TALKING KONPA: THE HISTORY AND STORY OF HAITI'S POPULAR MUSIC

Konpa is the music of Haiti. Short for compas direct, made
popular by Nemours Jean-Baptiste, on a recording released in
1955. The name derives from compás, the Spanish word meaning
rhythm or tones. It involves mostly medium-to-fast tempo beats
with an emphasis on electric guitars, synthesizers, and either a
solo alto saxophone, a horn section or the synthesizer
equivalent. In Creole, it is spelt as konpa dirèk or simply
konpa. It is commonly spelt as it is pronounced as kom-pah.


Compas (Haitian Creole: Konpa Dirèk), is dance music and modern
Méringue of Haiti. This méringue style is influential in parts of
Africa, the Caribbean, Portugal, France, part of Canada, South
and North America. One of the most distinctive characteristics of
konpa is the consistent pulsating beat tanbou, a trait common to
many styles of Caribbean music. 


Workshop Facilitators – Maestro Ricky, Power Surge and
Fabrice Rouzier - will dive deep into the origins of the
konpa genre, show us how it evolved throughout the years and dive
into the fundamental elements of this dancing and groovy rhythm.





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