TABOU COMBO
AT A CROSSROAD

How old are you? Are you in your twenties? Have you passed the big 3-0, on your way to 40 or 50? Can you imagine being the best at what you do for 10 straight years? How about 20 years? How about being on top for more than 30 years?

If life is a roller coaster, when do you peak? How do you deal with the deterioration?

Tabou Combo de Petionville started its rise to fame more than 30 years, and along the way, the band has established a blueprint for Konpa music that is recognized and copied throughout the world. Tabou Combo set the standard by which all bands that followed are measured. The band went places and reached plateaus that no other Haitian bands have come close to achieving. They broke through the barriers, as well as the borders of Haiti to attain international success, and, amazingly, maintained that success for many decades. Success, however, comes with a price.

Most of us will never know the sacrifices that Roger "Shoubou" Eugene, Yves "FanFan" Joseph, Herman Nau, and the others have made in order to make us "baissez bas" nan "ryel" la. How do you give the fans what they paid for, night after night? Like everything else, life on the road must takes its toll on the body and the mind, and eventually the deterioration starts to show. It is rumored that drummer Herman Nau may have retired from the band for a government position in Haiti. Tabou Combo is at the same crossroad that Michael Jackson is facing, the same crossroad that the Beatles, or Earth, Wind & Fire faced, the same crossroad that all great artists must face at some point in their career. Does the Audience change? Does the band change? One thing for sure, time always changes.

On April 7 2001, Tabou combo's performance at St Michael's Church, in Silver Spring, Maryland, left many in the community wondering about the end of an era. Tabou Combo's latest CD, "Sans Limites," has been very well received, but it failed to bring the large crowd that we're used to seeing for bands such as T-Vice, Zenglen, and others. The recent concert failed to bring the excitement that we're accustomed to see from such a great band. The professionalism that the band has set for so long has started to disappear, disagreements on stage can no longer be hidden. Clashing between the members are now very obvious and very distracting.

Arguably, there's no modern Haitian music without Tabou Combo. The influence of Shoubou can be heard in any Konpa singer's voice today. His stage presence is imitated by many. His influence can also be heard in Zouk, as many musicians from Martinique grew up listening to Tabou Combo and Shoubou. Like Konpa without a drum roll, Tabou Combo is incomplete without the voice of Shoubou. When he steps behind the microphone, all is right with the world. However, it hurts to see a legend not at his best and in need of help.

It is becoming obvious that Shoubou is in a transitional period in his life, and that he may need help to resolve his issues. On the outside looking in, some deterioration can be seen and hopefully tragedies can be avoided. The band must decide on its future and take the right road. Some fine young musicians are ready for the next level. Danny Pierre, Ralph Condé, and Ronald Felix have demonstrated their talent on the latest album. The band still has great respect from a lot of followers, however, today's younger audience is demanding more than just a bal. Today's generation is growing up on MTV and BET and have more options for their 25 or 30 dollars. The legend of Tabou Combo de Petionville will never die if it adapts to changing times.

Langston Hughes once asked, "what becomes of a dream deferred?" One wonders, What becomes of Haitian legends? Do they fade from memory and forgotten forever? The founders of Tabou Combo have accumulated a lifetime of experiences and skills that should be passed first hand to future generations. These men should not disappear from our culture, but they should embellish it by teaching at universities, or becoming promoters and producers. They should influence and guide Haiti and her children to the right path at the musical crossroad.

There's no denying the greatness of Tabou Combo. Even at their current state, the band is still better than the majority of the bands out today. Tabou has set the level so high that it becomes very hard to consistently maintain that level of greatness. After more than 30 years of creating what is today's Konpa music, today's generation will need to help Tabou Combo at the crossroad they find themselves today.