Compas Direct’s Spread Was Slow and Steady, Like a Drip

When Nemours Jean-Baptiste formed the musical group that would give birth to compas direct on the night of July 25 to 26, 1955, the rhythm was not yet fully defined. That would take years.

At the same time, in 1955, Nemours Jean-Baptiste’s small band was not the most prominent in Port-au-Prince—far from it. The city was ruled by Jazz des Jeunes, founded in 1942. And there were other bands in the capital as well as in the provinces, where every major town had its own orchestra.

While Jazz