Finally, the dates of the “Sé’w nou enmé” tribute concert to Jacob Desvarieux in the French Caribbean have been announced! The dates are November 18, 2023 at the Palais des Sports in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe and November 25, 2023 at the Appaloos’ Arena in Le François, Martinique.
During this musical event, the band Kassav’ will perform all the greatest hits of its co-founder, who died of the Covid-19 pandemic on July 30, 2021, at the age of 66.
Young Guadeloupean guitarist Karim Verger (28) has been recruited to replace Jacob in the “Zouk machine”. Singer Patrice Hulman has also joined the legendary band. This new voice was necessary because Kassav”s lead singer and “ambianceur”, Martinican Jean-Philippe Marthély, has been away from the stage since suffering a stroke in February 2020.
With this new blood, Kassav’ – whose three “guardians of the temple” are now Georges Décimus, Jean-Claude Naimro and Jocelyne Béroard – shows that it wants to survive the sudden death of Jacob Desvarieux, who left a great void.
Since its creation in 1979, the Caribbean band, which feeds on the rhythms of Guadeloupean gwo-ka and Martinican ti-bwa, has toured over 80 countries, playing to sold-out audiences. Remember that Kassav’ was the first band of black musicians to perform in the USSR in 1989. Several of its albums have achieved platinum and gold status.
After this stopover in the West Indies, Kassav’ will take the “Sé’w nou enmé” concert to Reunion Island on December 9 and to the Accor Arena in Paris on May 18, 2024, tickets are already on sale.
