Dominica

Starting in the early 1970s & still going strong today after more than 38 albums, I present from Dominica, Chubby Marks & the Midnight Groovers. The band was started by Chubby & his brother Coe along with a dew close friends.

The Midnight Groovers are known for their signature Cadence rhythms mixed with their special take on traditional Dominican melodies. While countless millions have danced the night away to their music over the years, there has always been a message within the melody. Beneath the Midnight Groovers grass roots style has been the message of resistance to oppression, a message which has resonated with the lower class in Dominica even today.

Kadans is a French Creole music genre (kadans being the creole term for cadence) which started off in Haïti & developed in Dominica as well as the French islands of Martinique & Guadeloupe. In the 1970s, a wave of Haïtian immigrants brought with them the cadence derived from jazz music flavored with creole spices. They were influenced by the previous success from mini-jazz artists like Les Gentlemen, Les Leopards, & Les Vikings de Guadeloupe. Cadence compas was originally a modern Haitian méringue popularized by the talented sax player Webert Sicot in the early 60s. When Sicot left Nemours Jean Baptiste Compas Band he called his music cadence to differentiate it from compas.

The Midnight Groovers took cadence to an entirely new level, adding the indigenous sounds of Dominica along with Caribbean reggae sensibility to get everyone out of their seats & onto their feets. There’s a cadence revolution goin’ on.

 Midnight Groovers - Cadence Revolution, 3A 112 Y, 1978. 

decryption code in comments

Face A –

Probleme Chive

Jeunes Gens

Babylone

Rasta Fari

Face B –

Moving to Zion

Misik Dou

Bon Temps

Jah Children

Enjoy,

NØ