Toto Bissainthe - Chante Haïti

Arion - LP

France, 1977

Splendid Haïtian Voodoo songs by Toto Bissainthe. A long-time favourite I often found myself buying  at car boot sales in Paris, as it seemed it sold quite well around here. Featuring some stunning tunes like "Papaloko" or "Lamize Pa Dou". Recommended!

For some reasons, this collection of spiritual voodoo chants by Haitian singer Toto Bissainthe became some sort of best-seller in the Arion catalogue, a label founded in 1962 and specialized in classical and traditional music. Toto Bissainthe left Haiti at an early age, but largely helped spread the Haitian culture in the Western world. She started her career as a theater actress in the company Les Griots, the first African theatre company in Paris, and worked with the likes of Samuel Beckett, Ionesco or Jean-Paul Sartre, becoming a key figure in the late 1950's French underground. 

Toto Bissainthe chante Haïti is a collection of spiritual songs from Haiti's voodoo culture, drawn from the period of slavery. Recorded in Paris, it features French free jazz double-bass player Beb Guérin (known for his records with Michel Portal & François Tusques) and percussionist Mino Cinelu. The liner notes notably detail the role that colonization and tourism played in transforming the voodoo spirit: initially a celebration of African roots, a water-down version of that culture emerged in the mid-20th Century, under the influence of Western exoticization.