Take Me But Save the Coffee: Lakou Mizik and "Peze Kafe"

Today's random song is by Haitian group Lakou Mizik, and is called Peze Kafe. A music collective that formed in the chaos surrounding the 2010 Haitian earthquake, Lakou Mizik's members range in age from 20's to 60's, all with a shared passion to rediscover the roots of Haitian music which they feel is being lost as the world becomes more interconnected. Their name has many meanings, from "yard music" shared among friends to "home music" in a place where you are from, to its Haitian vodou meaning as music in a holy place that speaks to your ancestors. Peze Kafe is a 100 year old or so Haitian folk tune about a boy who is sent by his mother to fetch coffee from the store, and on his way back he is wrongfully arrested by the police. As they haul him away, he cries "what will I tell my mother about the coffee?" The song speaks to the importance of coffee in Haitian life and tradition. You can find Peze Kafe on Lakou Mizik's 2016 release Wa Di Yo.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-04-07/haitis-lakou-mizik-holds-tradition-through-tragedy; http://lakoumizik.com/

Troublemaker: Master Dji and "Tet Chaje"

Some Haitian rap is on tap today with our random song, called Tet Chaje. The song is performed by the late Master Dji, who died in 1994 at the age of 32 from complications of AIDS. His debut album, Master Dji, is known as one of the greatest Creole hip hop albums of all time, and his style of hip hop drew from Haitian music such as rara, rasin, kompa and reggae. A musical pioneer in Haiti, he helped build the popularity of rap and hip hop in that country. Tet Chaje can be found on the 2009 various artists compilation Haiti Rap & Ragga.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Dji

A Hunter in the Cafe: Leyla McCalla and "Peze Café"

The former cellist with roots group The Carolina Chocolate Drops, brings us today's random tune called Peze Café. American musician Leyla McCalla was born in New York City to Haitian parents and was raised in New Jersey. McCalla also lived in Ghana for two years. After graduating from New York University, where she studied cello performance and chamber music (she also plays guitar and banjo), she moved to New Orleans and was a street musician. Her first solo album was a tribute to the poetry of Langston Hughes which she credits with inspiring her to be an artist. It was five years in the making and was financed by a Kickstarter campaign. She plays music inspired by Haitian folk songs and sung in Haitian creole, as well as Louisiana traditional music such as old Cajun fiddle tunes and trad-jazz. She also writes original compositions. A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey comes from a Haitian proverb, and McCalla told NPR in an interview that it was written while she was thinking of the vulnerability and desperation of the Haitian boat people, as well as Syrian refugees. You can find Peze Café on McCalla's second solo album, A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey, released in 2016.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_McCalla; https://leylamccalla.com/

Original Haitian Rap: Original Rap Staff with Top Tchooko and Posse X with "Fan' Nan Kann Nan"

Today's random tune is by Original Rap Staff & Top Tchooko and features Posse X. Original Rap Staff, from Haiti, are exponents of Rap Kreyòl, or hip hop and rap done in the Haitian creole language. Top Tchooko is known as the king of Haitian hip hop, and is a former member of Original Rap Staff. I couldn't find much on Posse X, but they are also from Haiti. Other, more well known artists in the in Rap Kreyòl genre include Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel from the Fugees so you have probably heard snippets of this type of rap if you listened to them. You can find this song, Fan' Nan Kann, Nan on Original Rap Staff's All Stars "Supastarz" CD, released in 1999.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_hip_hop

Life's a Carnival: King Posse and "Retounen"

Today's tune is called Retounen, and it was performed by King Posse, a Haitian band rap, ragga and carnival band that was active in the 1990s and that has roots in Haitian carnival. They sang in Haitian creole and created songs that are Haitian carnival staples. But, I couldn't find a bio of the band with any detail, only testimonials about how great they were. At least two of the band members have passed away. Retounen is from their 1997 album I Like It and can also be found on the 2001 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Carnival.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://ht.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Posse

Completely Kompa: KLASS and "Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w"

Our random tune for today is called Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w and is performed by KLASS, a Haitian band formed in 2012 that saw sudden success after the release of their first album and was voted Haitian band of the year four years running (2013-2016). They play a genre of music called Kompa, which is a modern Haitian dance and meringue music with roots in Europe and Africa. You can find Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w on their 2016 album of the same name.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Maybe It's the Food: Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti and "Gason Total"

Today's song, Gason Total, is by the Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti, the only big band left performing in Haiti. That's about all I could find on them. The picture in the video is of Joe Zenny, a Haitian singer and actor. I'm not sure if this is him singing with the Orchestre. Regardless, it's a nice tropical tune that can be found on the compilation CD Putumayo World Party (2007). Enjoy!

Creole Rap: Original Rap Staff and Top Tchooko with Posse X and "Fan' Nan Kann, Nan"

Today's random tune is by Original Rap Staff & Top Tchooko and features Posse X. Original Rap Staff, from Haiti, are exponents of Rap Kreyòl, or hip hop and rap done in the Haitian creole language. Top Tchooko is known as the king of Haitian hip hop, and is a former member of Original Rap Staff. I couldn't find much on Posse X, but they are also from Haiti. Other, more well known artists in the in Rap Kreyòl genre include Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel from the Fugees so you have probably heard snippets of this type of rap if you listened to them. You can find this song, Fan' Nan Kann, Nan on Original Rap Staff's All Stars "Supastarz" CD, released in 1999.

Party Time: Wyclef Jean and "Fistibal - Festival"

Today's random tune is by multiple Grammy-winning Haitian artist Wyclef Jean. Wyclef Jean first came to fame in the US music business, but this hip hop artist, actor, and politician is also a humanitarian who has established a foundation to aid his native country. Born in Haiti, he moved with his family to New Jersey in 1982. A founding member of The Fugees (their name was a reference to Haitian refugees), he rose to prominence with the rest of the band as they released highly successful albums in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, he embarked on a solo career and collaborated with other artists such as Youssou N'Dour, Earth Wind and Fire and Shakira. His foundation, Yéle Haiti, has aided in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Additionally, in 2010 he made a bid to run for president of Haiti, but his candidacy was turned down by the Electoral Council because he did not meet minimum residency requirements. He has released 11 solo albums, with his latest, Clefication, just out this year. This tune, Fistibal - Festival is from his 2004 album Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101.

Hoping for Haiti: Dadou Pasquet and "New York City"

An artist friend recently tried a business venture. Working with Haitian artists, she developed with them designs for papier-mache animals that she felt would sell in the United States. Her hope was to establish a business model that would not only help her earn a living but would give employment to Haitian artists and give them fair compensation for their talents. After a few months, the initiative failed. It wasn't the resolve of the artists or any of the people she worked with - it was the state of infrastructure and transportation that still suffers in Haiti years after the hurricanes and earthquakes that devastated much of the country. Despite the fact that Haiti is the oldest independent country in Latin America and the Caribbean, the only country in the Western Hemisphere to defeat three European powers, and the only country successfully founded as the result of a slave revolt, Haiti is the forgotten child of the West. We throw a little money at it, and then try to forget the suffering under the mantra that Haitians must take care of their own problems. But ruined infrastructure and transportation systems are problems that do not go away easily, and without them, businesses large and small are not going to take root and help the Haitian economy, leaving Haiti a beggar state that other countries will occasionally, like people on their way to work in large cities who encounter homeless on the street, will hand a few bucks and then move on.

One thing that keeps Haiti on my mind is its music, and it has a rich musical tradition that most of us are not aware of. Today's random tune is by Dadou Pasquet. Born Andre Pasquet in Port au Prince, he is also a composer, singer and arranger. Pasquet started his musical career at age 9 and played with Haitian great "Tit" Pascal when he was 12. He first achieved fame with the Tabou Combo from 1970-76. After that, he joined with his brother Tico to form The Magnum Band which achieved popularity in the Caribbean and Europe. He plays in styles as diverse as salsa, jazz, blues, funk and reggae. Supposedly, one of his successful songs with the Tabou Combo was recorded by Carlos Santana as Crazy Crazy. This song, New York City, is from his 2003 album Dadou en Troubador and can also be found on the compilation Les Titres Essentiels Haiti.

Today's a Carnival!: King Posse and "Retounen"

Just because Megan and I are taking an anniversary holiday in Taos doesn't mean our Global Music randomizer isn't working to bring you a daily tune. Unfortunately, for the second straight day it has picked a tune where I can't find any information on the artist. King Posse is a Haitian band, apparently active in the 90s, that has roots in Haitian carnival. But, I couldn't find a bio of the band, only testimonials about how great they were. This song, Retounen, is from 1997. If you know anything about King Posse, feel free to post in the comments!

World Apart: Wyclef Jean and "24 É Tan Pou Viv"

One of the difficulties I often have is deciding whether something is world music. Megan and I tend to be a bit expansive on our show when we pick music. Our criteria usually runs this way: 1) Is the artist from somewhere other than the United States? 2) If not, is the artist fit loosely into a world genre? and 3) Do we like it or does it have some reason that it should be heard?

This still creates some conundrums. Should we play the Finnish rockabilly band covering a Johnny Cash song? Is that world? Or, just because some American pop artist puts a few words of another language in a song or even allows an artist from another country to sing on a song, does that make it a world song? What about foreign bands that play rock, or blues, or jazz? We usually stay away from reggae, because the station has a reggae show, but there is a lively debate on whether reggae is considered world music. We have played songs with reggae beats in them, but usually if they are infused with other genres. Folk music comes from all countries, but is American folk world music? We usually stay away from that because there are at least a couple of folk shows on our station.

So, what often happens is that we play it by ear. We stick fairly firmly to other countries but throw in some American acts that meet our subjective criteria. If the song is of a genre like rock, jazz or blues even though it is from a foreign artist, we listen to it, read about it, and make some kind of decision. After all, we don't want to be totalitarian over what is considered world and global, and ultimately our shows have a good mix that sometimes stretches the boundaries of what can be called "world."

While Wyclef Jean in some of his music would have us thinking about whether to include him, this song, 24 É Tan Pou Viv, would not make us hesitate. Wyclef Jean, despite his time spent in the United States as a part of the American pop music scene with The Fugees, is from Haiti and clearly identifies with his culture. He also clearly made this song to highlight Haiti and its culture. He is using a genre developed in the US, hip hip and rap, but he includes influences from the Caribbean and does his rapping in French creole (which I particularly like). So, we would (and did!) play this song on our show without any hesitations.

Multiple Grammy-winning artist Wyclef Jean first came to fame in the US music business, but this Haitian hip hop artist, actor, and politician is also a humanitarian who has established a foundation to aid his native country. Born in Haiti, he moved with his family to New Jersey in 1982. A founding member of The Fugees (their name was a reference to Haitian refugees), he rose to prominence with the rest of the band as they released highly successful albums in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, he embarked on a solo career and collaborated with other artists such as Youssou N'Dour, Earth Wind and Fire and Shakira. His foundation, Yéle Haiti, has aided in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Additionally, in 2010 he made a bid to run for president of Haiti, but his candidacy was turned down by the Electoral Council because he did not meet minimum residency requirements. He has released 10 solo albums, with another in the works. 24 É Tan Pou Viv is from his 2004 album Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101.