all in the French Antilles (French West Indies). The music blends a variety of Caribbean, African, and North American music styles. It is characterized by frequent use of French Antillean Creole language, the prominence of electronically synthesized sounds, and sophisticated recording technology.
The French Antillean Creole term zouk was first used on the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique to refer to nightlong dance parties. The collective label for the various types of Caribbean music played at such parties was mizik zouk. Included in the mizik zouk rubric were the Haitian popular music styles known as compas and cadence, beguine from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and cadence-lypso, a hybrid of Haitian cadence and Trinidadian calypso popularized in Dominica in the 1970s.
In 1979 Guadeloupean sound technician and bass player Pierre-Edouard Décimus and guitarist Jacob Desvarieux formed Kassav’, the group that integrated the diverse styles of mizik zouk, injected the mixture with a contemporary urban, studio-produced sound, and marketed the new music as zouk. With the overwhelming commercial success in 1984 of the group’s song “Zouk-la sé sèl médikaman nou ni” (“Zouk Is the Only Medicine We Have”), zouk was firmly established as a new and viable Caribbean dance music genre.
Kassav’ found its principal audience among the French Antillean Creole-speaking population of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, and Saint Lucia. Within this community zouk emerged as an emblem of cultural pride, owing first and foremost to the music’s use of Creole lyrics. By projecting the unofficial common tongue of the region in a modern and cosmopolitan musical setting, zouk appealed to the ideology of créolité (“creole-ness”), a concurrent literary and cultural movement that strove to recognize the language and culture of the French Antilles as legitimate hybrids, both related to and distinct from their predominantly African and European (particularly French) parent cultures.
Aside from its use of the French Antillean Creole language, early zouk was distinguished from its Antillean relatives by its studio sound, including the extensive use of synthesizers, as well as by its female lead and backup singers, a precedent for which existed in calypso music. Moreover, zouk used instruments and rhythms that drew from local traditions, further elevating the status of French Antillean cultural practices. For example, Kassav’ used the distinctively Guadeloupean gwoka (or gwo ka) drums and drum patterns on its early recordings. This helped to bring attention and respect to an Afro-Caribbean drum dance tradition that had previously been disparaged as crude and uncultured. The more broadly Caribbean heritage of zouk was evident in the music’s guiding rhythm, a repeated pattern of two long beats followed by a short beat (a 3-3-2 rhythm, written, for example, as two dotted eighth notes followed by an eighth note in Western music notation). The rhythm was also heard in most of the musics that were played in the mizik zouk context. In zouk music the rhythm was usually carried by the hi-hat cymbals.
For French Antilleans zouk spoke back not only to cultural and political domination by France but also to musical domination by genres from other regions of the Caribbean. Although zouk possessed an undeniably local French Antillean character, it also had an international orientation that enabled it to compete commercially with foreign genres such as reggae, soca, and especially salsa, which enjoyed a strong appeal in the French Antilles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Indeed, the founding musicians of Kassav’, although from Guadeloupe, were well connected internationally. Décimus had toured extensively in France and in the Caribbean beyond Guadeloupe, while Desvarieux had lived and performed in France and Senegal. The band’s later membership even more clearly reflected its international orientation. Martinican singer Jocelyne Béroard, for example, had previously performed with Cameroonian bandleader Manu Dibango. Martinican keyboardist Jean-Claude Naimro had performed with both Dibango and South African singer Miriam Makeba. The group’s horn section (including saxophones, trumpets, and trombones), moreover, consisted of Paris-based musicians with international recording and performing credentials. Such connections to African musicians and styles has remained an especially rich resource for zouk and for French Antillean music in general.
The success of Kassav’ opened a space in the international music market for zouk artists of diverse origins. Typically marketed as individual singers rather than as bands, these artists included Soumia, from France; Kairos, from the French overseas department of Réunion, off the east coast of Madagascar; as well as French Antillean singers Medhy Custos, Orlane, and Jean-Marie Ragald, among others. Along with this diversity of participation, substyles of zouk developed, including zouk love, with romantic themes and slow tempi, and the faster-paced zouk béton (hard, or “concrete,” zouk)."...
****
Excerpt #2
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouk for the Wikipedia article on Zouk.
"Zouk is a fast jump-up carnival beat originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, popularized by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the 1980s.[1] Very rapid in tempo, the style lost ground in the 1980s due to the strong presence of Compas / kompa and kadans, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles compas (Kompa),[2] also called zouk-love.
Etymology
The Creole word zouke, sekwe, or zouke, etc. from the French verb secouer meaning "shake intensely and repeatedly" was used by Haitian artists who toured the French Antilles during the late 1970s and 1980s. It is pronounced to rhyme with "juke", an American style of music which is similar.[1][3]
The word zouk has, over time, come to mean "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French.
Zouk today
Zouk was an attempt to develop a proper local music that would lessen or even eradicate the meringue-kadans or compas influence from the French islands. When the MIDI technology came out, Kassav' used it fully, creating new sound in both their fast carnival beat and compas. The Antilleans were all over with zouk but as other bands from the Caribbean and Africa added the MIDI technology to their music and people got used to it. Because it was a jump up beat the fast zouk béton faded away In the same 1980s and Antilleans would continue to play and dance meringue-cadence or compas. After all, French Antilleans and Dominicans are important players of the style. However, the problem is that musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe have calculatedly labeled compas as zouk in order to remain on the map (keeping in mind Compas was created in 1950 by Haitians); creating a big confusion in Africa, Cabo Verde, Angola, Brazil, Portugal and other places. Kassav', the originator of the zouk béton, is a compas music band that has taken compas to many places, and is the only band that continues to include zouk béton in its repertoire, though to a lesser extent."
****
Excerpt #3:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Zouk
"Zouk versions
Are there different versions of Zouk? I know there are numerous styles, but is there a Caribbean version versus say, a Euro version? I'm only familiar with the Zouk that I've heard from Africans. And, when you write "Afro-Zouk", what do you mean? Does that limit it to francophone countries (like Burkina Faso)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rajpaj (talk • contribs) 17:11, 21 May 2011 (UTC)"
**
"No. The first paragraph does not even mention that it's a kind of music. It says that Zouk is a "jump-up carnival beat". Is that like a heartbeat? Would cardiologists read this article? Or is it violence; are cops beating up black kids again? Carnival - you mean like Cirq du Soleil? 'Jump Up'- there's a lot of reasons for people jumping up - especially in Cirq du Soleil.
I know that you mean it's a style of music - it's just that you didn't say that, and that's the most important thing about what 'zouk' is.
What's a better word for what you mean - is it 'musical cadence'? A kind of rhythm? Whatever phrasing you use, make sure the word 'music' is in there. Imagine the person reading it, doesn't know english very well, and they pick out words that they recognize, and try to figure out the meaning. They get lost really easily if you leave out the obvious.
You mention a couple of other styles of music, I never heard of any of them. Nor that band you mention. Nor, Zouk itself. I'm just into other kinds of music, a lot of hard rock, philip glass, NIN, Björk. I actually flunked music in junior highschool. Never took it again.
OsamaBinLogin (talk) 03:14, 3 July 2016 (UTC)"
**
"Zouk vs Africa
Please do not write aberrations. Was African styles that influenced the creation of Zouk, and not vice versa. Besides all the styles shown, as supposedly having origin or influenced by Zouk (which I obviously deleted), are styles that have existed long before the Americas had been discovered.
And please don't confuse Zouk with Kizomba, the styles are similar but they are not the same.
And the rare bird who wrote that Kuduro was influenced by Zouk-love has never heard kuduro in his life. lol Zorglub-PRV (talk) 18:25, 22 June 2012 (UTC)"
****
Excerpt #4
From http://www.tropicalbass.com/2013/03/15-retro-zouk-tunes-you-should-know/ "15 (retro) Zouk tunes you should know
Posted on 30 March 2013 by Marflix
"As the new music hype “Zouk Bass” is flooding the music blogosphere, the origins of “Zouk” might be unclear to many. So let’s open the book and digg some history knowledge. For a start we go back to the motherland of Zouk – the Caribbean island Guadeloupe.
Although all french creole speaking islands – Haiti, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia – are part of the story, it was mainly Guadeloupe where Compas (Haiti), Cadence / Cadence-lypso (Dominica) and local traditions (Gwo-ka, Beguine,..) merged into a new sound.
The Cadence band “Vikings de la Guadeloupe” of the 70s is the precursor of the band Kassav (Pierre Edouard Decimus founded Kassav later in Paris together with Jacob Desvarieux), which is said to be the inventor of Zouk. The word “Zouk” though is derived from a dance which came from Poland – mazurka/mazouk.
The classic Zouk sound (nowadays called “Zouk retro”) had it’s peak in the late 80s and early 90s, so no suprise most of the featured songs here are from that period."....
-snip-
Thus far, this is the only article on Zouk music which indicates that the word "zouk" comes from "a dance which came from Poland – mazurka/mazouk." I consider this etymology to be questionable.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES- Zouk Retro
Example #1: kassav' - syé bwa
Jimmy B, Published on Dec 18, 2007
Genre : Zouk
Label : CBS
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. landryrita, 2010
"damn! non seulement j'avais jamais vu ce clip, mais je savais pas qu'ils l'avaient tourné à kinshasa!!! trop fracassant le clip!! la joie du peuple c incomparable Afrique-Antilles: memes racines, meme soul, meme feelings"
-snip-
"Damn! not only had I never seen this clip, but I did not know they had shot it at kinshasa !!! too smashing the clip !! the joy of the people c incomparable Africa-West Indies: same roots, same soul, same feelings"
**
2. Traoré Mamady, 2014
"Super, ça rappel du bon vieux temps de la jeunesse,ils sont et restent les meilleurs car toutes les générations y trouvent son compte."
-snip-
"Super, it's a reminder of the good old days of youth, they are and remain the best because all generations find it."
**
3. Shaddy Raddy922, 2016
"Video filmed in Kinshasa, D.R.C, pretty cool. During this period, due to regional concerts from Kassav in various countries, including the Lusophere (Cape Verde, Angola), new sub-genres emerged such as Cabo-Zouk (Cape Verde), Kizomba (Cape-Verde, Angola, Sao Tome), and Afro-Zouk (Francophone). There has been a paradigm shift focusing more on the sensual and romantic Zouk-Love (95 and 110 BPM), but zouk-beton is still there.
**
REPLY
4. Traore Mamady, 2014
"Well, it reminds me of a lot of things, remember it remains an excellent band and even artists pray individually. Very very great"
**
5. Mario Boston, 2016
"The music went back home"
**
6. laer, 2016
"somebody help me. Wich one is the original version? This one of kassav? or the Chayane version "este ritmo se baila así"...Regards from México!!!!"
**
REPLY
7. Benoit Rhumier, 2016
"+laer Kassav is Original Version. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayanne_(1988_album)
****
Example #2: La Medicina - Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman Nou Ni
sonnowak, Published on Nov 19, 2009
By Kassav.
--- Lyrics:
Kijan zot fé
M'pa ka konpran'n
Zot ka viv' kon si
Pa ni pwoblém'
Poutan zot sav'
Lavi la réd
Kijan zot fé
Pou pé sa kenbé
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
M'pa té konnet
Sécré lasa
Ban mwen plan la
P'mwen pé sa konpran'n
Ban mwen plan la
M'poko sézi'i
Si janmé on jou
Mwen tonbé malad
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Si sé sa mwen an nou zouké
Mi'i kon sa ... Mi'i kon sa ...
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni ( sa kon sa )
An malad An malad An malad
An malad An malad An malad
sonnowak, Published on Nov 19, 2009
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):
1. AC Downloads101, 2015
"This song is from Guadeloupe, but the kompa mixes in it or from haiti. But legit everyone in the Caribbean loves this song. It should be the national anthem of every island in the Caribbean lol. I loved this song growing up and I still do. They're speaking in patois, but its very similar to Creole."
**
2. Paradise Slaay, 2016
"all the Haitians know this"
**
REPLY
3. ThePrincessLabelle, 2017
"I from the french caribbean and Kassav is a guadeloupean group not haitian, they are singing in guadeloupe creole not haitian creole"
**
REPLY
3. Stanley Dougé, 2017
"The languages differ but minor differences unless you speak both and French then you can tell me how Haïtians don't understand Guadeloupean créole because I understand it completely fine and I'm not even from Guadeloupe"
**
REPLY
4. shaniel fo real, 2017
"Paradise Slaay in Surinam we play this also on parties"
**
5. Cocoa Puff, 2017
"All West Indians tbhh, this gets played at everyyyy family function !"
-snip-
tbhh= My guess is this means "to be honest here"
**
6. M'caiah Jewels, 2017
"the group is st lucian"
**
REPLY
7. Topaz Citrine, 2017
"No, they are from Guadeloupe. Though as a Lucian myself, I heard it so much as a little girl that I thought they were Lucian too lol"
**
REPLY
8. Trey Johnson, 2017
"Forget all that y'all talking about... EVERY CARIBBEAN PERSON KNOWS THIS SONG!!! I'm bahamian and vibe to this just fine! Granted, my husband is haitian, but I've been listening to this looooooong before I met him.
#CaribbeansStandUp"
**
9. A Google User, 2018
"Dogegista Dog be quiet this isn't Haitian. Some members of Kassav are Guadeloupeen and others are Martiniquais. I have family from Haiti, Martinique, and St Martin (Gwada)..I know because I'm all of them and can tell the difference in the pronunciation of each Creole. Jacob the singer of this song is singing in Guadeloupeen Creole"
**
REPLY
10. OG509, 2018
"I'm haitian and i know that Kassav are not haitians but they performed a lot in haiti and even lived there at some point"
****
Example #3: Kassav' - Oh Madiana
hermespty, Published on Feb 7, 2011
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Rabina Blackshear, 2014
"Love this music"
**
REPLY
2. Carlos Vieira, 2015
"IN ANGOLA, WE LOVES THIS SONG SINCE 19WÁWÉ! AH AH AH"
**
3. Vladimir Alviz Velez, 2014
"Mucho sabor ese tema!"
-snip-
Spanish to English: "I really like that theme".
**
4. Saxemard Dyandrah, 2014
"Ce n'ai pas de ma génération mais j'ai toujours aimé Kassav .."
-snip-
"This is not my generation but I always liked Kassav .."
**
5.gabriel vandune, 2014
" Tempo bom e boas muicas"
-snip-
Portuguese- "Good time and good music"
**
REPLY
6. acedivaful, 2015
"muy buena musica"
-snip-
Spanish to English "very good music"
**
7. Shanyce Cetoute, 2017
"hummmm cela me rappelle quand j'étais toute petite et que je regardais ma mère se déhancher sur ce son là. ah lala bon souvenir. Merci pour tout ce bonheur KASSAV😍."
-snip-
"hummmm it reminds me when I was very small and I watched my mother wiggle on this sound there. ah lala good memory. Thank you for all the happiness KASSAV😍."
**
8. avaholic67, 2017
"ça me rappelle mon premier voyage en afrique..bon temps!!!"
-snip-
"it reminds me of my first trip to Africa..good time !!!"
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES OF ZOUK LOVE
HARRY DIBOULA (Tu me manques)
974MARIE13, Published on May 24, 2011
ZOUK LOVE (Harry Diboula)
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with Google translate to English is given below some comments and numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Ahoutou, 2017
"SOUVENIR SOUVENIR ANNEE 1994 QUI DIT MIEUX?C'ETAIT LE ZOUK LOVE LE PLUS DANSE ET IL EST RESTE INTACT."
-snip-
"SOUVENIR SOUVENIR YEAR 1994 WHO SAID BETTER: IT WAS THE ZOUK LOVE THE MOST DANCED AND IT REMAINS INTACT."
**
2. Ninis Bens, 2017
"Les anciens son sont les meilleur ❤️❤️❤️"
-snip-
"The old ones are the best ❤️❤️❤️"
****
Tu es mon soleil
Ginno Regales, Published on Oct 14, 2008
Princess Lover Parole
Tu es mon soleil, éclaires mes jours, mes nuits
Tu es mon soleil, tu es lhomme de ma vie
Tu es mon soleil, illumines mes jours, mes nuits
Tu mémerveilles, tu nourris mes envies
C nest plus pareil, depuis que tes parti
Toute seule jessaye, mais seul ne me poursuit
Je donnerais ma vie tu sais, pour te suivre
Je ferais changer le passé, je veux vivre
Auprès de toi je resterai, je mennivre
De toi et des tous les secrets, qui nous lient a jamais
Tu es mon soleil, la lumière qui me guide
Dans mon sommeil, tu dessines mes rêves aussi
Tu es larc-en-ciel, qui a coloré ma vie
Tu es mon soleil, tu es mon meilleur ami
Je voudrais plus quune amitié, je suis ivre
Pour toi je peux me contenter, dêtre libre
Pouvoir seulement te parler, je veux vivre
De toi, être à tes côtés, et poursuivre
Seront réalité
Etre a tes côtés.
Tu es ma destinée, ma destinée
Tu es ma destinée
Si tu veux de moi (x6) Emmènes moi
Si tu veux de moi, si tu veux de moi
Si tu veux de moi, emmènes moi
Emmènes moi où tu veux, emmènes moi si tu veux
Si tu veux de moi (x4)
Je e laisserais jamais briser, briser ce qui va suivre
Si tu veux de moi, si tu veux de moi
Si tu veux de moi , emmènes moi
Si tu veux de moi(x6)
Emmènes moi où tu veux, emmènes moi si tu veu
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
gary durand, 2015
"Faut pas chipoter longtemps pour entendre que Princess Lover à crée le morceau de zouk love complètement ultime. C'est le plus beau zouk love en français à jamais, enfin mais c'est quoi ces paroles et ce dub de ouf?! Le pire c'est quand on le danse avec une inconnue... Frisson an tchou' aw!!!"
-Do not quibble long to hear that Princess Lover to create the piece of zouk love completely ultimate. This is the most beautiful zouk love in French forever, but what are these words and this dub of phew ?! The worst thing is when you dance with an unknown ... Frisson an chou 'aw !!!"
****
Thanks for visiting Pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)