Monvelyno

The artist presents a CD of thirteen songs, including six standard drawn from the vast repertoire of Haitian popular music, with allusions to some more challenging than others. This just in words, a draft project Kod ak Pobaptisé Kouzen Azakamedeque the talented guitarist submit to the general public.

Monvelyno learned to play guitar himself at age 18 years, from basic rudimentary music theory learned Maranatha College, where he studied classics. It did not take long to become a guitarist of theevangelical church where he had practiced daily. A few years later he met the saxophonist Theodat Turgot, which provides access to other figures of rhythms at once more complex and closer to the breath of Haiti. His repeated visits to Souvnans, Soukra, Badjo (lakou voodoo) and his time at the Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) will break his world and enlarge its ambitions. And therein lies designed the project Kod ak Poqu'il today on the baptismal font.

Monvelyno led the band Kalfou Lacroix, lent his services to many other bands. He has played alongside the biggest names in the music world including Haiti Claude Carre Widmaer Mushi, Boulo Valcourt, Turgot Theodat, Fabrice Rouzier, Jimmy Jean-Felix, Prince Guetjens, Emmelyne Michel Belony Murat Buyu Ambrose, John Caze, Marcus Schwartz, Eddie Bourjolly, to name a few.

The Monvelyno s music is really stripped during the past three years to settle truly the heart of creation. It does not submit his compositions more formulas, he leaves drift by severity of melodic lines that generate the agreements. It is with enormous pride and the ease of a medieval sculptor beating his material he size of the arrows sometimes in wood chemistry. He just needs a few alterations to turn to gold lead to flatter melodies. His game place on the ripple of the pulp liquid sounds, sometimes tight with walls stand out in a sort of perpetual rhapsody draws its essence of jazz and Haitian voodoo, without being dependent on a particular musician. This game is instead the result of a path made of influences and releases, academic achievement and transcendence. So it might be awkward to try to confine the music of this guitar in any ghetto, whose boundaries would not necessarily be able to contain their turpitude. Unroll the sound on the whole extended registers in orderly disorder where mass is not always known in advance, but within a policy that singled other creators doing the same manner, as is the aesthetic approach Monvelyno.

Kod ak Podévoile another Monvelyno a Monvelyno singer. The surprise is total from people who appreciated him as a talented guitarist, coated with a thousand promises. It was under the impression that the release of a CD Monvelyno as guitarist and arranger would have a real impact consecration. Now he has his coat as a singer, he will have to convince them to earn the respect with which he was subjected as a guitarist. I believe he did not have a choice, he could not find enough votes able to carry his word. Although inviting singers to collaborate on the project, it would have given him freedom to inject the plurality that enriches the artistic production and the distance necessary to further refine the work, the work is at least remarkable.

The first disc of solo guitar Monvelyno Alexis, Kod ak Po; Kouzen Azakamedeest now available in stores. A sale is scheduled disk signature in the auditorium of Haiti Libertel newspaper Saturday, September 11 next. It is a hard to get.

Prince Guetjens Review, NY.

Prince Guetjens / TNH



- Prince Guetjens / TNH

Clarify at the outset what we mean by the terminology Haitian music, to liquidate a stroke confusion around this kind. Haitian music here mean music composed by a Haitian, whose materials are drawn from the cultural matrix of the Haitian people, ordered and organized by an arranger mastering the techniques of jazz. Without wishing to categorize, since any kind of exercise tends to promote exclusion, our purpose will be the echo of a music produced by someone who respects the profession as to acquire modern and efficient tools for occur.

Monvelyno has long lived in the corridors of the music in Haiti. At the beginning of 1995 we had met at the Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) in a trio that accompanied the saxophonist Turgot Theodat. Later he worked in the combo of guitarist Claude Square before founding his Kalfou Lakwa own group. Then he spent in the group's pianist Tayno Guetjens Prince using his services to other groups such as Ram, etc.. ...

Monvelyno lives in New York for five years, where he studied advanced harmony, Berkeley. Operating in an area frequented by famous jazz musicians in New York, enjoying a certain aura in this environment because of his playing fluid, while there he Monvelyno inoculate the breath of Haiti in his music he offers at guigues through nightclubs in the city of New York. It presents the Haitian folk music on a plateau in modern arrangements worthy of the big names in the business.

Convinced that there is a possible outcome for a Haitian musician in the practice of pure jazz in the country that saw this extraordinary music, Monvelyno uses the technical possibilities available to it to enhance the traditional classical music Haiti. Like other musicians before him, Monvelyno revisits the main themes that have brought honor to our folklore. But in a special way he infuses his music an open harmonically, which included his arrangements in a basket worldbeat not sufficiently explored in Haitian music.

Monvelyno currently working on several projects, including Dlo it undertakes with other musicians such as: bassist Chico Boyer, who owns a music recording studio in Brooklyn. Meanwhile he provides his services to a lot of bands composed of stocks in the Haitian diaspora. Soon it will be in concert in Haiti as part of carnival festivities 2010. During this tour he will also host a seminar on the guitar for students ENARTS.

TNH (Prince Guetjens) - TNH (Prince Guetjens)

Scheduled to be released in September, 2010, Kouzen Azakamede , the introductory album from the series “Kòd ak Po” (Strings and Skins) is an original rendition of some of the most popular pieces from our traditional/vodun repertoire. Guitarist Monvelyno Alexis revisits standards with a fresh look to bring a new breath of life to the genre. With eight compositions of his own out of thirteen tracks, he introduces himself as a valuable contributor to an area where few players venture.

Voodoo music is considered by many as an experimental genre. A few musicians are attracted by this uncharted musical territory because of its challenges. Some say the material is too raw and the drums are too much. It takes a specific commitment to understand, to feel and to internalize this specific language that is almost unknown from many musicians. This first album deserves our attention because it brings a new addition to the repertoire of voodoo music. The music brings a lot of joy to our soul because it speaks straight to our hearts.

The tunes are open and the Haitian drums sound so beautiful with dazzling arrangements. The guitarist’s scat is unique (Erzulie) and he amazingly explores six of our multiple traditional rhythms with an emphasis on both Nago and Mayi cadence. Other tempos such as petwo, kongo and even ibo associated with soukous take the listener to a journey toward a voodoo music nuances (re)discovery. Even his ballads, Mwen Anvi for instance, are built on the same rhythm (Nago) with a tempo reduction. Last but not least, his solos on pieces such as Mwen Rantre, Veve Ogoun , Danbalahwèdo.. and so on… are beautiful statements of love for this culture that he cherishes through a true samba voice.

Monvelyno’s guitar takes us to the hubs of voodoo culture to extract the essentials from the drums and sacred/traditional melodies. He serves a concoction with well balanced ingredients especially the work on the various rhythms that are the core of this opus. And by doing so, he is shaping the contours of “Voodoo jazz” because he revisits our traditional repertoire and turns our popular melodies into true voodoo Jazz standards.
Ayibobo Kouzen! - Karijazz