Speaking of Guadeloupe....

Gwo Ka = Another perspective on the Afro-Caribbean diaspora

The other day, during a riff on the amazing Haitian singer Fedia Laguerre, I mentioned the exotic-yet-familiar realm of Latin-Biguine, a dance style from Gaudeloupe that’s sung in Creole. It draws elements of Afro-Cuban and French Antillean and Dominican music into a sleek propulsion that speaks directly to the hips. Here’s a link to the referenced compilation.

Of course that prompted a search for other music from Guadeloupe on Bandcamp, which quickly led to this week’s latest obsession: Lespri Ka, an anthology devoted to modern refractions of a traditional music rooted in hand drumming and group vocals. Gwoka (often written Gwo Ka) is a French Creole term for “big drum.” The music is traced to African people enslaved on the French island; it’s been kept alive by their descendants and is still heard in ceremonial contexts.

But as happens seemingly everywhere, the traditional approaches have been stretched and modernized, and this set, which is subtitled New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-2010, celebrates a reverent form of ingenuity. Current gwoka practictioners like Michel Laurent invoke and then transcend ancient rituals, juxtaposing prayerful call-and-response melodies against sleek guitars and keyboards. The fidelity varies with each track, but happily the chattering, endlessly funky drum-circle conversations are mixed hot. Everything shimmers and everything moves with total ease; this one will be in rotation all summer.

Are you lifted up by this music? Buy it!

Are you enriched by this Substack? Buy me a coffee!

https://bmc.link/echolocator