Kompa Music Guide: A Brief History of Kompa Music

Kompa is a popular form of jazz-based dance music that originated in Haiti during the mid-twentieth century. Kompa is derived from méringue de salon, a string-based style of Haitian dance music inspired by contra dance, a dance style from Europe. The popularity of kompa has inspired many Caribbean music forms, including the Antillean zouk and cadence-lypso, from the Dominican Republic.

The traditional kompa sound features the brass instruments associated with big band, like the saxophone, trumpet, and trombone, and the slower rhythms of méringue de salon, set to the pulsating beats of tanbou, a barrel drum from Haiti. Modern kompa, or compas nouvelle génération, replaces many traditional kompa instruments with electronic equipment, such as synthesizers and drum machines, and adds elements of hip-hop and reggae to appeal to club and dancehall audiences.

Kompa adopted its moniker from the Spanish word “compás,” which means “rhythm” or “measure,” as in a musical measure or bar. The genre is known under various names in the different countries where it has flourished. In the French-based language of Haitian Creole, it’s also called “konpa,” while other languages and nationalities refer to the music as “compas direct” or “kompa direkt,” among other spellings.

The history of kompa music began in Haiti during the mid-1950s, when saxophonist and maestro, or band leader Nemours Jean-Baptiste and his first band Conjunto International began adapting the traditional sounds of Haitian dance music into a new style. Here’s a brief overview of the genre’s history:

• The beginning of the sound. Jean-Baptiste and his bandmates, including fellow saxophone player Webert Sicot and conga drummer Kreutzer Duroseau, began folding elements of Haitian music into their sound. They would play the new sound during performances at clubs in Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. The insistent beat of the tanbou drum, a Haitian instrument heard in many forms of Latin and Caribbean music, featured heavily in the music. Their ensemble eventually added more brass and electric guitar—a rarity in Caribbean groups at the time—into the mix. The resulting music, which they called “kompa direkt” (“direct rhythm”), became popular as the band—which changed its name to Ensemble aux Calebasses in 1956, and later became Ensemble Nemours Jean-Baptiste—brought its sound to listeners across Haiti and neighboring islands.
• The genre impacts other musical styles. As kompa spread throughout the Caribbean, its core sound influenced other groups, putting their own spin on its propulsive sound. In Haiti, jazz groups like Jean-Baptiste’s adopted a stripped-down lineup format called mini-jazz, which reduced the brass component while increasing guitars. Webert Sicot parted ways with Jean-Baptiste and established his variation on kompa, which he called cadence rampa, or kadans, that would, in turn, lead to the development of cadence-lypso in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The genre, which blended kompa and calypso, was perfected by the Dominican/Guadeloupe band Exile One throughout the 1970s and beyond.
• Kompa goes international. Jean-Baptiste, Sicot, and many of the bands that followed helped spread the kompa influence to other countries throughout the Caribbean and world. In Africa, the popularity of ‘70s kompa acts, like Haiti’s Tabou Combo and athlete turned bandleader Coupé Cloué (aka Jean Gesner Henry), led to homegrown variants of kompa like coladeira from Cape Verde and kizomba, a slower take that also found favor in Brazil. Kompa was also crucial in the development of soca, a hybrid music genre from Trinidad and Tobago, which drew from reggae, calypso, and funk and soul from America, and developed a devoted following in North and South America, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Kompa also created competing music forms; chief among these was zouk, a faster, carnival-influenced take on its steady rhythm by the French Antillean band Kassav, which earned a devoted following throughout the West Indies and beyond.
• The evolution of contemporary kompa. Kompa remains popular among listeners worldwide and continues to expand its signature sound through new artists and music genres. The new breed of kompa musicians, or the kompa nouvelle génération—groups like Kreyol La and performers like T-Vice and Klass—are helping bring the music to a more diverse audience by folding elements of rock, hip-hop, soul, and electronic into the kompa mix.

Several characteristics define the unique sound of kompa music, including:

1. 1. Large brass sections: Nemour Jean-Baptiste’s bands largely defined the lineup for future kompa groups. Most traditional kompa bands feature a large brass section anchored by a lead saxophone and backed by drums and other percussion instruments—congas, tom-toms, cowbell, and timbales—electric instruments (guitars and bass), and an accordion or piano. Mini-jazz acts reduced or dropped the brass and added more guitars, while new kompa bands may feature only electronic instruments.
2. 2. Upbeat songs: Kompa music is intended as dance music, and the content of the songs themselves reflect that upbeat intent. The subject matter is as diverse as music in the Western pop style: love, romance, and holiday celebrations are frequent topics, as are religion and politics. Kompa songs can be sung in the languages common to the Caribbean, including Creole, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English.
3. 3. Melody and improvisation: Music experts describe traditional kompa music as a slower variation on the Latin merengue sound, with a jazz/big band feel and a strong emphasis on melody. Instrumental numbers are typically focused around a lead saxophone and feature considerable improvisation between the various band members. Newer forms of kompa hew closer to Western pop and R&B, but always with the constant tanbou beat and brass accompaniment.

There are many notable kompa musicians throughout the music genre’s long history, including:

1. 1. Alan Cavé: Born in New York City but raised in Haiti, Alan Cavé is best known as the leader of the popular kompa band Zin. Cavé’s talents for soulful lyrics have also made him an in-demand songwriter for Caribbean artists worldwide, including the popular Martinique group Malavoi and Norwegian-Gambian singer Haddy N’jie.
2. 2. Boukman Eksperyans: The Grammy-nominated band Boukman Eksperyans practice a variation on kompa called mizik rasin, which mixes rock and traditional Haitian folk music including rhythms used in traditional Vodou ceremonies. The politically-minded group, which rose to fame during protests against the coup that removed President Jean-Claude Duvalier in the 1990s, joined many artists who fled the country in the wake of the 1991 coup that unseated president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The band returned in 1994 and remain staples at Carnival celebrations and live concerts.
3. 3. Michel Martelly: Before serving as Haiti’s president from 2011 to 2016, Michel Martelly enjoyed a long career as kompa singer Sweet Micky. A popular performer who merged traditional kompa with a modern sound anchored by digital instruments instead of traditional brass and guitars, Martelly was also known for controversial on-stage comments and attire, which bolstered his fanbase. He is perhaps best known outside of Haitian music circles for his appearance on Wyclef Jean’s 1997 album Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival featuring Refugee Allstars.
4. 4. Orchestre Tropicana d’Haiti: One of the longest-running kompa bands in Haiti, the 19-piece Orchestre Tropicana d’Haiti made its debut in 1963 and released its first full album a decade later. They have remained a powerhouse of marathon live performances in the Caribbean and around the world, with a brand of kompa noted for its adherence to the Latin sound of kompa direct and pointed political content.
5. 5. Nu-Look: Led by Haitian-born singer, musician, and producer Arly Larivière, the Florida band Nu-Look has performed a modern take on kompa since forming in 2000. A veteran of several Haitian bands before Nu-Look, Larivière joined forces with vocalist Gazzman “Coleur” Pierre to launch the band, which issued several popular albums until Pierre’s departure in 2010. Larivière assumed vocal duties and chief songwriting duties on all subsequent releases, including 2019’s No Stress.

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