The old saying is Tanbou frappe, Haitien kanpe —or “when the drum’s struck, Haitians stand!” That’s been the case for us throughout the many years that Racine percussionist Lenord Fortune, or “Azor”, used his talents in music to carve a national and international path for Haiti’s roots tradition.
The Island does not lack for talented percussionists but Azor - like his renowned predecessor, “Ti Roro”- could make the drums talk, sing, scream, shout and - sometimes, even whisper. His amazing ability with a hand drum was only matched by his astounding talent as a vocalist.
His videos were celebrations of the sounds, colors and movements of the African in Haitians. He set his scenes on Haiti’s lush mountains and its vibrant waterfalls and sung the trials and tribulations of his native land in plain-worded truths. He was a rarity among his kind – a “tambourineur” who was as comfortable in an “all vocals” acoustic setting and equally at peace with the best of Haiti’s electric music traditions.
Azor was a musician’s musician who never lost sight of the need to keep his audience at the center of a performance. He could often be found in a circle of artists that included Haiti’s best - Boulot Valcourt, Eddy Prophete, the Widmaer brothers and many more. His technical prowess was such that he completely consumed the percussive space when performing with these heavyweights. In watching this giant of a musician perform one could see that a part of his playing was meant to meet the challenge of a sophisticated arrangement and another was for the delight of his audience. The latter moment often infused with the robust spirit of his fine voice.
The world rushed to recognize this talent from the slums of Port-au-Prince’s Bel-Air neighborhood. Azor’s recordings were celebrated and honored by the American Smithsonian Institute, he received Japan’s Golden Medallion award and performed on stages all over the Caribbean and in Europe’s major arts centers.
It is with sadness that we join in mourning the passing of this great artist. On July 16, 2011, Lenord Fortune, the great “Azor”, succumbed to complications arising from years of struggle with diabetes and hypertension. He was only 46! He died in his native Haiti and was honored with a State funeral. It was just last July that we, at the Reporter, celebrated his accomplishments with a feature story, which we are pleased to re-publish this month. We are lucky to have been among those who celebrated his legacy while he was still alive.
Azor’s drum has been silenced! We are tempted to rest, to sit a while and reflect on the triumphant life of this great “Mapou”. Yet, we stand! We are always standing really, because in Haiti the echo of the drum never rests!
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In 1791, African slaves united at a locale in the North of Haiti known as “Bois Cayman”. There, a fusion of their diverse religious traditions served as the starting point of the Haitian revolution. The African who presided over the meeting– Boukman - both cemented a liberation movement and helped establish the Haitian Vodou tradition. In the span of a decade, Haiti became the first and only Island to liberate itself from several European superpowers through diplomacy and force. The African religious and political traditions that created Haitian Vodou originated from the Bantus of the Congo, Guineans from the Gold Coast, the Senegalese who were of Sudanese and Tuareg ancestry and the Aradas of Dahomey. The spiritual legacy of these diverse cultures is the treasure of Haitians whose ancestors numbered among those who threw themselves before canon balls to aid the cause of their children’s liberation.
Although all Haitians benefited from Haiti’s liberation, only a few would enjoy its fruits. The bitter reality to-day is that the descendants of those who fought hardest to free the Island have only the erudition and legacy of Vodou as a reward. It may seem a small thing but that gift includes a strong spiritual link to their African ancestors, knowledge of their traditional rhythms, dances and metaphysical philosophy, as well as a supernatural resilience necessary to survive poor, abused, unwelcome and dispossessed in a place like Haiti.
Vodou musician Leonard Fortune, who is also known by his artistic name, “Azor”, founder of the group “Racine Mapou de Azor” comes from Haiti’s dispossessed. He was born in Bel-Air Port-au-Prince, a lower class neighborhood that has been home to many talented and self taught Haitian artists. Azor was born to a family of singers and performers who based their craft on the teachings and wisdom of the Vodou religion. The family was itself a performing group. By age 12, Azor was already revered as a master Vodou percussionist.
Azor sharpened his talent by taking advantage of every opportunity to play percussion. He consistently took part in Port-au-Prince’s celebrated “walking bands” (bands a-pied) Carnival tradition where percussionists and horn players representing their respective “hoods” play and walk for hours through the city’s streets airing vibrant chants and rhythms as dancers and revelers follow. He played Conga in Konpa bands like Scorpio and SS-One. He played for Haitian folklore group Bakoulou for a time. And before starting his own group, he played as a member of Racine group, “Racine Kanga de Wawa” partnering with group founder Jacques Maurice Fortere (Wawa) to bring pure Vodou music out of its seclusion in Houmforts (Ceremonial huts) on the outskirts of Haitian towns to the masses.
Azor’s time in Racine Kanga was short but he pursued the quest to bring pure Vodou music to the world by founding his own group, Racine Mapou de Azor.
Racine Mapou is probably the first group to professionalize and popularize pure Vodou music for popular consumption. Pure Vodou music consists of what the enslaved Boukman probably heard during the African meeting at Bois Cayman: An orchestra of percussion instruments accompanied by singers airing their grievances in call and response chants. It is a style that starkly contrasts with commercial Vodou bands like Boukman Eksperyans which use electronic instruments, modern song arrangement practices and more to deliver.
Racine Mapou’s first release “Samba Move” showcased not only Azor’s fine drum technique but also his sonorous voice. The album earned him immediate acclaim in Haiti for its catchy and truthful chants. The popularity of “Samba Move” led to a first victory for Azor and his group; Haitian Racine was now allowed an official spot in Port-au-Prince’s Konpa-band dominated Carnival tradition. “Samba Move” also earned Racine Mapou international acclaim when the group received Japan’s Golden Medallion award. The band has since enjoyed the patronage of not only Japan but Mexico, America’s Smithsonian Institute, Martinique, Switzerland and France among many other places.
Racine Mapou’s music is all about the preservation of an outcast but vibrant tradition. Mapou’s releases are made for native Haitians and initiates of Vodou who are used to long running “Petro” drumming and an endless stream of African call and response chants. These “arrangements” rely on powerful voices, powerful drumming and heartfelt messages not too dissimilar from those of Haiti’s slaves: “We come from Guinee, we have no mother, we have no father, Marassa Eyo! Papa Damballah show us Dahomey again”.
In explaining his band’s name, Azor relates that, “Racine is the rhythm of our culture, while the tree Mapou represents the strongest of all roots, the sacred tree whose imposing roots accommodate the spirits.”
Azor is renowned for his work with Racine Mapou in Vodou music however; he has also recorded important works of fusion as a solo artist with Haiti’s best musicians. He has recorded collaborations with Boulot Valcourt of Caribbean Sextet fame, and respected pianist Eddy Prophete in the acclaimed live release, “Kreyol Jazz in Japan”. He has also worked with the Widmaer brothers (founders of Zekle) in numerous international showcases of Haitian music. In this capacity, Azor also serves as the ambassador of traditional Haitian Racine music; one sees the artist attempting to make a case for the compatibility of Vodou rhythms in Jazz and other forms of music. The release that best demonstrates this is “Azor et Ses Amis” a live recording of the artist in Japan accompanied by Boulot Valcourt and Joel Widmaer among others.
Azor and his band, Racine Mapou have their work cut out for them. Powerful anti-African sentiment is a lingering legacy of the success of the Haitian revolution. We can recall that before Jazz was respected by “intellectuals” it was called jungle music. Seven albums after the classic “Samba Move”, Azor and the members of Racine Mapou are poised to positively influence the regard the world will someday have for the music of Haiti’s “slaves.”
Steve Desrosiers has been contributing editor for the Boston Haitian Reporter. His columns have appeared monthly in the BHR since 2001.