Having entered Port-au-Prince, Marc Lamarre studied in several local higher education establishments, before going to Paris to train in electricity. There, he did not let go of the music, especially next to his partner, Raoul Guillaume.
At the age of 20, Maestro Lamarre founded the group “Jazz Sénat” with his brother, also a trumpeter, Marcel Fleury, alongside pianist Guy Durosiers. In the United States, where the musician was for a year for training in physical education, he set up the musical group “Haiti Combo” which would later become “Volo Volo”. Back home, Marc Lamarre also took part in the creation in his hometown of the “Diable du Rhythm de Saint-Marc”.
The teacher, the athlete and the public official
Marc Lamarre taught at the primary level in schools in Cité Nissage Saget. He was also a physical education instructor in establishments and trained the Saint-Marc league football team. In this city, Marc Lamarre, an electrician by training, was engaged in the first electrification works.
As Deputy Commissioner for Youth and Sports within the MJSAC, Marc Lamarre initiated the May 18 parades, the national school championship with the country’s high schools in several sports, athletic competitions in schools, prides himself his son Rénold Lamarre. Maestro Lamarre wanted to integrate music into Haitian schools. He succeeded in doing so in certain private and congregational schools. On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, he formed a group of musical educators.
In October 2020, Maestro Lamarre signed the first issue of “Haiti en musique”, a series of books on the music of Haiti, titled “160 popular scores”. A book that traces the evolution of popular Haitian music, lists 160 melody scores of this music and presents authors, composers, performers and popular orchestras.
In addition, Marc Lamarre had time to finalize before his death, the second number of this series of works. “We give time to the first work to continue to make its way before thinking of a posthumous publication of the second”, confided Mr. Rénold Lamarre.
What Marc Lamarre did not have the time to achieve, however, was the digitization of a set of popular Haitian rhythms. “It’s a dream he cherished so much”, recalls his son, who welcomes the departure of the “last musician of the 60s”.
