Singer/Guitarist/Percussionist/Broadcast Presenter
On the eve of spring 2023, the season of eternal love, came the news of the death of one of the pioneers of the ‘Mini Jazz’ movement in Haiti. He passed away on March 19 in a Florida hospital. It should be noted that his entire youth is marked by series of sounds that please the ear to stimulate our beaten souls and sterilize them from the viruses of everyday life. He collaborated with the groups Calliente by Jacques Bernadin, the original Latino, the Vampires, the Gilbreteurs by Serge Simpson, Pépé Bayard, Wilner Souffrant and Boulo Valcourt etc. However, in the early sixties, he became a rising star after he seduced the audience of the Hotel Ibo Lélé with the group IBO COMBO by performing some compositions by Herby Widmaier (Creole Musette and Fleur D’amour). Having had musicians of values, like Alix Pascal, Fito Joassin, Ferdinand Dor, Lionel Volel, Jacky Duroseau, who surrounded him, he is superb in his renditions of Bebe Mini Jupe, Ti Razeur etc where are imbued a zest of the actor, singer, guitarist Henri Salvador. The flagrant proof, lies in the disc titled IBO COMBO which bears the labels TAMTAM (ST) reference 102 published in 1965.
In an interview on You tube of Télé Kajou US directed by Doctor Eddy Altine, José Tavernier indicates that his primary schooling began with the brothers of Saint Louis de Gonzague and stopped temporarily in the eighth grade to continue it at the Lycée Francais de Cuba; he remained there in high school until the fourth year of secondary school. Consequently, he returned to Haiti and completed the secondary school cycle from the fourth grade to the first part of the baccalaureate; he chose to study philosophy at the Lycée Alexandre Pètion. After the baccalaureate, not having had a sponsor to facilitate his admission to the Faculty of Medicine, he enrolled in the Faculty of Law and Ethnology in 1959. He had to leave the latter, but he obtained a law degree. He then became one of the musicians with a law degree from our country who never put into practice the notions of jurisprudence acquired from this university. He was hired by the Valerio Canez house and then became manager of the restaurant ‘Le Carillon’ where he met heavyweights like Luc Albert Foucard, his sister Francesca Saint Victor and other dignitaries who in his darkest hours vouched for his conduct.
José never said goodbye to the stage, he continues to pursue his quest for beautiful melodies. He still feels the need to share his cultural values, experiences, practices and the information needed to improve the effectiveness of his community. He participated in the musical movement Haiti Troubadours, Miami Heat, PNP etc. In addition, his voice resonates on several records of IBO Combo second generation. Over the years, José became ‘ Presenter of radio shows.
Montaigne states in one of his essays that man is an undulating and diverse being, he changes attitudes from season to season and the poet, philosopher, theorist, Edouard Glissant, adds ‘Man is wandering, he is no frontier that one does not cross’. As a result, helped by his son Franck who presents a news bulletin in English at each show, by Rudy Ambroise who does appropriate cultural research, José shared for years on 1700 AM in the Meli Melo shows his most intimate experiences, his research on universal music, his perception of things and the status quo with his audience. He breathed his last on Sunday March 19 after a fairly long illness. He joined his wife of 39 years, Maryse Séraphin, who had preceded him in November 2005. This couple had three boys: They are Georges, Philippe and Franck.
A bit of a speaker, a bit of an actor, a singer, a percussionist, a radio personality, José Tavernier is all of that. In collusion with his musician brothers from IBO Combo, José Tavernier gave the music of Achilles Paris its second wind. Every time we listen to him sing Ti Paris, he resurrects this troubadour often forgotten by the general public. Thank you José for your rendition of ‘Engendre’, a composition by Evelyne and Boulo Valcourt. When I listen to it, it’s a slice of Haitian life that unfolds before me. Farewell José, it’s just a goodbye.
My sympathies to the grieving families, fans and friends.
References
Interview with Dr. Eddy Altine on YouTube Télé Kajou US with José Tavernier.
Haiti Sun of September 13, 1953.
Tributes to Haitian musicians from 1960 in Haiti (Video tape)
Observations by José Tavernier over the years
Consultants Max Blain/Linda Smith.
Archives/ Music Dominique Janvier.
Adrien B. Berthaud.Ph.D/Psy/Professor Emeritus of the City of New York.
Waldorf, Maryland.
March 2023
