Haitian Drumming...

I like Haitian music. Sometimes you hear jazz with a real nice clarinet French Creole influence but then there is also the drum. The drum calls up the spirits and as you can see from the following photos of the group Kod Kreyol it's a serious business. 

You know all that twanging banjo, fiddle, steel guitar, dobro country music? Those instruments are descended from the instruments brought to America by enslaved people, Muslim people of sub Sahara Africa. The drum came to Cuba, Haiti and other places and these were brought, made and played by the forest people of Western Africa. That's kind of it in a nut shell but if you want way more than this click the link and buy this  BOOK.  

Speaking of calling the spirits takes us back to the very beginnings of the combinations of various musics and rhythms in the drumming and dancing that took place in Congo Square in New Orleans where the enslaved were allowed to gather on Sunday and basically formed the foundation of our pop music. 

Music and religion go hand in hand. Starting in African and gathering European, Catholic, Caribbean, Native American and Aztec influences you find Vodou. It's a real religion, not at all like the show biz, gift shop thing found in the French Quarter. It has a disinterested supreme being who does not interact with humans but there are other spirits called loas that guide us and have a special interest in watching over our children. I know, it's not Trinitarian but in my faith Heaven and Earth, all the angels and saints are joined in Communion. The dead do have something to teach us. I found a real good blog that explains Vodou, Skull and Bones and other things about New Orleans culture and history so click HERE

Each drum has a unique voice and role in the beat. They aint just banging. 

Saw this guy sing with a couple of different groups. 

This drummer also performed with different groups. I'll get around to blogging about other Haitian and African groups later. 

Marie Leveau alter. It was right by a St. Joseph alter in the Cultural Pavilion, which is a nice new little venue at Jazz Fest to see bands up close . Not a lot of difference in the two alters. Just shows that different people in the world develop similar ideas at the same time.  That's as good a notion as I know that we should all pay attention and respect what each person believes. That will take us all down a path that meets in the spiritual journey.