Yvon Andre
Filed under:
His full name: Yvon Andre
Artist Name: Kapi
Who is Kapi: Yvon Andre (Kapi) is one of the Original Members of Tabou Combo - www.TabouCombo.com
How he got the name "Kapi":
"I grew up with my father being a Captain in the Haitian army. Back then they used to call me "Ti kapitèn", then "Ti Kapi", then "Kapi, and the name stayed with me."
Birth Place:
Kapi was born in Petion Ville, Haiti.
Birthday:
August 13th, "Let's say between 1950 and 55"
Where Kapi went to shool in Haiti:
Yvon "Kapi" Andre went to school at "Les Freres De L'Instruction Chretienne" (primaire) and the "Lycee De Petion Ville" (secondaire).
How Kapi got into the music:
"When I became a musician I was about 15, 16. I started with a rock band composed of a few friends. we were playing rock and roll and I was the drummer...
At a very young age a always loved music.
I became a part of tabou combo when Albert Chancy, the founder of Tabou Combo saw me playing with "Les Diplomates de Petion-Ville"
The guy playing with Diplomate was not there... Se te yon kèmès nan lekol sakre kè ... so I played so... when Albert came and saw me playing with the diplomates... he thought I was already an accomplished musician...
so the folowing Monday in school, Albert Chancy invited me to come play with tabou... at that time, tabou was not even Tabou Combo... Tabou was "Los Incognitos"
The first day I started playing with "Los Incognitos", my father came to pick me up. He said he didn't want me to get into music... because... you know... back then, musicians, they had a bad reputation.
So my father came... "Nan mitan bal la" and he grabed me and said he did not want me playing music... so i stayed away from music for the remainder of the school year
Lè-m vin pase pou retorik, pandan vakans twa mwa... tabou was playing in Kenscoff on Sundays... M'al fè jounen-m Kenskoff lakay yon matant mwen... epi-m tou al nan Tabou Combo epi-m tou jwe a Tabou.
The next morning - Monday Morning... yo komanse pale ampil ankò... my older brother said... well... se vakans twa mwa... he did good in school, why not
so they allowed me to play on Sundays in Kenskoff.
By doing that too, I became more or less independent... I was making my own money at the age of 16, 17...
basicaly, I did not depend on my parents to give me anything
... [more!]
When tabou made his farewell party at Ibo Lele in August 1970... Tabou Combo kraze!
Tabou combo didn't travel as a group
After the bal d'adieu... Hermann pati, Albert Chancy pati, Jean Claude Jean pati.
Lè-m fi-n fè filozofi... I told my father I wanted to travel as well.
Tabou Combo came back together in the states... Albert Chancy was in Canada... we looked for other members... and Dadou Pasket became the new guitar player for Tabou...
When Kapi got his Big Break:
Novenber 1975, Tabou Combo got a #1 hit in France... "Lè-m di-w #1 hit la, #1 hit nan hit parade francais wi..." avec 1 million de 45-tour vendu avec "New York City" (with the song called 'New York City')...
and... we stated travelling to France. we went to the Guy Lux talk show... Guy Lux is the equivalent of Jay Leno... he had the best talk show in france avec Dalida, Jhonny Holiday...
we were travelling first class...
we had limos...
we were getting first class treatment... because we had a #1 hit in France
I should also mention that we had a #1 hit in France but back home in New York City, we were down in the bottom because by then Skah Shah came over and Skah Shah was killing us!
Skah Shah took over the business in the Haitian Market... Skah Shah used to play on a Monday and Skah Shah would have 1000 people... nou menm nou kon-n ap jwe tout on weekend epi nou paka reyini 100 moun!
because when skah shah came in 1974, Tabou Combo went down...
the irony was that we were well know super stars in France... epi kote ki baz nou a New York, We're nothing...
[... More ...]
When we came out with the "Light is Coming Your Way" album. we were back on top in the Haitian Market and we started traveling like crazy...
By then tabou combo became a houshold name in Martinique and Guadeloupe... until Zouk came over in 1980... Lè Kassav vi-n parèt avek zouk...
Lè nou vi-n jwe ak Kassav Haiti [ Ibo beach .. Djoumbala ], nou detrone Kassav... Ne remete konpa sou pie anko... konpa tap pèdi fil...
otherwise, they would take over the market, Le pire c'est que mou-n radio an Haiti yo pa-t ede tou...
instead of them promoting their own music which is konpa, they go on the air praising kasav... praising zouk... destroying our very own konpa music
that was very bad...
Biggest moments in Kapi's Career:
"There are many moments, '74 in France was the first one... I've known a lot of big moments in this business. Once for example in 1988, me and my wife... we had the chance to travel to Africa to represent Tabou Combo.
We went all the way to the Ivory Coast "La cote D'Ivoire, pour recevoir un trophe de carierre d'exellence" ... a lifetime achivement award.
Il a falue que J'aille jusques-en Afrique... Il a falue que les Africain reconaisse la valeur de Tabou Combo... padan ke prop ayisyen parèy nou pa...
[... More ...]
I travelled 20 hours to reveice this award... amongs the recepients were Bob Marley [his wife received the award in his behalf], Miriam Makeba...
Another historic moment is when Mr Alain Rotex from RFO had the idea to honor Tabou Combo in Martinique.
They chose a beautiful hotel... nicely decorates along the site of the hotel swiming pool and all the Martinique musicians without exceptions are playing the music of Tabou Combo
we all sat down and they were honoring us...
That again was a historic moment in our carreer.
When the tape reach Haiti... some people were being jealous... they could not possibly be jealous because they never had the idea to do something like that...
Ayisyen toujou an reta nan bagay yo... epi le se yon etrange ki fè-l epi y-ap voye pye... yo pa ka voye pye paske Ayisyen pa rekonèt valè Ayisyen parèy yo...
Yo toujou bay etranje-s valè sou ayisyen parèy yo.
Dans tous les domaines... pou yo bagay ayisyen-an pa gen valè... si yo te konnem... nou se yon pèp tankou tout pèp... nou gen valè tan kou tout pèp... we're human beings...
[... More! ...]
After School, I could've become anything... I chose to be a musician because [music] is the love of my life
Most Embarassing moment in Kapi's Carreer: Most Embarassing... Well... most embarassing... I would have to say... some time ago in Montreal... they invited up to perform in a West Indian Festival...
They paid us in advance... BUT... Paying us was not so important for what tey did to us..."
To be Continued...
Originaly on http://www.belfet.com
