Trends in Dominican Music Since Independence (1978-93)

Dominican music in the post-independence period represents a sharp contrast to that of the immediate pre-independence period of the seventies. The eighties represented a down period, one of uncertainties, decline of bands, the replacement of kadans music by zouk. It was a period of searching, exploration, experimentation for our musicians and performers yielding some positive fruits. The big names of the seventies, Exile One, and Grammacks, were replaced by Ophelia and WCK.

When Dominicans attained independence in 1978, we had reached a peak in our musical achievements. Cadence-lypso popularly known as kadans was a very powerful music form in Dominica and the East Caribbean, impacting very much in places like French and Portuguese West Africa and in Central America - Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and even Colombia. Bands like Exile One and Grammacks had attained heights of musical success unprecedented in the Eastern Caribbean, French Antilles included; Belles Combo and Mantra were in high demand locally and in the neighbouring French departments. Recordings were bountiful, very original, creative and of a high standard.

Changing circumstances in the French departments regarding performing and recording arrangements led to the break up of bands and a decline in recordings at the turn of the eighties. We began to see the emergence of hi fi's, sound systems such as Wadicolé, Scientific Rolles and A&M.

In this void, Ophelia emerged and rose quickly to fame in Dominica and the French Antilles. She was awarded the prestigious 'Maracas D'Or' in Paris in 1981 and dubbed "La Reine de la Chanson Antillaise'. One recalls hit songs such as Chanson d'Amour, and Ay Dominique. Ophelia maintained a consistent presence on the local music scene throughout the eighties.

Meanwhile, kadans music pioneers Gordon Henderson, Jeff Joseph and Julie Mourillon went on to pursue solo careers, each exploring new forms and styles. Gordon Henderson explored lapo kabwit rhythms on songs like L'Hivernage, Old Mas and Jing Ping on songs like Ba dang. Jeff Joseph explored a fusion of disco, reggae and kadans on tracks like Banana Sweet. Julie Mourillon experimented briefly with a funky kadans groove dubbed Island Boogie and moved to exploring the emerging zouk sound.

In the mid-eighties, we began to see the emergence of two dominant musical trends; the jam band calypso a la Burning Flames and zouk a la Kassav. We began to see the re-emergence of live music and bands like WCK, RSB and First Serenade. At first these bands were strongly influenced by the style of Burning Flames and other similar groups from the Leewards. As they matured however, they began to develop their own styles, RSB focusing on zouk, WCK focusing on a zouk-soca fusion.

In the mid-eighties too, we saw a new impetus given to local calypso music with the entry into the calypso arena of former kadans musicians. These included "Super L" Levi Loblack and "Hurricane" Cleve Jean Jacques - both formerly of Swinging Stars/Jewels Combo, "Redman" Sinky Rabess formerly Mantra, "Ghost" Kelly Williams, and "Musician" Pat Aaron, formerly of Naked Feet. This line up added to stalwarts like Ency and Liberator resulted in much higher standards of music, lyrics and performance aspects of calypso. Calypso finals became the biggest crowd-puller in terms of carnival shows. Calypsonians were releasing more recordings. These improvements were short lived. The retiring of Ency and migration of Super L, Redman and Musician to the metropole led to a decline in standards at the turn of the nineties.

During the mid-eighties, we also saw the development of performance poetry pioneered by Ras Mo. This new form utilizes music, sound, rhythms, reggae, zouk, calypso, bele, gwo ka and related traditional rhythms in accompaniment to the poetry. The recording Tanbou Lanmou by Ras Mo with hits such as Pa Ni Problenm, and Leve Domnitjen was very well received. This form grew and nurtured within the popular theater movement led by Movement for Cultural Awareness (MCA) and through the efforts of the Writers Guild. The recent popular recording Woch-la by Gregory Rabess represents the ongoing development of this trend.

During the 80s too, we saw steady advances in the development of our folk music expressions. The patois song contests at Independence time helped to sustain the Kwéyòl aspects of our music. We saw the emergence of drum ensembles like Tambata, La Sel Difewans and linked to this, the influence of gwo ka music. We also saw the flowering of choral singing groups like the Paix Bouche Cultural Group, the release of recordings and increased professionalism in performances.

There also seems to be a converging of traditional and contemporary forms. Tambata for example, fuses traditional and contemporary musical instruments resulting in an interesting blend. In the last two years we have seen efforts by WCK in exploring lapo kabwit rhythms resulting in absolutely popular songs such as Conch Shell and Coney Island. The Woch-la recording by Gregory Rabess and Mi Nou by the Paix Bouche Cultural Group also reflect such convergence. All these represent a continuation of earlier efforts by Gordon Henderson.

There have been other developments too. We have seen some efforts at reversing the decline in steelbands. Initiatives like Panalec and more recently, Phase V, plus the work of Fanta Pan and Chocolate Country have served to keep the steelband flame alive. On the jazz front, we have the holding of jazz festivals. Musicians like Julie Martin, Fred Nicholas and Jay Grimmer have been jamming regularly at nightclubs. Dance hall reggae out of Jamaica is very popular among the youth. In 1992, a national dub contest was held. Cecil Moses and Mickey Moreau are leading performers of this genre. Rap music out of the USA has also made some inroads with Black Disciples out of Mahaut a leading group in this genre.

As we move forward into the nineties, more and more bands are emerging. These include Flintstones, Nature Boys, Tropic Tension, Rough & Ready and Rainbow Serpent, a heavy metal group based in the Carib Territory. This upsurge of bands has been assisted by duty free concessions on musical equipment allowed by the government. Live bands now share dances with hi fi's. We are also seeing the emergence of female singers with some potential.

When we look at the lyrical and linguistic aspects of our contemporary music, we see that the eighties stand in sharp contrast to the seventies. The material produced by our dance bands reflect wine and jam as opposed to the profound socio-political commentary of kadans music of the seventies, no doubt a reflection of the differing political and economic circumstances in the two periods in question.

While Kwéyòl is still very much evident in our music, its conscious and ideological projection is certainly not what it was in the seventies. There is also a tendency towards greater use of English especially in calypso. Very few calypsos are sung in Kwéyòl or include Kwéyòl lyrics or refrain. One factor would well be the dominance of Roseau-based calypsonians or groups who do not have a sensitivity tot he issues of Kwéyòl and Dominican cultural identity as compared to rural based groups. There is also the commercial pull in terms of reaching out to other English-speaking Caribbean islands and the large populations of West Indians in the metropole, hence the preferential option for English. More recently the popularity of dance hall reggae music among the youth has also served to promote English Dialect forms. On the other hand, the patois song contests, the work of the folk groups, drum ensembles, performance poets, most of whom are rooted in rural Dominica have served to balance things out and promote the vitality of Kwéyòl in our popular music.

It is also important to note the role of the two local recording studios,Nature Island and Mark Off, in sustaining Dominican music in the post-independence period, ensuring the production of low cost recordings. The significance of their contribution will be appreciated when one considers the changed recording circumstances of the French Departments.

In conclusion, despite the apparent demise of kadans music as the hallmark of Dominican music identity, we have some positive experiences and trends which suggest the following directions for the future of Dominican music:

  • the further exploration of kadans/zouk with an eye on the very lucrative French market;
  • the exploration of the vitality of Kwéyòl as a key factor on our Dominican music identity;
  • the encouragement of group formation drawing on the numbers of graduates of local music schools;
  • the mobilizing of more resources and incentives for our musicians and others involved into he music industry;
  • a more systematic approach to the incorporation of music in the school system;
  • continued development of music industry infrastructure to facilitate more recordings, performances, etc.

The critical challenge facing our music in Dominica today is whether we want to continue to mimic external styles and forms or whether we want to explore, develop, promote and project our unique Dominican styles and rhythms as was done with kadans in the seventies.

Extracted from: Dominica's Arts & Culture Magazine, Division of Cutlure, 1994
by Gregory Rabess

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