BRATTLEBORO — Lakou Mizik, a multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians, will perform on Aug. 24 at 118 Elliot. Doors open at 7 p.m.
This is Lakou Mizik's second North American tour this year, including performances at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and the Edmonton Folk Festival. Their music is a soulful stew of deeply danceable grooves that feels “strangely familiar yet intensely new,” according to a news release - and 100 percent Haitian.
Their 2016 album, Wa Di Yo, was voted one of the top 10 world music albums of 2016 by The Boston Globe.
NPR's All Songs Considered says, “The sound of Vodou drummers, Rara horns, and an accordionist blend into a soulful and party-oriented rasin experience, an Afro-Soca Carnival vibe of the highest order.”
Lakou Mizik formed in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. The group includes elder legends and rising young talents, united in a mission to honor the healing spirit of their collective culture and communicate a message of pride, strength, and hope to their countrymen and the world.
Music is at the core of Haiti's sense of identity, and musicians have always played an important role in society, both in documenting the country's history and helping to shape its path forward.
Today, a young generation of artists is keeping this tradition alive, narrating the world they live in through music that is made in their neighborhoods, villages, and post-earthquake camps. Lakou Mizik brings together these musical generations in celebration of the cultural continuum while using Haiti's deep well of creative strength to shine a positive light on this tragically misrepresented country.
The nine members of Lakou Mizik range in age from late 60s to early 20s and come from across Haiti's musical, social, religious, and geographic spectrum.
The evening of music is co-sponsored by 118 Elliot and the Haiti Orphanage Sponsorship Trust, a grassroots nonprofit created by Brattleboro residents Mariam Diallo and Sheila Humphreys to support children living at Foyer Evangelique Orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, a home for children that was founded by a group of Haitian educators in response to the devastating 2010 earthquake.