The Fifteenth Case of the Pirates' Radio of the Caribbean

Today we turn to our Caribbean back yard with a showcase for music from Haiti (with a few guest appearances along the way). This show is split into halves: the first hour focuses on small combo "country" sounds from Haiti, and the second hour focuses on the jazzy brass band sound of the capital city Port Au Prince.

Unlike country sounds from the rest of the Central American region, Haiti's country music owes little to the guitars of Spain. Instead, Haiti's country music mixes African folk forms and drumming with French chanson and troubadour traditions, plus a dash of calypso. The first hour begins with songs by Haiti's Trio Select, led by guitarist Gesner Henry. I open with a charm offensive, then build tempo through the middle of the set. The first hour ends with compas and other national dance music influenced by country music roots.

The second hour today opens with merengues and early compas from Haiti's big band era. In the 1960s there was a trend toward smaller jazz combos in Haiti, followed by a craze for boogie and funk fusion in the late 70s and 80s. We will follow the jazz influenced sounds of Haiti through that journey.