Antillean jazz (biguine, gwoka)

Movement · 1930s → · Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Paris · Hybrids and world

Biguine, born in Saint-Pierre, Martinique, in the 19th century, reaches Paris after the Colonial Exposition of 1931 with Alexandre Stellio and Sam Castandet. It is among the cousins of Creole jazz. Today, Alain Jean-Marie, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Clélya Abraham or Jowee Omicil blend jazz, biguine, gwoka and compas.

Where it comes from

• Afro-diasporic roots
• New Orleans jazz
• Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban

Artists

• Alain Jean-Marie (1945, piano)
• Jowee Omicil (1977, saxophones, clarinet, cornet)
• Jacques Schwarz-Bart (tenor and soprano saxophones, flute)
• Clélya Abraham (piano, vocals, composition)
• Mélissa Laveaux (vocals, guitar)
• Alexandre Stellio (1885–1939, clarinet)
• Mario Canonge (piano)
• Grégory Privat (1984, piano)
• Etienne Charles (trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion)

Tracks to start with

• Léwoz — Jacques Schwarz-Bart (2006)
• Let's Just BasH! — Jowee Omicil (2017)
• Péyi — Clélya Abraham (2024)
• Star Dust — Alain Jean-Marie & Diego Imbert (2025)
• Twa Fey — Mélissa Laveaux (2018)
• Karnaval blues — Mario Canonge Trio (2023)
• Ladja — Grégory Privat (2016)
• Creole — Etienne Charles (2013)

Sources

• EN : Biguine

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