History of Compas Direct

How did Compas Direct come to be? What influenced the Haitian Compas Direct. And how did Compas continue to evolve.

The musical surroundings

In the early to mid-1950s, Spanish (Cuban and Dominican) music was en vogue in the cities. On the other hand, there were many old Haitian dance rhythms, some of them complicated. The contemporary Haitian bands moved within this range.1)

The origin of Compas Direct

That was the moment in 1955 when Nemours Jean-Baptiste ventured the musical step from Twoubadou to dance music with his own orchestra (Conjunto International, Ensemble aux Calebasses). He began to interpret, arrange and experiment with Haitian music in a contemporary way. They played regularly at the Cabane Choucoune Night Club. The repertoire consisted of very different rhythms (Bannann Pouyak, Grenn Moudong, Ibo, Méringue Lente, Contredance, Guaracha, Bolero... ), while the timbre of the orchestra remained the same.2)
With the title “Deux pti piti callebasses” came in 1957 a rhythm structure for the first time, the basis of which did not change significantly. In 1958, the term Compas Direct appeared for the first time in a recording  at the end of the title “Yasse”.3)
The new song formula proved to be successful with the audience. From that moment on, his music was marketed as Compas Direct and quickly spread throughout the country.1)
Compas Direct – It is the 5-3 formula for the Compas percussion. Five beats on the big drum (tanbou) are followed by three beats (two bass beats with a tam-tam beat in between). Flanked in parallel by the bright sound of the graj as well as the two off-beat instruments of tchatcha and kloch. The driving heart of the rhythm section is the tanbou (son poto mitan).4)

Influences in the mid 50s

Nemours Jean-Baptiste often said: “Konpa dirèk la se yon Grenn Siwèl.”4)
The most important external influence on the creation of Compas Direct was the musical zeitgeist, the need of the emerging audience in the mid-50s.
In this way, the success of the Dominican merengue was probably also an inspiration. Thus, the orchestras were orchestrated similarly at the beginning (sound). The structure on the tambora in the merengue shows a certain parallel to the Tanbou in Compas Direct – the adaptation turns out to be so serious due to a pausing, that this creates a completely different groove. The influence is at the same time its separation.
The roots of the creation of Compas Direct are the musical background of the musicians, their musical imprint. In the early Compas Direct, in the arrangements there are many parallels with Twoubadou (Grenn Siwèl). Rhythm and percussion can be seen as a transformation of old habits into modern, popular needs. The many syncopated Vodou rhythms are a wide field of musical experience and inspiration. 2)

Compas continued to develop

Different kinds of compas emerged. Many things happened in parallel. If you want to understand compas you must include and differentiate many things.
In a country like Haiti, with a turbulent environment, popular music culture is also always subject to external pressures. Compas has always had to prove itself for its continued existence. Compas consists of a fixed structure that was passed on, which intuitively increased in complexity.
In connection with generational changes of the musicians, under foreign music influences (e.g. radio) and under general zeitgeist periods the big development steps in the Compas arose. The important musical changes occurred in waves. For new Compas forms, the name Compas was always kept out of a matter of course.
There were external influences on individual bands. There were external influences on a range of compas, that were popular over a period of time. And there were other influences that merged into compas, without being able to be traced.
The most significant steps in the development are:

• 1955–58 – Creation Compas Direct.
• 1965 – Evolution 1 – Mini Jazz - smaller groups, contemporary stylistics.
• 1967 – Kale sembal – adding the Kata rhythm on the cymbal.6)
• 1972 – The Kata rhythm on the cymbal is now played with 2 hands.
• 1976 – Evolution 2 – Full band - each band adds horn section and modern keyboard (sound revolution as external influence).
• 1986–89 – Evolution 3 – a) Nouvel Jenerasyon Compas and b) Digital Compas (digital percussion) are turning classical Compas on its head, plus c) the enormous popularity of Zouk (sound revolution of the Caribbean), which is putting a lot of pressure on Compas1)

The Nouvel Jenerasyon bands evolve sonically in the course of the 90s towards Djaz nòmal. The Digital Bands disappear in the early 2000s. Djaz nòmal henceforth determines the formats.1)
The digitalization of music consumption and an internationalization of musical tastes increase the pressure on Compas compositions to get everything out of the format while remaining live-ready (Bal).
Compas sounds different every 10 years.

Text: Fedor Hüneke   
Sources:
1) Konpa Encyclopedia · Jean Claude Vievens · Trafford 2008
2) Panorama Histoire Musique Haitienne · Jean Jean-Pierre · SDQ 2012
3) Chat with Jean Jean-Pierre (Culture & Tradition) · 02-25-2020
4) La Face Cachée Du Compas Direct · Serge Rosenthal (Shleu-Shleu) · 2015
5) P-Compas · Jean Jean-Pierre (Culture & Tradition) · 07-28-2022
6) My Musical Journey & Les Shleu-Shleu · Smith Jean-Baptiste (Shleu-Shleu) · 2015
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