Compas By Any Other Name...:
Because the orthography and spelling of the Haitian Creole language (Kreyol Ayisyen) is not fully standardized, Compas is also known as Kompas, Kompa, Compa, Konpa, and Conpa, and is sometimes called Kompas Direk or Compas Direk. Compas is pronounced like "cohm-PA." The word "Compas" comes from the Spanish, and roughly means "beat" or "downbeat."
A Brief Background of Compas:
Compas is a genre of music from Haiti. Like most genres of Caribbean music, compas has deep roots in African music, and the African influence is clear in the back-beated rhythms that help define the genre. Compas descends from a genre of Haitian music called "meringue," which is related to merengue music, the popular genre from Haiti's fellow Hispaniola island nation, the Dominican Republic.
Nemours Jean-Baptiste and the Dawn of Compas:
Nemours Jean-Baptiste was a popular saxophone and guitar player and bandleader in 1950s Haiti. His band Ensemble aux Calebasses' raucous, jazzy twist on the classic meringue, influenced by Cuban and Dominican music as well as traditional Haitian music and jazz, defined early compas and heralded the compas revolution, which coincided with the shift from quiet acoustic folk genres into modern dance music across the Caribbean (see ska, soca, salsa, etc.).
Compas Music Today:
Compas music remains one of Haiti's most vibrant musical genres, with a huge output of current recorded music (at least it was up until the catastrophic 2010 Haitian earthquake, though some artists, particularly those who live abroad, continue to record), and a major live-music presence at all events, including Carnival, which is a major celebration.
Purchase/Download MP3s:
Nemours Jean-Baptiste & Ensemble Aux Calebasses - "A Tioupoutiou" (Listen/Download)
Les Freres Dejean - "L'Univers" (Listen/Download)
Djakout Mizik - "Ba Yo Kompa" (Listen/Download
Purchase Compas CDs:
Tabou Combo - New York City (Compare Prices)T-Vice - Welcome to Haiti (Compare Prices)
Sweet Micky - 100.000 Volts (Compare Prices)
