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Interview: Gashford Guillaume

		In the Haitian community the word “Band” is usually associated with Konpa, but over the past seven years, Mozayik, an Afro-Haitian Jazz Band has been getting rave reviews. Mozayik was founded by a core of Haitian-American musicians in New York City in 2000. Their goal is to explore their Afro-Haitian roots while expressing their love for all types of jazz as well as gospel, funk, classical, and beyond. The Band blends mostly African derived rhythms with contemporary harmonic and melodious elements. Eddy Bourjolly's smooth guitar, Welmyr Jean-Pierre's lyrical piano, Gene Torres's talking bass, Markus Schwartz's zestful percussion, Gashford Guillaume's skillful and sensitive drumming provide the special blend that makes this quintet, according to many, the best Haitian Jazz Band and their albums have reflected that status.
Recently, Prodg staff member Jenny Eli had a chance to catch up with Gashford Guillaume of the Haitian Jazz Band Mozayik .

Continued...

JE: What makes your sound unique? How do you distinguish yourself from other Haitian Jazz bands like, Strings and others?

GG: What makes our sound unique is the different musical personalities we are able to bring together to create and perform our music. We have several composers in the group and we are constantly trying out different rhythms, melodies and chords to see what combinations will work the best. Seven years of practicing, performing and recording has allowed us to establish a unique sound. Regarding the group Strings, I don't consider them to be a "Haitian Jazz" group per say. Yes, they play a lot of instrumental music but to my ears, their music sounds more flamenco-oriented. Their music is made to make people dance and those that like to dance to Konpa should have no problems dancing to Strings' music. I don't hear many jazz chord progressions, or improvisation over chord changes in their music. Strings is a successful group and they sound great. However, if you look up the meaning of "jazz" you will see that many of the key elements, which define jazz, are not really at play in their music. For years people have compared us to Strings. I guess it's because we both play instrumental music. That does not mean we both play jazz. I think our style of music is going in two totally different directions.

JE: Who has influenced your style of music and why did you decide to pursue a career in music?

GG: I'm influenced by so many people... I was born into a musical family and have been around music all my life. My father is a musician and my brothers and sister are all musically inclined. My brother Jephte is a bassist and a producer. Growing up, I'd watch him practice until I fell asleep. My other brother Duke plays the sax. He had a vast and diverse music collection and I was able to listen to so many different types of music. Artists such as: The Yellow Jackets, Grover Washington, Omar Hakim, Markus Miller, Jack Dejohnette, The Winans, Commissioned, Fela, Boukman Eksperyans and countless others were a great influence on me. I attended Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn and learned more about jazz once I joined the Big Band. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time playing on open mic nights at venues throughout the city. It was a good workout for me which developed my playing, as well as giving me the chance to play music I've never played before. I got a chance to sit in with Jephte's Band at a performance at a NYC club called "Nell's". He played the bass and I went to several shows before that to see him play. I always asked him if I could play a song with him but he would tell me "no" and that I needed to be "experienced". That day, he gave me a chance to play with him and other professional musicians and I nailed the song. He was impressed and that was such a big boost for me. Music and playing drums became a big passion for me. I later worked on recording projects and played for artists such as Emeline Michel, Beethova Obas, Eric Virgal, Orlane, and various artists outside of the Haitian Community. So you see being a professional musician is something that was meant for me because it has always been a part of me.

JE: What are some of the biggest highlight for the band thus far?

GG: I'd have to say performing in Cuba at the Havana Jazz festival and the First Annual Haitian Jazz Festival are two of my most memorable performances with Mozayik. Come to think of it, our debut CD release was pretty good as well. The more I sit back and think of it, the more memorable moments come to mind (smiling)

JE: Does Mozayik have a website? Where can fans follow you, regarding future projects?

GG: Our website is www.Mozayik.com. We have a lot of info on the band there; photos, bios on each member, a gig calendar and unreleased recordings of live performances you can listen to. It's a great way to keep up to date with the band.

JE: Gashford, thank you very much for granting us this interview; stay blessed and we look forward to your upcoming performances.

GG: Anytime! Thanks for having me Jenny. It was a pleasure!