Spectacles on Martinique : Art & Culture

Art & Culture on Martinique : Spectacles

Christiane Eda-Pierre

(Fort-de-France 1932) : Martiniquean lyric artist, most famous for her title-role of Lucia di Lammermoor in 1968.

Eddy Louiss

(Parsi 1941) : Jazz pianist

Philippe Lavil

(Fort-de-France 1947) :Martiniquean “beke” singer, also well-known on the mainland for his songs: Il tape sur des bambous and Elle prefere l’amour en mer.

Hector Charpentier

(Fort-de-France 1950) : Teacher, painter and sculptor.

Ralph Thamar

(Fort-de-France 1952) : Singer: Malavoi, Akoustik Zouk.

André Saint-Prix, dit “Dédé”

(Le François 1953) : Musician, percussionist.

Kali

(Fort-de-France 1956) : Though his real name is Jean-Marc Monnerville, he is known simply as Kali, with his smile as sweet as his voice. Guitarist, author-composer from Martinique, a finalist of the Eurovision Festival (1995).

Pascal Légitimus

(1959) : Born on the 13 March, 1959 in Paris, he is a comedian and actor, member of the group “Les Inconnus”, who produced their first film in 1995 (Les Trois Freres).

Maurice Jallier

Of Martiniquean origin, he is unsighted and is well-known for being the creator of the Antillean carnival in Paris. He now resides in Paris.

Elie Pennont

Comedian, storyteller and theatre director.

Pancho Vilain

One of the West Indies’ most popular cartoonists, he came to live in Martinique as Bruno Villain (yes, it’s his real name!), and acquired fame by a cartoon chronicle in the local TV magazine and the local newspaper France-Antilles. He is an expert of the Antillean character – its gossiping, flirting, loudmouthed, jeering nature – and exaggerates it to its highest degree. Though Metropolitan by birth, he has almost entirely been adopted by Antilleans, especially that he writes in Creole. Some reference albums are: Pa ni pwoblem (no problem), la Tribu caraibe (the Caribbean tribe), Laisse-moi te dire (Let me tell you) and the last one, Fais ca pour moi (Do it for me).

Kassav

Band created by two Guadeloupeans, Pierre-Edouard Decimus and Jacob Devarieux, the founding fathers of the “zouk” phenomenon, and springboard for Jocelyne Beroard, Jean-Philippe Marthely and Patrick Saint-Eloi.

Malavoi

Martiniquean band, whose reputation has travelled far from the island. Its founding fathers were Paulo Rosine (deceased), Ralph Thamar (solo career since 1988), Dede Saint-Prix (solo career), Pipo Gertrude, Jean-Pierre Soisme.