Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 6, 1993 TAG: 9308060061
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
So, Sunday night's performance by New York's Rara Machine at Lime Kiln in Lexington may be one of the summer's can't-miss events.
Perhaps the most danceable, too.
Rara is the traditional folk music of Haiti. A Creole term, its literal meaning is dance, and it dates back to the African rhythms of Haitian slaves. It was most often played at festivals, carnivals and other Haitian celebrations.
Rara Machine updates roots rara with a modern spin for one of the most electrifying sounds on the world-beat scene today.
The brainchild of Haitian-born Clifford Sylvain, Rara Machine is a blend of traditional rara rhythm instruments - primarily congas and "vaccines," or long bamboo poles - with electronic keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and horns. The mix makes for an infectious groove, with the percussion, of course, leading the way.
A typical Rara Machine workout will run 10 or 20 minutes.
Lyrically, songwriter Sylvain covers themes of political struggle, voodoo culture and economic repression.
The title song, "Kase Chenn" ("Break The Chain"), off the group's current album, sends a message to the peasant farmers of Haiti who have migrated to the poverty of the cities. In the song, Sylvain urges them to return to the country to grow food again.
Another song, "Woule" ("Turning Around"), deals with freedom and its betrayers.
But Sylvain also covers nonpolitical subjects on songs like "Man Man Pimba" ("Hot Spicy Woman"), "Lina" ("A Beautiful Woman"), and "Banwmenlanmou" ("Give Me Love").
The call-and-response vocals are delivered almost entirely in the native Haitian language of Creole. But English-speaking audiences won't be entirely lost because, again, in rara all takes a back seat to the rhythm and groove.
The group has not gone unnoticed, either. Rolling Stone magazine, The New York Times, People, Billboard, Spin and Newsday all have written about Rara Machine.
Sylvain was born in 1963 in Port-au-Prince to a middle-class family. His father was a politically active head of a builders' union.
At age 12, Sylvain built his own set of congas and started teaching himself how to play.
In high school, he played in a series of bands before settling into a popular Haitian band, Zen Mambo, that played Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall.
He studied music and business in Paris and spent time researching African music in Nigeria and South Africa.
In 1986, he moved to New York City and landed a brief stint with a popular New York Haitian band, Ska Shah. But Ska Shah stuck primarily to Haitian compas music, an old style of Haitian pop music.
Looking to tap into these mostly undiscovered rara rhythms, he formed Rara Machine in 1989 with two of his brothers. The band totals 10 members now and is based in Brooklyn.
It has released two albums, "Clifford Sylvain and the Rara Machine" and "Break the Chain."
Rara Machine in concert Sunday, 8 p.m., Lime Kiln, Lexington. $12. 463-7088.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB