« Live » Centre des Arts – Kimbòl, 1992

🇬🇵 🥁 🎶 👨 🌟 In Guadeloupe, in the mid-1980s and alongside the creation of Gwakasonné, Georges Troupé established Latilyé Vélo in his home in Sainte-Anne to teach and pass on the tradition of gwoka to new generations. In 1988, he founded the Kimbòl association and formed the orchestra of the same name with students from the school. By 1991, Kimbòl performed at the Centre des Arts in Pointe-à-Pitre, and the recorded performance became the material for this first “Live” album, now a reference in the genre. The Troupé family is widely represented, including the young Sonny, then just 13 years old, who contributed two compositions to the orchestra, one of which is a tribute to Vélo that opens the album. The repertoire explores various gwoka rhythms, aligning with modern gwoka while radiating infectious joy and conviction. On side B, one of Georges Troupé’s standards, Lyen Etewnel, lasts twelve minutes. Under Georges’s direction, future pillars of Kimbòl such as Marylène, Sonny’s sister, his cousin Fabrice, Fabienne Condo, and Laurence Jules Gaston are featured. Olivier Mathurin, already a mentor figure, is also part of the adventure. Since its founding, Kimbòl has nurtured major artists in the broader jazz scene, including Sonny and notably Arnaud Dolmen.