The International Festival of Haitian Music [Festival International de Musique Haïtienne] will take place July 8-12, 2009, in Montreal. For the first two days, the festival will have a special focus on Haitian “musique racine” (a musical movement also known in Haitian Creole as mizik rasin; literally, roots music) and acoustic rhythms.

Organized with the collaboration of the Consulate of Haiti in Montreal, July 8 will be an occasion to pay homage (at the restaurant Le Palace de Montréal) to jazz musician Eval Manigat, who recently passed away at the age of 69. Considered as one of the best Haitian jazz musicians, Manigat played with groups such as Vaccine, Buzz, and The Young Latins before forming his own band, Tchaka. July 9 will be reserved for acoustic music for the first time in the history of this festival. The evening’s events, gathered under the name Ayiti Deploge, will feature distinguished figures in Haitian music, such as Claude Marcelin, Oswald Durand, Jr., Toto Laraque, Jessica Valmé, Sébastien (from T-Kabzy), and Shaba (from Djakout Mizik). These artists will revisit their repertoires in acoustic style.

For full article (in French), see http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/newsprint.cfm?articleID=12075

Also see http://www.festivalmusiquehaitienne.ca/

Photo of Toto Laraque from http://www.vivomusique.com/photos.html