BIOGRAPHY
Thurgot Théodat was born in Port-of-Prince in 1959. At the age fourteen, he left haiti for france. There he developed a strong passion for jazz music. He was fascinated by jazz musicians from Black America, especially the free jazz players, the incredible power of their music, the freedom they expressed in their inprovisation and the determination in their political engagement. He could hear this music in Paris where he was living and New York where he spent his summer vacations :“From my bed I could hear the music in New York. Summer 78 I lived on Bleeker Street, right across the street to the “Village Gate” famous jazz club. Then in 1981 I had moved to the rue Dunois in Paris and once again with a famous jazz club right across the street “Dunois”. In that club I could see live all the great jazz musicians who came to paris.” At one Paris University he met Francis Bebey Jr who convinced him to buy a saxophone. At age 23 as a self-taught he learned the basics in music, with influence of people like Braxton, Shepp, Mc Phee, etc. After two years of practice he started playing free jazz with 3 musicians he had met previously in school in Paris.
Thurgot Théodat
Then in 1986 he mooved back to Haiti hosting radio and TV shows about jazz. At that time Haiti was in a cultural and political turmoil. The political change preceding the fall of the Duvalier regime was accompanied by a new musical trend called “rasin” (roots music) putting the emphasis on enhancing vodoo culture. The “rasin” bands use traditional rhythm mixing them with modern sounds like rock, reggae, pop or jazz. Thurgot joined the band “Foula” and brought a strong jazz dimension with improvisation and the energy of the vodoo drums enlightened by the bass and the guitar. One of the first bands in Haiti to mix jazz & vodoo music, “Foula” had a strong impact on people, it was the expression of the wind of freedom and change that characterised haiti at that time. After band members decided to settle in the U.S., the group split up. Their last concert in Haiti took place in 1992. Thurgot scored musics for documentaries in Haiti. He launched a jazz program at the University of the Arts in Port-of-Prince, at the same time touring the country doing clinics about jazz music. In 2002, he put together his own band: « Thurgot Théodat band ». In 2003 he moved to South of France keeping contact with Haiti travelling back and forth playing all around the country under help of the French Institute in Haiti.
In 2006 recording of a CD named “Badji” with participation of a French guitar player Claude Py and an Senegalese drummer Sega Seck . This CD is the result of 15 years of research in jazz and haitian roots music.He is inspired by works of late Gerald Merceron in the 70s, an avant–guard association of jazz and haitian tradition al rhythms. Thurgot continues on his experimental path and brings together the jazz and voodoo spirits in the intimacy of the badji (room where the voodoo priest keeps his sacred items). He released a real CD of voodoo jazz with serious voodoo drumming playing rhythms like petwo, kongo, nago with influences of be bop, funk, bossa nova, rock. Badji is definately a work away from the usual music market in Haiti without concession, associating jazz and voodoo culture which are closely related by their history and meanings. In january 2007 Thurgot Theodat has been nominated director of '' Ecole Nationale des Arts'' Haiti's art school, while continuing his musical carreer with the" Badji project", participating in the Port of Prince Jazz Festival or the Music Festival of Jacmel in Haiti and in the Point-à-Pitre Jazz Festival (Guadeloupe, FWI) outside of Haiti.
