Biography
Tabou Combo: the “Ambassadors of Compas” from Haiti to the World
In August 1975, a 45 rpm record from New York made the metropolis dance: a man’s voice exclaimed “Ala ti pitit danse!” over an irresistible rhythm. Tabou Combo’s “New York City” was number one on the French hit parade, and for the first time, a Caribbean song crossed the Atlantic successfully. A group of Haitian high school students who became diaspora musicians had just opened the doors to Europe.
In Brief
| Group Name | Tabou Combo |
| Musical Genre | Compas (konpa) — Haitian dance based on guitars, brass instruments, and tight rhythms |
| Active Period | 1968 – present |
| Locations | Pétion-Ville (Haiti) → Brooklyn (New York) |
| Founders | Albert Chancy Jr. (guitar), Herman Nau (drums) |
| Iconic Works | “New York City”, “Mabouya”, Aux Antilles, “Zap Zap” |
| Awards | Best Haitian Dance Album at the Caribbean Music Awards (1991) |
Key Dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Founded in Pétion-Ville under the name “Los Incognitos” by Albert Chancy Jr. and Herman Nau |
| 1969 | Best Group award at a Haiti Radio television contest |
| 1970 | Band dissolution; members emigrated to the United States |
| 1971 | Reformation in Brooklyn with Jean-Claude Jean as leader |
| 1974 | Release of 8th Sacrement and the hit “New York City” |
| 1975 | “New York City” reaches number one on the French hit parade |
| 1989 | Aux Antilles: six weeks at number one in Europe and the Caribbean |
| 1991 | Best Album award at the Caribbean Music Awards at the Apollo Theater |
| 2002 | Carlos Santana covers “Mabouya” on the album Shaman |
| 2021 | Death of co-founder Herman Nau (July 25, at age 73) |
From Pétion-Ville to Brooklyn
In 1968, Albert Chancy Jr. (guitar) and Herman Nau (drums), childhood friends from Pétion-Ville, founded a group they named Los Incognitos. Their first concert took place in the Saint-Pierre church in Port-au-Prince. Their energy captivated a youth eager for new rhythms: Haiti Radio awarded the title of “best group” to the band in 1969.
Albert’s father sent him to study in Montreal, and the group disbanded. The members scattered toward the United States. In 1971, Herman Nau and Jean-Claude Jean reunited in Brooklyn and rebuilt Tabou Combo, joined by Roger “Shoubou” Eugène on vocals and Yves “Fanfan” Joseph on percussion.
Their fifth album, 8th Sacrement (1974), contains “New York City”: a collage of compas, funk, and disco recorded live at the Broadway Recording Studio in Manhattan. “You could only play as you played on stage,” Fanfan explained decades later. A Caribbean distributor presented the record to Eddie Barclay, who signed Tabou Combo and organized a private concert in his Paris apartment. In August 1975, the title reached first place on the French hit parade. “For once, there were Antilleans on television,” recalled Jocelyne Béroard of Kassav'.
An Unclassifiable Sound
Tabou Combo shaped an unprecedented style: Haitian compas, this electrified national dance, fused with James Brown’s funk, Congolese soukous rhythms, Vaudou rara drums, and Dominican merengue. The group sings in Haitian Creole, French, English, and Spanish, and made the first steps for Haitians on major Parisian stages — Zénith, Bercy, and the Olympia.
International Recognition and Legacy
Their influence extends beyond the Caribbean. In 2002, Carlos Santana recorded “Mabouya” on the album Shaman, which would win a Grammy. The band appears in Jonathan Demme’s film Mystery Date (1989) and Maurice Pialat’s Police (1985). In 1998, they celebrated their thirtieth anniversary at the Zénith in Paris and shared the bill with Kassav’ at Bercy. Herman Nau died in July 2021 in New York at age 73; the Haitian Ministry of Culture paid tribute to him as “a forger of destinies.” The group, with four founding members still active, continues to tour.
In 2025, compas was recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Tabou Combo, these young high school students who first played in a church, became one of its faces.
Major Works
| Work | Year | Why It Is Essential |
|---|---|---|
| 8th Sacrement | 1974 | The record that launched “New York City” and brought compas to Europe |
| “New York City” | 1975 | First Caribbean number one in France; an exile lament that makes Paris dance |
| Aux Antilles | 1989 | Six weeks at number one in Europe and the Caribbean; Album of the Year at the Caribbean Music Awards |
| “Mabouya” (Foo Foo) | 1978 | A track covered by Carlos Santana and performed at the Super Bowl |
Legacy and Influence
Tabou Combo paved the way for Kassav’s zouk in France and shared stages with them from 1988 to 2010. More broadly, Haitian compas established itself as an international reference thanks to this group. HMI Magazine inducted them into the Hall of Fame in 2025, noting that “no other band on the Haitian scene has lasted fifty years with original members.” In 2026, Tabou Combo continues to tour from Nuits d’Afrique in Montreal to African festivals, with the same energy as those first evenings at Saint-Pierre church.
Sources and References
- “Tabou Combo | biography”, Tabou Combo (official website), https://www.taboucombo.com/bio/, accessed October 19, 2025.
- “Tabou Combo: five facts about the unbeatable kings of Haitian compas”, RFI Musique, September 9, 2026, https://www.rfi.fr/fr/musique/20260909-tabou-combo-cinq-infos-sur-les-rois-ind%C3%A9tr%C3%B4nables-du-compas-ha%C3%AFtien, accessed October 19, 2025.
- “3-TABOU COMBO – 8th Sacrement”, Médiathèque Caraïbe (Laméca), http://www.lameca.org/publications-numeriques/dossiers-et-articles/anthologie-du-konpa-top-15/3-tabou-combo-8th-sacrement/, accessed October 19, 2025.
- « Tabou Combo: The Global Ambassadors of Haitian Music », HMI Magazine, 31 July 2025, https://haitianmusicindustry.com/tabou-combo-the-global-ambassadors-of-haitian-compas, accessed 19 October 2025.
- « Tabou Combo — Biography », AllMusic, https://allmusic.com/artist/tabou-combo-mn0000014416, accessed 19 October 2025.
- « Tabou Combo », Wikipedia (French version), https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabou_Combo, accessed 19 October 2025.
- « Four Tracks with Tabou Combo: Yves “Fan Fan” Joseph », Afropop Worldwide, 17 November 2016, https://old.afropop.org/articles/four-tracks-tabou-combo, accessed 19 October 2025.
- « Tabou Combo’s Co-founder has Died », Tabou Combo (official website), https://taboucombo.com/tabou-combos-co-founder-has-died, accessed 19 October 2025.
- « Tabou Combo », Kennedy Center, https://kennedy-center.org/artists/t/ta-tn/-tabou-combo, accessed 19 October 2025.
