Jephté Guillaume is a Haitian-born DJ, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Brooklyn whose signature Haitian folk song-infused house music was signed and promoted by the New York-based Spiritual Life Music brand. His Tèt Kale sound combines acoustic grooves with electronica.

Career

From 1994 to present, Guillaume has released two albums and about two dozen singles. Joe Claussell's Spiritual Life label released Guillaume's debut album ''Voyage of Dreams'' in 1999 in the US but the album had already been released in France and Japan since 1998. The release was noted by ''Billboard'' magazine. Critics such as the ''Washington Post'' noted the boldness of a double disc debut album sung entirely in Haitian Creole, mixing house and rich orchestra instrumentation. In the summer of 1999, Guillaume and his Tèt Kale orchestra appeared in a Body & Soul house party and performance co-sponsored by the

HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...

entertainment retailer at Central Park Summerstage. The event had been put together by resident Body & Soul DJ's Claussell,

François Kevorkian François Kevorkian (; born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French DJ, producer, remixer and label owner of Armenian descent and based in the United States of America, who started his career DJing in clubs such ...

and Danny Krivit. Its goal was to showcase the budding multicultural New York house scene, integrating DJ/club culture with world music from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. 12,000 people attended and Guillaume's picture singing onstage wearing loose all-white clothing reminiscent of a vodou priest and a Haitian peasant hat, arms open wide, guitar hanging across his body, appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine's piece on the event. An announcement for the event had appeared in ''The New York Times'' Pop and Jazz guide, calling it a "brave experiment". Guillaume's music inspired Claussell's own album and Guillaume was part of a team associated with Claussell who worked together on many productions. In October 1999, Guillaume opened at Irving Plaza for a

Zap Mama Zap Mama is a Belgian singer-songwriter, performer, composer, lyricist, activist, video artist and ethno-vocal therapist born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raised in Belgium. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music ...

concert reviewed by ''The New York Times''. The performance exhibited

Haitian Vodou Haitian Vodou () is an African diasporic religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West Africa, West and ...

dance, drumming and chanting and showcased songs from his album ''Voyage of Dreams''. ''The Times'' noted the African, Haitian traditional rhythms, Afro beats and house influences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillaume, Jephte House musicians 21st-century Haitian male singers Haitian DJs Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Electronic dance music DJs