150 Million Gold Francs, by Obed Calvaire

150 Million Gold Francs

by Obed Calvaire

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1.	Sa Pa Fem Anyen 06:40	buy track
2.	Just Friends 05:17	buy track
3.	Haiti's Journey 04:51	buy track
4.	Sa Nou Fe Nap Peye 06:25	buy track
5.	150 Million Gold Francs 08:50	buy track
6.	Gaya Ko W 08:59	buy track
7.	Nan Pwen Miray Lanmou Pap Kraze 04:00	buy track

about

I’d like to take you on a musical journey, and share with you meditations on Haiti.

The very first sound we hear, before we inhale oxygen, is the voice of our mother. The record begins with my mother singing an old hymn that I used to hear and play in church during these 40 days/40 nights revivals. And through these revivals, I made some lifelong friends who shared the same passion I have for music. Though our paths, over years, would diverge, I wanted us to reunite for my debut record.

The result of that reunion is an evolution of the rhythms I grew up playing — and some that I learned to play later in life due to my parents’ attempt at keeping “secular” music away from my sisters and me. Most of these rhythms are usually played by multiple percussionists, but I wanted to orchestrate them on the drum set without the use of overdubs — a virtue I hold true throughout the album.

During my study of these rhythms, Haiti’s history would fascinate me. I am proud to say I come from a lineage of men and women who were the first African republic to gain its independence from its colonizer France. But they paid a steep price for freedom. 150 million gold francs (2.7 billion dollars in today’s currency) was later reduced to roughly 90 million. But Haiti’s never recovered from that deficit. Generations later, we still face repercussions of our ancestors’ righteous fight.

Internal political turmoil, corruption, and poverty, which have led to horrific crimes, combined with natural disasters to suppress the state’s resilience. The bleeding hasn’t stopped. Sullivan’s intro to “Sa Nou Fe Nap Peye” transmits our emotional response to this suppression. Still, we can rise up. “Gaya Ko W. Nan Pwen Miray Lanmou Pap Kraze!” translates to “Let’s get our s*!# together.” There’s no set of painful circumstances love can’t overcome. I hope as you’re listening to my music, you’ll experience the complexity of my journey.

credits

released April 12, 2024

Godwin Louis : Alto Sax
Harold St. Louis: Keyboards
Dener Ceide: Guitar
Sullivan Fortner:Piano and Organ
Addi Lafosse: Electric Bass
Jonathan Michel: Track 1 & 4
Obed Calvaire: Drums
Recorded at Sear Sound
Engineered by Chris Allen
Mix by Jeremy Lucas and Obed Calvaire
Produced by Obed Calvaire
Executive Producer Robert Mailer Anderson

Endorsements:
Zildjian Cymbals
Yamaha Drums
Vic Firth
Aquarian Drum Heads
Meinl Percussion
Prologix Pads
Zoom Audio Recorder
Hi-hat checkere made by Miguel Fernandez

Cover Photo and artwork by Jasmin Ortiz Gonzalez
Photo by Lawrence Sumulong
Acknowledgement and Liner Notes edited by Stephanie Jones

Countless people have played pivotal roles in the musical journey that’s led me to release 150 Million Gold Francs. But I have limited space to name them. I’ll start by thanking the ones who created an early incubator for my curiosity and imagination, the Calvaires: Gerda, Fritz,
Shelandre and Gerlynn, and those whose love and support fueled my confidence and determination: my aunts, uncles and cousins. I thank my wife Justine for empowering my career as a working artist, and my kids Dej, Caz and Davian, perennial sources of inspiration. I thank
Peter Honorat for putting the sticks in my hands when I was 3 — love you “pops.” Dony Felix for giving me my first professional gig — and the raw materials to construct a life for myself at the drums as well as away from them; Marty Ruccolo for gifting me my first drum set and the private
lessons to match — you’re one of a kind; John Clayton for infecting me with the writing bug through your guidance and your composition lessons; Chris Dave and Kendrick Scott for pushing me to start my own project — yes, I was listening; Sean Jones, Orrin Evans, Yosvany
Terry, and Dave Holland — you not only welcomed but also embraced my voice; and Harold, Addi, Godwin, Sullivan, Dener and Jonathan Michel — you shared your talents and your friendship with me. I thank every drummer who’s ever given me a lesson, every drummer whom
I’ve observed in performance and every drummer who shared their time with me off the bandstand. You — all of you — have inspired me to be the musician I am today. And you know who you are. I thank everyone who has given me the opportunity to play with them over the years, on stage, in the studio, or at someone’s impromptu apartment jam session. I’ve learned from all of you. Lastly, I thank Robert Mailer Anderson for making this release possible.

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Obed Calvaire New York, New York

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