French Caribbean music RFI, S/D

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I'm really interested in this gwo-ka stuff, but this is the thread for any French Caribbean music.

Isn't Curacao part of that as well? It's a former Dutch colony, but doesn't it get lumped in with the French Caribbean, or am I just wrong about that?

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 15 August 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to listen to Kassav's zouk music, from Guadelupe via Paris. They mixed disco, r'n'b, Congolese soukous, gwo ka drumming, and Haitian pop together.

My old Rough Guide to World Music says gwo ka drumming is heard alot around carinval time. They also say that gwo ka with vocals sounds a bit like Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Is that right?

― steve_k, Monday, 16 August 2004 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know. I recently bought a David Murray CD that had the Gwo Ka Masters on it. I didn't like it very much, except for what I assume are the parts by the Gwo Ka Masters (heavy percussion that sounds African or Afro-Diasporan). I don't remember singing on the CD, but I haven't been listening to it. (I've been meaning to send it to someone I think might like it more than I do.)

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Monday, 16 August 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently most Gwo Ka sounds like African percussion and has no vocals,
but Esnard Boisdur and Eugene Mona keep the vocal version around.

Years ago I got an album by Marce et Tumpak. They're from Martinique and play chouval bwa, which has lots of percussion, plus some accordion, brass and guitar. Fun stuff.

that should be "carnival" in my last post.

― steve_k, Monday, 16 August 2004 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

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