Year-End Recap and News for 2020!
Very proud and grateful for a music-filled year! A few highlights include recording on a diverse array of projects that were released in 2019 including; Bohio Music “Ayiti Nan Kay La”, Godwin Louis’ “Global”, David Sanchez “Carib” and my own Lakou Brooklyn “Kay Sa”. Also grateful for the opportunities to perform with these beautiful projects on tours of Haiti, around the US, and beautiful NYC venues like the Owl Music Parlor, Jazz Standard, Lincoln Center etc.
Here is a video from Lakou Brooklyn’s CD Release Party for Kay Sa, (available exclusively via Soundkeeper Recordings ). Featuring myself along with Godwin Louis on sax, Monvelyno Alexis on guitar and vocals, and Bobby Raymond on bass.
In other news, David Sanchez’ Carib recording was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording! Any voting Academy members, please consider this heartfelt project, a tribute to both Haiti and Puerto Rico’s cultural legacies, featuring beautiful original compositions of David Sanchez, performed by a stellar crew of musicians. Grammys are coming up January 26th!
We All Break, a project of the talented drummer/percussionist/composer Ches Smith is preparing for our second recording, with a greatly augmented lineup featuring Matt Mitchell (piano), Nick Dunston (bass), Miguel Zenòn (sax), along with myself, Jean Guy Rene and Daniel Brevil on Haitian drums, as well as Sirene Dantò on lead vocals. Super excited for this!
I am also extremely grateful to have worked with some incredible dancers this past year, all of whom focus on preserving and extending the traditional dances of Haitian folklore and spiritual expressions of Vodou:
Haitian Dance icon Jean Léon Destiné
Linda Isabelle Francois
I was also blessed to share the stage with several icons from the “Mizik Rasin” (Haitian Roots Music) scene; including a Flag Day performance with the one and only Eddy Francois, and hanging/sitting in with my great friends from Lakou Mizik for several of their shows in and around Vermont. Lakou Mizik have a new album out that I highly recommend; AyitiNola!
Looking forward to doing some more teaching and presenting workshops this year as well… teaching some private Haitian drum classes at The New School, and working on other opportunities as well… Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading, and wishing each and all a healthy happy and harmonious 2020!
-Markus