THE project WèspépouAyiti, which was created by Saint Lucian pianist, composer and band leader Richard Payne, will be featured at the final concert of the Port au Prince International Jazz Festival in Haiti (www.papjazzhaiti.org).
This project brings together several renowned Caribbean jazz musicians, including Jean Caze (trumpet, Haiti), Francis John (bass, Saint Lucia), Miki Télèphe (percussions, Martinique), Gregory Louis (drums, Guadeloupe) and JoëlWidmaier (percussions and voice, Haiti). It pays tribute to Haitian culture and history, and was conceived a year after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. It was created at and hosted by the festival Jazz in the South in 2011.
Following its successful debut performance in Saint Lucia, the project has performed in Guadeloupe (IlOJazz Festival, December 2012) and Martinique (Lamentin Jazz Project, June 2012), and it was featured on mainstage at the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival in May 2012.
In each case, reviews have been very positive, because of the quality and originality of the music, and because of the message of Caribbean solidarity and unity that it conveys. For Saint Lucia, this is a very significant achievement, considering that the project was created here, at the initiative and under the leadership of a Saint Lucian musician.
“Performing the project in Haiti will be a fantastic experience”, says Payne. “We are bringing this music to the land and the people who have inspired it. This is the 10th edition of the festival in Haiti, and we are honoured to have been invited to perform on its mainstage. We are grateful to all those who have made this possible, including the Trade Export Promotion Agency.” (TEPA).
This performance is made possible thanks to RezoKarayib, a regional group of organisations and festivals dedicated to Creole Jazz. Jazz in the South/Labowi Promotions is a member of that network, and has worked with the other members to organise this tour, which will be followed later this year with other performances in the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe and Martinique.
“For us”, says Yves Renard of Labowi promotions, “this is a very important project, because it conveys a message” of Caribbean solidarity and brings together musicians from several Caribbean countries. It demonstrates the quality and vibrancy of Creole Jazz as a musical genre in its own right”.