“Following a routine medical examination at the hospital in Pointe-à-Pitre, Jacob tested positive for Covid! As a result, he remains under observation. All scheduled concerts are therefore cancelled during the quarantine period”. This message, posted on Jacob Desvarieux’s Facebook page on Monday 12 July at 12.40pm, informed his fans of his contamination with Covid-19.
Since then, messages of support for the artist – who has been hospitalised at the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre & Les Abymes – have been numerous. In addition, it is an opportunity for some to criticize the vaccine because they do not understand why one of the “pillars” of Kassav’ is in intensive care when he would be vaccinated …
On Saturday 17 July, some local media reported that the musician’s state of health was “worrying” because he was suffering from diabetes and had received a “kidney transplant”, but no other press release or post gave fans any further details about Kassav’ guitarist. It is true that since the appearance of the word “comorbidities” in this pandemic of Covid-19, the medical record of famous people or not is made public with a disconcerting ease.
For a few days, we knew that Jacob Desvarieux was in Guadeloupe and Martinique for a series of concerts. Indeed, as part of the concept “Nanm Kann” (The Soul of the Cane) that he launched in 2018, he performs songs from his 1999 album “Euphrasine Blues”, Euphrasine being this ancestor that he found during a genealogical research.
For this new tour in the French Caribbean, the Guadeloupean has surrounded himself with other musicians. Ronald Tulle (piano), Stéphane Castry (bass), Thomas Bellon (drums) and Jean-Philippe Meyniac (saxophone) replaced pianist Mario Canonge, bassist Guy Nsangué, drummer Yoann Danier and saxophonist Jowee Omicil. The two backup singers – Jerryka Jacques-Gustave and Raimonia Moco – are once again part of the journey into the Creole blues world of Jacob Desvarieux.
The group played at the Arawak Hotel in Le Gosier, the Windies Beach in Le Carbet and the Appart Garden in Baie-Mahault on July 8, 9, 10 and 11 respectively, and it was supposed to be on stage at the Black Diamond in Le Diamant on July 13…
