Music from Haiti

The first time I heard Haitian music was at an ordination in Tijuana, Mexico. A new priest was from Haiti, and some family and friends were there. They sang a couple of Haitian religious songs for him, and they were incredible. I heard music from Haiti one other time and was similarly bowled over. It's hard to describe, other than it's in French and combines the best of Africa and the Carribbean. I suppose there is more to it than that. The last edition of RNW's Canta America had some Haitian music. This was the third time I've heard music from there. Again, it was great.

RNW Canta America

This program's title in English is "America Sings," a funny reference for those of us who remember the Disneyland ride of the same name.

It took several weeks of listening to the news on Radio Nederland's podcasts before it dawned on me that I could find this show. I had to see it in print to realize that the title is in Spanish.

Anyway, when the show focuses on Latin American music, it's fantastic. Some times it wanders off, because Eurasians tend to think of the Americas as one continent. A Motown program was great, while one on early 70s country rock (Renamed "Chicken Rock" in the 80s) was as dreadful as you might imagine.