“Desandann” - the Choir’s Cuban name - literally means “descendents,” and with the songs on their new album Tande-La (which translates to “listen”), they tell the stories of their Haitian ancestors who were brought to Cuba to toil in near slave conditions on the sugar and coffee plantations. The Choir - six women and four men, aged 27 to 61 - hail from Camagüey, Cuba’s third largest city. All have studied music to university level in Camagüey and all are members of the Provincial Choir, directed by their leader Emilia Chavez. Desandann emerged out of this choir in 1994, a difficult time for Cubans when the economy collapsed following the end of the USSR and of Soviet support for the Cuban revolution.The singers decided to re-forge the resistance songs and laments of their forebears, to celebrate the history of their Haitian ancestors enslaved to the Caribbean from West Africa. To the songs that had been passed down in their families since the early 19th century, they added more modern Haitian sounds. In addition to Spanish and French, the Choir mainly sing in Creole, Cuba’s second language which is spoken by close to a million people. This pragmatic fusion of African, French and other tongues is the language of a people twice exiled: first to Haiti from Africa through the iniquitous slave trade, and then from Haiti to Cuba -- tricked into a second slavery by their French masters after the Haitian Revolution of 1790. Other Haitians arrived in Cuba over the 20th century, fleeing political upheaval, poverty and oppression - especially during the barbaric regime of Papa Doc Duvalier from the 1950s to the 1970s, which was marked by reigns of terror and the brutality of his private militia, the Tonton Macoutes.
With melodies driven by richly textured harmonies, shifting Caribbean rhythms with a very original root bass sound, their first U.S. release "Tande-La" showcases the impassioned singing of a unique group celebrating roots, resistance and the irresistible rhythms of life. The album Tande-la on Real World Records is available now. Their first ever national tour of the United States started on September 21 and will run through November 4, 2011, comprising 23 dates.
The Creole Choir of Cuba 2011 US Tour:
10/1/11 Boston, MA
10/2/11 New York, NY
10/6/11 Hanover, NH
10/9/11 Union NJ
10/12/11 Amherst, MA
10/14/11 Portland. ME
10/15/11 New Bedford, MA
10/16/11 Philadelphia, PA
10/19/11 North Bethesda, MD
10/20/11 Hampton, VA
10/22/11 Santa Cruz, CA
10/25/11 Chico, CA
10/27/11 Arcata, CA
10/29/11 Scottsdale, AZ
11/1/11 San Diego, CA
11/2/11 Santa Barbara, CA
11/3/11 San Francisco, CA
11/5/11 Riverside, CA
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