Constatations, Contradictions – Philippe d’Huy, 1978

🇬🇵 🎸 🎷 🌊 🏆 Between folk, jazz, and above all Caribbean influences, Guadeloupean guitarist and singer Philippe d’Huy burst onto the scene in 1978 with his debut album, Constatations, Contradictions, closely following his first single. At just 21, he already delivered a remarkably sophisticated sound, blending his diverse influences. With biguine, jazz, and compas at its core, the music flows elegantly, aided by the talent of collaborators like Jean-Louis Bucchi and Joe Hammer. Raymond, his younger brother, was already on bass. The album’s liner notes were penned by none other than Maurice Cullaz, and it went on to win the International Young Song Award. The lyrics are sharp, denouncing societal ills, politics (La Vie Animale, Sa Trop), and extremism (Bel Bel Bel), all backed by soaring choruses and Pierre Blanchard’s often electric violin. Towards the end of side B, after Pou Ki Rézon—a jazz-infused biguine hinting at what was to come—Philippe d’Huy takes his companions on a pure jazz-fusion journey with the generous six minutes of Song For J.A.. An album that was already a cult classic during Philippe’s lifetime, and remains so, a decade after his untimely passing… So long, dear Philippe.