Haiti Cherie

In the crowded streets of Port au Prince and other Haitian towns, ti bands — groups of between four and six musicians - strike up the first note of méringue and a crowd gathers round.

The history of méringue is similar to that of much Caribbean popular music. The blend of African and European cultures has created popular dance music, music played on simple acoustic instruments by artists who don't need theatres or microphones to show off their art.

Like Jamaican mento, Cuban son, Belizean brukdon, Dominican méringue and many other Caribbean styles, méringue is played by artists who are usually anonymous and, although their music is very much alive, they tend to be called "traditional." Haiti Cherie brings together the best traditional méringue bands presenting a repertoire of mostly anonymous classics.

One exception is "Ti zwaso," an old méringue with lyrics by Haitian poet Oswald Durand. Harry Belafonte popularized it internationally as "Yellow Bird," and it is now often mistakenly presented as Jamaican mento.

This album was recorded in Haiti by Eduardo Llerenas and Enrique Ramirez de Arellano and was produced by Llerenas.

The music creates a street party where couples dance belt-buckle to belt-buckle to a rhythm that they recognize as their own. This music is the roots of the sound produced by Haiti's international stars: groups like Tabou Combo, Caribbean Sextet, Missile 727 amongst others. —Courtesy Calabash Music