Album Notes

Mozayik's musical concept draws upon the rich legacy of traditional Afro-Haitian rhythms, blending them with the instrumentation, melodic/harmonic sensibilities and improvisation of jazz. Mozayik also cites Cuban and Brazilian jazz as sources of inspiration and the groups' original compositions show that the culture of Haiti has similar musical riches to offer. The group draws from a diverse array of other influences; classical, jazz, gospel and funk are all part of the Mozayik sound. The members of Mozayik bring together multiple talents and years of performing and recording experience.

Mozayik's self-titled debut recording was released to rave reviews, appearing in numerous newspapers and music magazines such as "The Haitian Times", "Beat", "Kompa Magazine", and Haiti's "Le Nouvelliste." The group was also featured on Public Radio International's "The World" program.

Mozayik has now released their second CD, Rhythmic Reflections. This dynamic new recording features such traditional Haitian folkoric drum rhythms as Nago (Sa te Bel) Mayi (Pen Mayi), Ibo (Mireille), Rara (Caravan & Moving On), Kontradans (African Queen), Kongo (Limye) and Petwo (The Journey). The beauty of Mozayik's concept lies in the way these rhythmic motifs are utilized. The compositional talents of drummer Gashford Guillaume, guitarist Eddy Bourjolly, and pianist Welmyr Jean-Pierre are quite evident on this recording, as the tunes are literally written to the Haitian drum patterns. Many projects seeking to fuse traditional/folkloric music with jazz seem to superimpose one structure or motif over the other, while Mozayik's approach is seemless.

Jazz lovers of all kinds are excited about Mozayik's sound, a blend of ancient and modern, grounded in tradition yet boldly moving forward.

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excerpt from Serge Bellegarde's review from www.haitiforever.com

... If I am praising this CD so much, it is for a good reason. The album is simply music to your ears. Bourjolly's smooth guitar, Welmyr Jean-Pierre's lyrical piano, Gene Torres's talking bass, Markus Schwartz's zestful percussion, Gashford Guillaume's skillful and sensitive drumming..... provide the special blend that makes this quintet one of the best on the musical scene. .....You'd better rush to your CD supplier to obtain your copy and then go sit down, listen and enjoy. Mozayik's Rythmic Reflections is a special treat!

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*Please note - the same music presented here on our self-produced "Rhythmic Reflections" CD is also now available on a re-released version entitled "Haitian Creole Jazz" on the ZOHO Music label (ZM 200506). The title, package, liner notes and song sequences are different, but the musical content is the same.

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