Next month African Diaspora Press will release the first in a
projected six volume bibliographic series on vernacular musics
of the Caribbean and Latin American. Titled From Vodou to Zouk
this pioneering reference work includes nearly 1300 entries on
all islands of the French-speaking Caribbean, in particular
Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana, as well as
their overseas enclaves in France, the United States and Canada.
Two lengthy General Works and Regional Studies sections document
idioms ranging from liturgical musics, in particular those of
Haitian Vodou, to folk and popular styles such as bele, compas,
zouk, and ragga. These are complemented by an even lengthier
biographical and critical section which includes information on
more than 350 of the region’s leading musicians and producers.
Most of the book’s citations are in English, French, and
Spanish, with a smattering in Creole, and range in date from
1698 to 2008, with the bulk having been published between the
1930s and 2008. A wide varie