Kali (French singer)
Jean-Marc Monnerville (born 21 February 1959), better known by his stage name Kali,
Early life
Monnerville was born in Fort-de-France on 21 February 1956. His mother, a primary school teacher, and his father, a professional musician, encouraged Jean-Marc to study classical percussion. The nickname "Kali" was developed in primary school in homage to "Kalimero," a well-known cartoon character of the time. Kali's musical career began in earnest when his father sent him to France in the early 1970s to study music composition and theory. His first group, "Gaoule" was symbolically named after a notorious slave massacre carried out in the French West Indies in the 17th century.
"I belong to a very special race / I’m a nigger who was born in France’s overseas ‘department’ / And I’m heavily into the colonial style .... They bent over my cradle and covered me with the flag / Taking everything, even my destiny/ I’d have been better off born an orphan / Oh how many more generations will have to submit to this curse?"
6ème Continent, Reggae Dom-Tom
His signature
Developing career
Kali returned to Martinique to start a solo career, intentionally ignoring the popular "Zouk" craze and focusing on traditional music of the West Indies. This return to musical heritage was further explored on the albums "Racines I" (1989) and "Racines II" (1990) by fusing acoustic piano and banjo with percussion and synthesizers. After returning to Paris for a live performance in 1990, he was selected to represent France in the 1992
Recent Music
His 1995 album "Débranché" (Unplugged), reverts to a purely acoustic sound. Following the record's success, Kali was invited to perform in Zimbabwe where he joined other musicians celebrating the Centenary of the first anti-colonial insurrection. "Racines IV," a 1998 album, celebrated the artist's comeback to traditional West Indian music since 1992. In 2002, Kali commemorated the centenary of the eruption of the Pelée volcano with "Bèlè Boum Bap." The fifth album in the "Racines Caraïbes" series was released in November 2007, featuring guest performances by
Discography
As Gaoulé:
Year | Title |
---|---|
1975 | "Gaoulé 75" |
As 6eme Continent:
Year | Title |
---|---|
1979 | "6eme Continent" |
As Kali:
Year | Title |
---|---|
1989 | Racines I |
1990 | Racines II |
1992 | Roots |
1993 | Ile a Vendre |
1993 | Lesse La Te Tounen |
1995 | Débranché |
1996 | Racines Noël, III |
1998 | Kali au New Morning |
1999 | Francofaune |
2000 | Racines IV |
2002 | Bèlè Boum Bap |
2007 | Racines V |
2007 | Weapons of Mass Destruction |
2010 | Le Trio |
References
- ISBN 978-1-59213-463-2. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Exemples de traduction provenant de sources externes pour 'par la Sacem'". SACEM. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ "RFI Music: Kali". Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2013.