Wabap

Wabap
Wabap
Stylistic origins	Bebop; Afro-Cuban jazz; traditional biguine;
Cultural origins	Guadeloupe, French Caribbean, c. 1950
Typical instruments	Trombone; trumpet; saxophone; piano; bass guitar; guitar; drums;
Fusion genres
	Zouk
Audio sample
	"Aimer" by Moune de Rivel featuring Al Lirvat et son Orchestre file; help;

Wabap (or simply biguine wabap) is a subgenre of biguine, a Caribbean music style.

Etymology

The name derives from the traditional refrain wiz-zap wabap sung by sugarcane cutters.^[1]

History

According to Al Lirvat, the term was coined by Nelly Lunflas, a revue leader at La Canne à Sucre.^[2] The first wabap recordings were made in 1952 by Al Lirvat and Robert Mavounzy. In 1954, a piece by Lirvat sung by Moune de Rivel was titled "Biguine Wabap".^[3]

Musical characteristics

Wabap incorporates into biguine a number of assonances and dissonances, altered chords, and complex rhythms in five, six, and seven beats.^[4] Banjo disappeared in wabap and it was replaced by guitar.

References

^ Jean-Michel Terrine (ill.), Lionel Arnaud, La politique des tambours, Éditions Karthala, 2020, p. 40, ISBN 9782811128470
^ Frédéric Négrit, Musique et immigration dans la société antillaise : en France métropolitaine de 1960 à nos jours (L'Harmattan, 2004), p.119
^ Available on the Médiathèque Caraïbe website
^ Jacques Denis, in Vibrations, reproduced on the Frémeaux & Associés website

[1] Jean-Michel Terrine (ill.), Lionel Arnaud, La politique des tambours, Éditions Karthala, 2020, p. 40, ISBN 9782811128470

[2] Frédéric Négrit, Musique et immigration dans la société antillaise : en France métropolitaine de 1960 à nos jours (L'Harmattan, 2004), p.119

[3] Available on the Médiathèque Caraïbe website

[4] Jacques Denis, in Vibrations, reproduced on the Frémeaux & Associés website

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