Pianist and arranger Roland Louis spent a long time in Paris, where he was based, playing in the capital’s main cabarets. His first songs were published in 1970, with Daniel Gargar, then he formed his own group, Les Zouker’s, to modernise biguine, simplifying it, inspired by ti-bwa, and at a time when disco was king. It was akin to the zouk that finally emerged a few years later, the result of several parallel stories and a shared exploration of the musical mixes of the time. On this, his group’s second album, we sail between the beginnings of zouk, African influences, reggae and Latin rhythms, with Julien Tarquin (b), Guy Bévert (dms) and José Sébéloué (g). Jocelyne Béroard, whom the pianist spotted a few years earlier at a Paris jam, provides backing vocals. Roland Louis has worked with David Martial, Mory Kanté and many others. He returned to Guadeloupe in 1989, where he could be heard regularly in the island’s clubs, with his group Kéradance among others.
Les Zouker’s – 1981
