Excellent, energetic, exciting are some of the words used to describe Tabou Combo’s rhythm guitar player, Jean-Claude Jean. An original member of the band, Jean-Claude Jean has been mesmerizing fans around the world for years with his style. He brings an impressive blend of talent and skills that has driven the band’s striking sound for the last 40 years. Jean-Claude has created a style that is unique to him, and one that has become Tabou Combo’s rhythm signature by combining different styles of Blues, Latin, Soukous, and Funk. Jean-Claude is undoubtedly one of the most admired guitar players to have graced the world of Haitian Music.
Another artefact among the followers of the ropes who sprouted on the hills of PV during the 1960s. It is at the height of so many prospecting and variations that Jean Claude Jean has distinguished himself; in the clamor of a lineage of solo guitarists. While devoting himself to being the guitarist of the chords and the measure, the accompanist. The one who brings the necessary support to the soloist so that he can sail to his creativity. While he Kòk, works in the shade, providing the rhythmic texture of balance and complementarity. Faculties that will propel him into the limelight. To say that the requests will not be long.
In addition, there are the local friends, including his pals Albert and Herman who are scrambling for a more convincing recruitment. At this stage, Jean Claude is involved in “Incognitos”, after the passage of: Michelot Benjamin, Gregory Roc, Rico Mazarin, Victor Desgrottes, Paul Gonel etc. he is Albert Chancy’s new chaperone who doesn’t mess with the ropes. Although a novice in the arena of guitarists whose inspirers are: Tit, Michel Corvington, Michel Laraque, Fito Joassaint and others. So did the instigators of the local ye-ye movement . But, when these ‘strangers’ felt ready and ready. They renamed themselves “Tabou Combo”. At this crossroads, we are in the midst of the start of the mini generation .
It is therefore from there that Jean Claude began to display his punctuated chords within an emerging “Taboo Combo” into which he infused his flair and his touch through twelve pieces of various trends, in a firm response to Albert Chancy; even proving his capacity as a composer in the first album : “Haiti”. However the reign of the group was ephemeral because of the atmosphere of “ save who can ” that settled. Persuading parents to put their offspring of age to become adults safe from uncle-macoutes. So, after Albert for Canada, it was Guerrier, Kòk and Herman who came to settle in NY at the end of the sixties.From there, flanked by a young virtuoso named Dadou; they try to rekindle the flames under another name, while waiting for Kapi, Fanfan, Shoubou, then Dòf.
JEAN CLAUDE BEGAN TO DISPLAY HIS PUNCTUATED CHORDS WITHIN AN EMERGING “TABOO COMBO” IN WHICH HE INFUSED HIS FLAIR AND HIS TOUCH.
And in 1972, more than two years after their dissolution in the country; for what looked more like a hiatus. Kok was still in cahoots with Dadou Pasquet in the group’s first record outside: ‘ ‘ Tabou Combo à la Canne à Sucre ” ; shaping eurythmic nests for a soloist who knows how to uplift the tone. A preponderance that he will maintain through the successive works of the group: Respect, 8th sacrament. But abandons the whole in the album The masters , as a claim. It was said, because he was not accredited with his compositions. Leaving it to the versatile Doudou Ciné to take over. Just the time for an album. Because it is just coming back to the next step to support Elysée Pyronneau in:“Indestructible…” , while Dadou took off.
Then, the record: “The Year X” which marked the first decade of the group’s existence. Followed by: The music machine, Bolewo jouk li jou, Bese ba, Pataje and Kitem fè zafèm. Which he relapsed just after; by abandoning the group to give his allegiance to his sidekick Tidòf who had just been expelled from the “Taboo”. And subsequently, Kòk spent more than two years chomping at the bit within a diminutive “Super Stars” compared to the mega stars of “Tabou” who had meanwhile maintained the course with the productions : “Aux Antilles” and ” Zap-Zap ” who saw Gary Résil on the bars who embellished the strings agreed for an authentic konpa . Then “ koukou le revwalou…”,Jean Claude returned to the album: ” Rasanble ”, while Shoubou urged Elysée to ”… Kite ‘l…’ ‘ .
A reunion without hiring for Kòk who is galloping in the productions which follow one another : Reference, 360 degree, Without limits, and Taboulogy ; forming at this stage part of the four originals with Kapi, Fanfan and Shoubou, still in the saddle. Until the ultimate: “Konpa to the world” , a little for the gallery, without warning. In any case, so many works that Kòk has stamped with his dense imprint which has crisscrossed a career of more than fifty years with the “Taboo” (without forgetting three years of fleeting fleets), and still at the post. To establish itself as the ideal partner of “Albert Chancy, Dadou Pasquet, Elysée Pyronneau, Ralph Condé, Gary Josama, Dener Ceide and others. In its play of harmonic settling and regularity of the pulses.
