- Kassav'
Kassav' (Haitian and
Antillean Creole for a local dish made fromcassava ) is aFrancophone zouk band which was formed in 1979. The core members of the band areJocelyne Beroard ,Jacob Desvarieux ,Jean-Philippe Marthely ,Patrick St. Eloi ,Jean-Claude Naimro ,Claude Vamur andGeorges Decimus (who left the band to create another band, Volte Face, before returning to Kassav' later) along with several other, more minor members. The total number of albums by the band and its members is approximately 30.Kassav' was formed in
1979 byPierre-Edouard Décimus , a long-time professional musician who worked withFreddy Marshall . Together, the two of them decided to takecarnival music and make it a more modern and polished style. It was the leading band to emerge from the formative years of Zouk. They gave the style a pan-Caribbean sound by taking elements fromkompa , salsa, and calypso, and became world famous. Their first album, "Love and Ka Dance " (1980 ), established the sound of zouk.Kassav' continued to grow more popular, both as a group and with several members' solo careers, finally peaking in
1985 with "Yélélé ", which featured the international hit "Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni" (meaning "Zouk is our only medicin" in French Antillean Creole) With this hit, zouk rapidly became a widespread dance craze inLatin America and theCaribbean , and was popular in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Zouk performers became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects spectacles and colorful costumes.They have made a featuring with
Admiral T , a famous singer of reggae-dancehall.
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