Jackson Thélémaque (English)

From Fond des Negres, Haiti, Jackson Thélémaque has been based in Paris for nearly thirty years. He plays electrified solo blues deeply inspired by Jimi Hendrix, who used the guitar, he says, like a weapon.

In this unique and highly improvisational solo performance in the Radyo Shak at the 2015 Ghetto Biennale, Thélémaque uses a looping pedal to great effect, while singing vodou-tinged songs like Gran Bwa, taken almost directly from the vodou pantheon. However, he points out in an accompanying interview (in kreyol) that he does not accept the limitations of the vodou label. Life, he says, Is a question. If you hear vodou strongly in my music, that’s great, but really I’m just here to ask questions, not to answer them. He has released three CDs of his music: Conte Urbain, Voodoo Blues, and The Source.

This version of the program has been edited for non-kreyol speakers. The original unedited broadcast, complete with interview, is HERE

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