In the mid-1950s, the Haitian musical landscape was dominated by foreign influences, a legacy of the 1949 Port-au-Prince Bicentennial International Exposition. Drummer Mario de Volcy spoke of a "cultural invasion" marked by the omnipresence of Mexican, Cuban, and North American sounds on the airwaves and in nightclubs. In this context, Haitian artists appropriated these trends, while nurturing the ambition to create a national music capable of competing with them.
The idea was already taking root. During a stay in Saut-d'Eau, Nemours Jean-Baptiste and his accomplice Wébert Sicot agreed to found an orchestra upon their return to Port-au-Prince.
On July 25, 1955, in the midst of the Saint Anne celebrations, Nemours, Sicot, and several musicians met at Léon Volcy's house on Rue du Champ-de-Mars. The atmosphere was joyful, conducive to daring. An idea emerged: take advantage of the lively streets to offer an open-air performance in Place Sainte-Anne. The decision was made. Nemours took Sicot into his Simca to fetch his saxophone, while the others equipped themselves with their instruments. Megaphone in hand, Nemours called out from his car: "M ap tann nou tout sou Plas Sentan."
A seminal scene
During the night of July 25-26, the musicians set up in Place Sainte-Anne. Chronicler Robert Noël describes the event precisely: "If there is any connection between July 1955 and the compas direct, it was the first date on which Nemours Jean-Baptiste and his fellow musicians had given their first performance […] at Place Sainte-Anne."
Since the bandstand was too small, the orchestra positioned itself at the southern entrance to the square, in front of a building that would later become the Chez Maggy bakery. Noël continues: "The orchestra was positioned at the southern entrance to Place Sainte-Anne, outside, where the electrical outlet was connected from the pylon closest to Rue Carbone, where the fresco, chanm-chanm, and pistachio (peanut) vendors set up shop daily."
They played facing the church. "Behind them, on Rue Saint-Honoré, is still the Lycée Toussaint Louverture." The Dodo Dufresne funeral parlors were located diagonally across this space on Rue Carbone, bordered to the west by Boulevard Jean-Jacques Dessalines and to the east by Rue de l'Enterrement.
The group adopted the name Conjunto Internacional, echoing the local passion for Latin music.
The names of some of the musicians present that evening—despite the historical significance of the moment—will unfortunately not be preserved in the annals of compas direct.
The first piece performed that night is debated. Some cite a composition by Annilus Cadet, who was among the musicians. Others speak of a merengue called Mercedes. The repertoire also includes cadenzas such as Bannann pouyak, Grenn moudong, and Maskawon.
Reception and Shift
The audience's reception was mixed. In Le Nouvelliste, Roland Léonard notes: "This rhythm, mocked by musicians and music lovers in 1955, attached to traditional and commercial Haitian dance rhythms such as the ibo, the congo, the slow classical méringue, and the popular méringue in its avatars, the contredanse, and the pétro, surprisingly overcame its detractors by supplanting all the cadences that preceded it in the public's taste."
Some criticized its close proximity to the Dominican merengue. But Léonard qualifies this: "Other spectators and onlookers were rather enthusiastic about this cadence." Young audiences, in particular, favored this new style, which was more accessible and danceable.
Building on this enthusiasm, Nemours Jean-Baptiste made a decisive choice: he gradually abandoned other styles to establish, starting in 1958, the Compas Direct as the exclusive signature of his orchestra.
The quality of the musicians' performances caught the attention of promoter Jean Lumarque, who invited them to perform at his club, Les Calebasses, in Kenscoff. Following the trend of the moment, the group adopted the name of the establishment, thus launching their professional career.
That July evening in 1955, a spontaneous performance became the birth of a major musical genre.
