Music: Former Kassav Star Patrick St. Eloi Loses Battle With Cancer

"If Kassav was our own The Beatles, then Patrick St. Eloi was our John Lennon"

Patrick St. Eloi, the beloved Guadeloupian crooner with the silky and sultry voice, and former member of the legendary Caribbean group Kassav who died Saturday after a long bout with cancer will be buried today in his native Guadeloupe. He will be sorely missed by millions of fans around the world... Here is a tribute to one of the pioneers of Zouk music (published on Belmizikfm and which originally appeared on RFI in French).

 

Patrick Saint-Eloi first took to the stage at Le Zénith an impressive twenty-two years ago now. At the time he was one of the velvet-voiced crooners of Kassav', the pioneering Antillais group who put zouk on the international music map, taking their infectiously catchy sound to France and its overseas departments, as well as Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

Just before his comeback after leaving Kassav, Saint-Eloi has released Zoukolexion vol. 1, a double-CD compilation of past chart-toppers, many of which will sound very familiar to Kassav' fans. One of the most interesting features of the zouk supergroup was that individual members of the collective were always free to release albums under their own name during their time with the group, even if they had only just joined. "Over the years we came to realise that some of our biggest hits came from our solo albums rather than our group albums,” says Saint-Eloi, “We were prolific songwriters and sometimes we ended up having so many ideas they inevitably spilt over into other things." Notably in the case of Kassav’s frontwoman Jocelyne Béroard who scored her most famous hits (Siwo, Kaye Manman, Milans) with tracks from her own solo albums.

 

Patrick Saint-Eloi was the first singer from Kassav', and indeed on the zouk scene as a whole, to specialise in romantic zouk (even though everyone in the French West Indies knows that the first real “zouk love” song was actually by fellow Kassav' member Jean-Philippe Marthély). Influenced by Cuban bolero, Beny Moré, Portabales and other salsa legends, fascinated by soul music and also a great admirer of French ‘chanson’ star Charles Aznavour, Saint-Eloi went on to build a repertoire based on infinitely smoochy rhythms and his high-pitched, at times almost falsetto-like, vocals. Needless to say, his songs became big hits at the end of ‘soirées’ in clubs all the way from Africa to the Antilles. Ballade kréyol, West Indies, Ki jan ké fè, H2O, Zié d’amour, Manman kréyol, Hello dous and Si sé oui - to name but a few of Saint-Eloi’s velvet-voiced chart-toppers! - struck a chord in the public’s heart (and not just amongst his hordes of female fans).

 
St. Eloi - The Final Journey (c) PSE Facebook Page

Besides being a master crooner, Saint-Eloi is also renowned for injecting shows with a festive, upbeat ambience live on stage. Working the crowd with fellow showman Jean-Philippe "Pipo" Marthély, Saint-Eloi regularly set the crowd alight at Kassav' concerts, orchestrating the delirious bursts of arm-waving, the carnival-style (and at times risqué) antics of the backing vocalists and the frenetic grand finale when showers of balloons and confetti would pour down from the roof. This was the crescendo moment for which Saint-Eloi had penned his showstoppers Chabon, Flash, Chiré, Son tambou la, Zouké, Palé palé and Direksion, the ultimate Saint-Eloi composition with its string of different rhythms, different melodies and pepped-up lyrics.

In the course of his long career as a songwriter and composer, Saint-Eloi has established his own distinctive musical style, drawing on a diverse range of rhythms and melodies to pack the ultimate emotional punch. And he has not just restricted himself to working soul and salsa elements over zouk beats. The Guadeloupean star is deeply rooted in the sounds of his homeland and frequently works traditional "Gwo Ka" drums into his musical mix.

 
A memorable improptu rendition of Eva by Kassav (with St. Eloi as the lead) during their first visit to Cameroon in 1986. This was at the Hotel des Deputés in Yaounde.

 
"Volé" - an elergy to Patrick St. Eloi composed by Ali Angel and performed by Pierre Huberson

Comments

[Zouk la sé sel médikaman nou ni]

"Ou la ou ye eva?" (where are you eva) - a phrase etched deep in the consciousness of my generation!! I remember it like yesterday when Kassav made that historic trip to Cameroon in 198. It was as if the Gods had landed in Godforsaken Cameroon. For two weeks it was nationwide pandemonium with mega concerts in Yaounde, Douala Bafoussam, Bamenda, etc. Back then we ate Kassav, we drank Kassav and hung on to their every word or song - Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Berouard, Jean Phillipe Marteley, Jean Claude Naimro, George Decimus, Mbida Douglas, Marie Jose Gibbons, and of course, the master charmer, the young and irreverent Patrick St. Eloi...

By the time Kassav returned for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th visits, Cameroonians had come down from their "Kassav High", had become more cynical, and more familiar with foreign acts. But the 1986 Kassav tour would undoubtedly be remembered as the greatest music tour ever in Cameroon. Whoever said that Kassav was our own The Beatles is right on the money; and that 1986 tour can only be compared to The Beatles landing in America in 1964 and the "Eva" video comparable to The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan show and led to their popularity simply blowing through the stratosphere. Ou la ou ye Partick St. Eloi? Ou la ou ye??? Ah, nostalgie, nostalgie

[oyez]

The Kassav folks are getting old too. Time flies. What a great group! RIP Patrick.

[k]

it's a very sad time and big loss,he was a great singer he is part of cassav, we all going to miss him so much,i am a big fan of jean phillip marthly and i always argue who was the best patrick or marthly it is very difficult quastion its like missing something from your body .we Angolas love u very much and going to miss.

[Chidima]

May his soul rest peacefully. I have always loved kassav; even though i don't speak their native. It's my dream to meet and perform with them someday. God bless and comfort Patrick's family and friends for the loss. Amen

[teresa]

patrick Patrick i love u so mux.. Rest in peace en angola will always love u..

[Jean Felicite]

For every show Kassav' performed in St.Lucia I would be there and I always looked for the performance of "OU MALAD OU" for the part when both Patrick and Jean Phillip would do their back to back duo.Kassav' is my favorite group and I take them with everywhere.Patrick has been a great lost but his special contribution lives on as we were all fortunate to be the recipients of his special tone.

[Jean Felicite]

As kassav' is the body,we the fans are the HEART,Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux, , Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur and Georges Décimus are the BRAINS. (Notice there a woman involve;man can't think alone)Jean-Philippe Marthély and Patrick St. Eloi are the LUNGS and we can still breathe.

Comme kassav › est le corps, nous les ventilateurs sont le COEUR, Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux,, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur et Georges Décimus est les CERVEAUX. (Remarquer là une femme implique ; l'homme ne peut pas penser seul) Jean-Philippe Marthély et Patrick St. Eloi est les POUMONS et nous pouvons respirer toujours.