BEETHOVA’S BIO Rich chords from a nylon-stringed guitar, cushioned by pulsating polyrhythmic delivered with tropical sophistication. Fluid murmurs of melody sung in Creole and French by an expressive voice suggest sweetness, peace and sensual delight but beware. This soothing romantic sound can give way to acidic irony; sharp claws muffed anger, and potent observation. Describing the most beautiful contrasts, Beethova OBAS, while singing the confusion of his beloved Haiti, and raising his voice against the pollution of the planet, celebrates also the love and joy that his people and the others of this world manifest even in the hardest of circumstances.
Over the last decade, Beethova OBAS has built an international reputation as one of the most important and compelling young musician from the Caribbean. This modern troubadour is a core of a new generation of musicians who have combined the traditional Haitian music such as Compas, Rara, Voodoo music with conscious lyrics and a whole range of musical influences. In Beethova’s case, he often fuses Haitian rhythms with tempos and harmonies reminiscent of Jazz chords. By the sweetness, the quality of his melodies, his caressing voice, his rhythmic ballads, Beethova charms all the audience.
His father was one of Haiti’s most renowned visual artists, the painter Charles OBAS who named his son after the classical composer. Unfortunately Charles OBAS did not have the opportunity to see his son fulfill the promise of his name. Running afoul of the feared “tontons macouts”, the political thugs of the Duvalier regime that rules Haiti for decades, Charles OBAS “disappeared” in 1969 when Beethova was just 5 years old.
Beethova released “Babylon” (nwèl anmè) (sour Christmas) an ironic lyrical contrast between the reality on the streets and the “Christmas spirit” in 1988, his composition of lage’l (let it go) won the music contest “konkou mizik” sponsored by American Airlines. A second accolade came this year when Beethova earned the coveted title “Best young singer” at “Découvertes 88” contest sponsored by RFI(Radio France Internationale). In 1989 he placed 2nd at the international world troubadours Festival in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. By now his place was secure as one of the rising stars on the Haitian music scene.
His first album Le chant de Liberté (the song of freedom) was released in 1990 and rose to the top Haitian radio play lists while Beethova was finishing his University degree in Puerto Rico. In 1991, the famous band Malavoi (from nearby French Antilles island of Martinique) toured Haiti. Impressed with Beethova’s talent, Malavoi invited him to be a part of Matebis, the band’s 20th anniversary album and world tour. Beethova now stepped onto the international stage as he performed night after night with Malavoi and an all-star cast of other French Caribbean guest artists, including Ralph Thamar, Joceline Berouard, Viktor Lazlo, Kali, Tanya St. Val and Edith Lefel.
In 1994 Beethova released his second album Si…(If…) a massive hit both in the Caribbean and Europe, the new CD rode the top of the RFI charts for 6 months and made him well known in France where he played numerous gigs and Festivals such as “Printemps de Bourges” and “Francofolies” The third album “Pa prese”(don’t hurry) sustained his growing reputation as an engaging and insightful lyricist, a master of the richly metaphorical Haitian Creole language. The soothing yet melancholy riches of “Pa Prese” yielded such hits as “Ala Remò”(what remorse). “Couleur Café”(coffee Color) or Lina, which was select for Putumayo Music’s very successful Caribe! Caribe! Compilation CD. Throughout the 1990’s,the success of his recordings and increased touring established Beethova’s fame in Canada, France, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, in all the French territories, to the point that Beethova will share the scene of Cesaria Evora.
Beethova’s fourth CD was released in the summer 1999. The burning hits “Nèg kongo”(Congo man) and the little track “Planèt la”(the Globe) caught fire in Haiti, the overseas Haitian communities and the Caribbean. Just before his world tour, Beethova OBAS, armed with more vibrating compositions and more than ever romantics, is finally ready to conquer the rest of the world. After his concert in Lincoln Center Festival of year 2000, the New York Times will write that he is “The most out-of-the-ordinary act” on the bill. At the 18th Jazz Festival of Banlieues Bleues of the fall 2001, the public of Paris and St Denis city gave him an ovation for the songs of his CD Planèt la listed in the selective discography of the festival.
If the songs of Cesaria Evora can touch again the hearts of the American people without understanding the words, who else better than Beethova can, in the same wave, prolong such mission to describe with the simplicity the complexity of life where self-esteem is mingled with anger, pleasure with poverty, sweetness with irony, joy with confusion, violence with romanticism…a sweet and sour magic: the one of life.
