Draft:Issa El-Saieh
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Issa El-Saieh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 22, 1919 |
| Died | February 2, 2005 (aged 85) |
| Other names | Maestro |
| Occupation | Musicien • Composer • Bandleader • Arranger • Conductor • Designer • Businessman • Gallerist • Art Collector • Philanthropist |
| Partner | Fernande Stark (1951-1958) |
| Children | Jean-Emmanuel El-Saieh • Marie-Elisabeth El-Saieh |
| Parent | Joseph Said El-Saieh • Julia Moussa Talamas |
| Relatives | Elias Abraham Noustas (brother) • André Joseph El-Saieh (brother) |
| Honours | Knight of the National Order of Honour and Merit of Haiti |
Issa Joseph El-Saieh (February 22, 1919 - February 2, 2005), also known as Maestro, was a Haitian - of Palestinian descent - saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, arranger, designer, businessman, gallerist, art collector and philanthropist.
Throughout his life and work he contributed to - and had a major impact on - two major facettes of Haitian culture: music as well as art.
From 1941 to the mid 1950s, as a trailblazing musician, composer and bandleader of the Orchestre Saieh, he stood out as «a pioneer and stern supporter of Haitian folklore in general, and of voodoo (rhythms) in particular»[1].
In parallel to his music career, he began buying and collecting Haitian art. By the late 1950’s he opened the Issa Art Gallery which would later become Galerie Issa.
He was one of Haiti’s most well known art dealers and as time went on, his personal collection expanded into what is considered as one of the best collections of Haitian art to date. For over four decades, El-Saieh traveled constantly and promoted Haitian art and culture worldwide, particularly in the Caribbean, America and Europe.
An exceedingly discreet and private person, he seldom gave interviews. He passed away in Port-au-Prince from esophageal cancer on February 2, 2005, at the age of 85.
Early life and education
[edit]Issa El-Saieh was born in Petit-Goâve, Haiti on February 22, 1919. Both his parents, Julia Moussa Talamas (1893-1982) and Joseph Said El-Saieh (1885-1921) immigrated separately to Haiti from Bethlehem, Palestine.
His mother - known as «Veuve» because twice a window - was a businesswoman, who raised her three sons, Elias Noustas (1912-1991), Issa and André El-Saieh (1920-1965), between Petit-Goâve and Port-au-Prince.
El-Saieh attended Saint-Louis de Gonzague in Port-au-Prince before being sent to various boarding schools in the United-States with his younger brother André in 1928. Schooled mainly in Massachusetts, it is there he was introduced to music and learned to play the clarinet as well as the saxophone, and was a member of his school bands.[1]
Family businesses
[edit]In the summer of 1940, El-Saieh returned to Haiti, where he worked alongside his mother in her dry goods store Veuve Joseph El-Saieh in downtown Port-au-Prince.[1]
Soon after, he would work alongside his older brother Elias Noustas who, in 1948, had set up Haiti’s first department store La Belle Créole, located on rue Bonne Foi (then rue Roux).[2] El-Saieh was President of La Belle Créole until 1960, when the role was given to Noustas’s eldest daughter Thérèse.
Throughout the 1950s, the store expanded[3] and became «one of the most chic and well-assorted stores of the capital, securing a first-rank position in the market which it would keep for a long time»[4]. At that time, Haiti was booming, and was a popular tourist destination.
In parallel to La Belle Créole, Elias Noustas created and owned Le Perchoir, a restaurant, night club and gift-shop in Boutilliers, overlooking the city of Port-au-Prince. Described as a «glamorous night spot»[5], Le Perchoir was designed by architect Max Ewald, and opened on December 2, 1951.[2][5]
Orchestre Saieh (1941-1951/53)
[edit]The Orchestra
[edit]A clarinette and saxophone player himself, El-Saieh would play music at home as a pastime and a distraction from his busy workdays. Between 1940 and 1941, he briefly played in Jazz Rouzier (the orchestra of Daniel Rouzier), before gradually setting up his own orchestra in the fall of 1941 and spring of 1942.[1]
Known as Issa El-Saieh & His Orchestra, or Orchestre Saieh, «the setup of the band was modeled on the Cuban orchestras»[1] - according to El-Saieh himself. The ensemble was heavily structured and composed of a large number of musicians, like an American big band, which set the orchestra apart from other groups.[6]
This type of structure demanded constant rehearsals and regular training of the musicians. Not financially lucrative, the orchestra was funded and operated through El-Saieh’s personal funds.[1][6]
El-Saieh particularly stood out as a band leader with an exceptional ear for talent, constantly seeking out proficient musicians. To be part of Orchestre Saieh, there were two main requirements: know how to read partition, and rehearse constantly. Several of the musicians were members of the military orchestra of the National Palace, or came from various bands. Others were still students or had professions. Thus, the orchestra’s composition varied through the years, as the musicians were not exclusive to the ensemble.[1][7]
In it’s first few years, Orchestre Saieh would play in private houses in Port-au-Prince and the provinces, as well as cinemas and clubs, such as the Rex Theater, Ciné Paramount and the Club Miramar. Between 1944 and 1951, they would become regulars at the Club Zanzi Bar and Cabane Choucoune, both located in Pétion-Ville. In the early 1950’s, the band frequently played at Le Perchoir in Boutilliers as well as on Ricardo Widmaier’s Radio Haiti Sunday morning program called Cocktail Dansant.[1][7]
During it’s existence, Orchestre Saieh became one of the biggest musical ensembles in Haiti[7], and their recordings are considered by many «among the best ever made by a Haitian orchestra» [1].
Though he was a great arranger, El-Saieh did not hesitate to ask for advice and services from more experienced musicians then himself.[8]
In the early 1940s, both for work and pleasure, El-Saieh often travelled to Cuba, where he met several musicians, including Cuban pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader Ramon «Bebo» Valdés who would become not only his life long friend but also a frequent collaborator of the Orchestre Saieh.
During the late 1940’s, El-Saieh often traveled to New-York and studied music alongside Eddie Barefield, Andy Brown, Albert J. "Budd" Johnson, and Walter «Foots» Thomas - who had all been members and collaborators of the Cab Calloway Orchestra.
In New-York, El-Saieh frequented other musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Jo Thompson and Kenny Dorham, and was a regular at various jazz and blues night clubs, including Birdland, the Blue Note and Café Society.
El-Saieh was the first Haitian orchestra leader to order original scores from foreign arrangers such as: Bobby Hicks, Albert J. "Budd" Johnson, Pérez Prado and Bebo Valdés. He would also invite these musicians, as well as American pianist Billy Taylor, to participate in rehearsal sessions as well as recordings with the Orchestre Saieh.
Billy Taylor recalls:
«Issa had the advantage of having Budd Johnson and other people who’s instincts he trusted (…) They brought things to his music that they did not have in Haiti.»[9]
Impact
[edit]El-Saieh was one of the first musicians to merge traditional Haitian music genres - mainly folkloristic songs and melodies as well as voodoo rhythms - with modern jazz, Cuban mambo, meringue and American swing. By fusing traditional Haitian folklore and voodoo rhythms with modern instrumentation, El-Saieh built a sophistically orchestrated repertoire and reshaped the musical landscape with his innovative and original sounds.[1]
He was a trailblazer in other ways as well: he imposed the Creole language in his music - rather than French, which was more socially acceptable at the time. El-Saieh himself refused to speak French up to the day he died.[1]
Most importantly, he was the first to bring to the foreground black musicians - who in the past had been relegated to playing behind screens.
Where some saw El-Saieh as a threat and felt he was trying to change Haitian music, others saw him as a pioneer who was modernizing music and opening new horizons for Haitian musicians - thus influencing generations to come after him.
After receiving much criticism, and following a facial paralysis, El-Saieh publicly retired in October 1950[10], leaving the band in the hands of Ernest «Nono» Lamy, who later renamed the ensemble Nono Lamy & son Orchestre.[1]
La Belle Créole - music label (1947-1956)
[edit]Around 1947, El-Saieh created his own music label, La Belle Créole - which shared the same name of his brother Elias Noustas’s department store. From 1947 to 1956, most - if not all - of Orchestre Saieh’s tracks were recorded on this label.[1][11]
The label also recorded tracks by various bands put together by combinations of musicians from the orchestra, such as The Belle Créole Group[12], La Belle Créole Trio[13], Bebo Valdés & His Rhythm[14], Rodolphe Legros & His Ibo Lele Group[15], Budd Johnson & The Le Perchoir Group[16], Wébert Sicot & His Cabane Choucoune Ensemble[17], The Cabane Choucoune Ensemble[17], Guy Durosier & His Rhythm or Rodolphe Legros & His Ibo Lele Group.
The recordings took place in different locations such as Cabane Choucoune, Radio Commerce or Ricardo Widmaier’s Radio Haiti (in Port-au-Prince and Pétion-Ville) as well as in Miami, New-York and Havana (mainly at Radio Progreso).[1][11]
Galerie Issa (1957-2005)
[edit]In the 1940s, El-Saieh began buying paintings to decorate his home. Between his guests asking him to buy paintings for them, and artists asking him to buy from them, he found himself with too many paintings to handle, and in the 1950s, he decided to open a shop in his bother Elias Noustas’s restaurant and night club Le Perchoir. In 1957 he transferred his shop to rue du Quai in downtown Port-au-Prince, calling it Issa Art Gallery. In 1964, the gallery was moved to his home, where it became known as Galerie Issa.[1][18]
As in his music carrer, El-Saieh was known and recognized as a unique talent spotter. Artists like Villard Denis, Néhémy Jean, Jacques Enguerrand Gourgue, Alix Roy and Gesner Armand worked with him in the gallery’s early days, before going on to other ventures.
Gradually, the gallery grew in size and in terms of sales[19]. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, El-Saieh had over 50 artists working regularly for him. Many of whom had their ateliers on site[20], and several remained exclusive to the gallery until El-Saieh’s death.
According to the Swedish economist and author, Mats Lundahl:
«Issa played a crucial role in the establishment of a number of the most well-known Haitian naïf painters. He found them, and set them up on regular contracts with his Galerie Issa, providing them with the kind of financial stability that allowed them to concentrate on their painting. The results are to be seen in museums, art galleries, auction houses and private collections all over the world.»[1]
Described as an impresario for artists[21], he also supported the painters materially by providing them with paint, brushes, canvases and other materials for their work, but he also supported them as individuals, often paying medical bills, covering other emergencies and expenses, or even helping them purchase their own homes.[20]
For many artists, El-Saieh was instrumental in launching and supporting their careers - such, that their names are forever synonymous with Galerie Issa: Gabriel Alix, Smith and Sisson Blanchard, Henri and Seymour Bottex, Jacques Chéry, Abner Dubic, Préfète Duffaut, Roger François, Yvon Jean-Pierre, Philton Latortue, André Normil, André Pierre, Fernand Pierre, Dieudonné Pluviose, Jerome Polycarpe, Dieudonné Rouanez, Audes and Charles Saul, Mucius Stéphane, Josaphat Tissaint - to name a few.
Though tourism in Haiti began to dwindle in the late 1980’s, most of Galerie Issa’s business was wholesale: selling to hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and other galleries worldwide. Some clients became friends, and El-Saieh helped them build their own Haitian art collections.
Through his frequent travels, he heavily promoted Haitian art worldwide. Galerie Issa organized and participated in several art exhibitions, particularly in the Caribbean, America and Europe.
As time went on, El-Saieh’s personal collection expanded into what is probably one of the best collections of Haitian art - and in the 1970s, he planned to build a museum, but this never materialized. The gallery closed after his passing in 2005.
Hotel Oloffson
[edit]For several years in the 1960’s, El-Saieh managed the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince. There, he met English writer Graham Greene, who based the character of Hamit the Syrian on El-Saieh, in his 1966 novel The Comedians.[1]
Philanthropy
[edit]El-Saieh has left a memorable impact on Haitian music and art, but also on the lives of those who crossed paths with him - wether it be by his personality, his work or his generosity.
During the course of his life, he made regular contributions to orphanages, hospitals and other charitable institutions, mainly in Port-au-Prince. For many years, he also supported the Albert Schweitzer hospital in Deschapelles and Eye Care-Haiti by regularly donating art works.[1]
He also took care of those around him - his musicians, his artists, his personnel, their families, and even complete strangers, thus touching and changing the lives of countless people.
Discography
[edit]Awards and honors
[edit]
• March 13, 1959: awarded the title of Knight of the National Order of Honour and Merit (Chevalier de l’Ordre National Honneur et Mérite) by President of the Republic of Haiti, François Duvalier, for his significant contribution to the enrichment of Haitian culture.
• 1998: honored at New York’s Lincoln Center as one of five giants of Haitian music.
• 2002: Honor and Merit award from the Caribbean Film Productions - Nuit des Etoiles, for his contribution to Haitian culture.
Further reading
[edit]• Lundahl, Mats (March 2, 2020). Et Haïti découvrit le jazz: l'Histoire de Issa El Saieh (in French). CIDIHCA France. ISBN 978-2-491035-07-5.
• Nadal-Gardère, Marie-José; Bloncourt, Gérald (1986). La Peinture Haïtienne - Haitian Arts. Translated by Bell, Elizabeth. Paris: Éditions Nathan. ISBN 9782091615011.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Lundahl, Mats; Saint-Jean, Louis Carl (2012). Issa El Saieh : Maëstro and Legend. Montréal: Les Éditions du CIDIHCA. ISBN 978-2-89454-321-4.
- ^ a b Hattenbach, Anthony (2005). Stars Over Haiti: A True Story. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 17–18. ISBN 1-59752-261-9.
- ^ Diederich, Bernard, ed. (October 22, 1950). "La Belle Creole Opens New Store". Haiti Sun. p. 1. Retrieved January 9, 2025 – via Digital Library of the Caribbean, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.
- ^ Corvington, Georges (1991). Port-au-Prince au cours des ans. La ville contemporaine 1934-1950 (in French). Vol. VII. Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Imprimerie Henri Deschamps. p. 220.
- ^ a b Diederich, Bernard, ed. (December 2, 1951). "Today Fashionable "Le Perchoir" Opens". Haiti Sun. pp. 1, 3, 12. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Digital Library of the Caribbean, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.
- ^ a b Saint-Jean, Louis Carl (February 24, 2020). "Un débat enrichissant sur la contribution des artistes à la musique haïtienne..." Port Salut Magazine (in French). Retrieved January 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Saint-Jean, Louis Carl (February 10, 2005). "Le décès d'Issa El Saieh: un colosse est tombé". Le Nouvelliste (Haiti) (in French).
- ^ "Raoul Guillaume". Bravo! (Supplément mensuel du journal Le Nouvelliste). No. 9. March 2002.
- ^ Louis Carl Saint-Jean interview with Billy Taylor - October 11, 2005
- ^ Diederich, Bernard, ed. (October 1, 1950). "Hayti's No. 1 Orchestra Leader EL SAIEH has quit the public eye". Haiti Sun. p. 10. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Digital Library of the Caribbean, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.
- ^ a b Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "Issa El Saïeh and his Orchestra". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "The Belle Creole Group". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "La Belle Creole Trio". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "Bebo Valdes and his rythm". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "Rodolphe Legros and his Ibo Lele Group". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "Budd Johnson and the Le Perchoir Group". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Mirtil, Emmanuel (2006–2025). "Webert Sicot and the Cabane Choucoune Ensemble". Musiques d'Haïti - Musiques haïtiennes - Une anthologie comme j'en rêvais (in French). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Issa of Haiti Art Gallery on rue du Quai". Haiti Sun. April 16, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via Digital Library of the Caribbean, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.
- ^ Gould Stoddart, Veronica (September–October 1987). "Where the buys are". Caribbean Travel and Life. p. 65.
- ^ a b Williams, Sheldon (1969). "5". Voodoo and the Art of Haiti. Nottingham: Morland Lee Ltd. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-0234778159.
- ^ Cobb, Charles E., Jr (November 1987). "Haiti against all odds". National Geographic. Vol. 172, no. 5. pp. 664–665.
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