Les Ambassadeur - Haiti Music Video

The Mini-Jazz movement, which originated in the Port-au-Prince neighborhoods of Haiti, like Petionville, was a natural outgrowth of Haiti's pop dance music, Konpa. Or Compas, Compa, Kompa, depending on which spelling you prefer. The Mini-Jazz movement took off during the mid- to late sixties. Neighborhood Mini-Jazz bands sprouted like mushrooms, and a nexus of them both collaborated and competed with one another. Among the up-and-coming Mini-Jazz groups was Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour. Translated it means The Fantastics of Carrefour.

Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour produced a classic style of Mini-Jazz-influenced Konpa music. But they distinguished themselves through their unique style of drumming. Drummers of bands like Les Ambassadeurs or Les Shleu Shleu developed their own kind of patterning, and Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour's drummer was no exception. The manner in which Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour's drummer laid down the beat grounded the musicians, making them a musically tighter unit. In turn, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour's tight playing allowed the sax player to weave sinewy melodic lines without losing the beat.

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Les Ambassadeur is a musical band which was founded in 1971. It used to play hitting songs of the time with their origin from Cuba, France and Senegal. During early 1970s, there were two competing bands, les ambassadeurs and Rail Band. The two played hitting songs in the country. It is remembered that in 1970s, both bands performed in a concert which featured the theme of "literacy" that left the audience into utter excitement. This concert is still remembered in the history of Malian music. In 1972, Les Ambassadeurs got its topmost hits as a result of a new recruit, Salif Keita from Mali. Keita was a popular singer at that time used to play as a solo star.

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Les Ambassadeurs (LA) have been among a group of pioneer bands that began the Mini- Jazz music style in Haiti. Mini-Jazz evolved between 1964-1969, basing itself on the simple stylings of rock and roll bands from 1960-1964, before Britain's Beatles revolutionized the genré.

The new-style Kompa bands comprised an electric-lead and -rhythm guitars, electric bass, and polyrhythmic percussion instruments, defining Mini-Jazz. Frequently, the inclusion of a saxophone held down the melodic line. The Mini-Jazz movement took root in Port-au-Prince and its surrounding neighborhoods, led by innovative musician Shleu Shleu. The most noteworthy neighborhood bands, which grew to prominence along with LA, included Les Loups Noirs, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour, Tabou Combo, Fréres Dé Jean, Les Difficiles, and Bossa Combo. They led the Mini-Jazz movement and other Caribbean countries soon followed suit.

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