Dominicans fete late, and even after three nights of nonstop music there must be upwards of 4,000 people waiting to hear the last band. As Haiti's most famous kompa group - Tabou Combo - takes the stage, exhaustion is dispelled by their relaxed "C'est Tambou", an invitation to a dancing-at-dawn session which continues long after the sun has climbed into the sky. The Haitians in the press box break into spontaneous dance, some straying on-stage; couples slip into each others' arms, moving in effortless elegance, and Dominica's minister of tourism, Norris Prevost, inquires whether this is not the best party I've ever seen. Haiti's Magnum Band with St. Lucian Luther Francois on sax blasted away the wee-hours fatigue with flowing funk and konpa over vodou rhythms and soaring lyrical soukous guitar. It was nearly 7:30 a.m. when Guadeloupe's Taxi Creole ended a tight, driving set which drew on zouk, salsa, merengue, beguine, reggae, jazz and funk.
The Fugees -- Wyclef, Lauryn, and Pras -- returned to the group's Haitian motherland to present a massive concert at the Bicentenaire in Port-au-Prince on Saturday, April 12. An estimated 80,000 Fugees fans gathered to celebrate the group's "homecoming" and the music and art of Haiti in an atmosphere of good vibes and peaceful revelry. The 8-hour concert included sets by local and international musical artists -- hand-picked by Wyclef -- as well as a monumental nearly 4-hour performance by the Fugees.
