I can’t remember the last time I attended a Le Grand Nord event. Then the flyer arrived, and one name changed my plans immediately: Lakol Mizik Majik.
The moment I saw the band on the lineup; I made my hotel reservation. I had heard too many stories about Lakol Mizik Majik, and I had built real relationships with many of its musicians over the years. This was not a night I wanted to hear about afterward.
The Flyer That Brought Me Back to Le Grand Nord
A flyer can be easy to scroll past, especially when life gets busy and events come around every year. This one stopped me because Lakol Mizik Majik was part of it. For someone who had followed Haitian music for years, that name carried a certain weight.
I had heard people speak about the band’s musicianship, its history, and the people who came through its ranks. Still, hearing stories and seeing a group perform live are two different things. I wanted to see how those relationships, memories, and musical influences would sound on one stage.
Le Grand Nord has always had a special place for people connected to northern Haiti. It brings together families, friends, music lovers, and members of the diaspora who may only see each other once a year. That reunion feeling was already in the air before the first musician stepped onstage.
The event also had a broader purpose. Hervé Bastien, who spearheads the annual gathering, used the occasion to recognize successful people from Haiti’s North who have left their mark on Haitian society. The music gave the night its pulse, but the celebration of community gave it its heart.
Why Lakol D.Haiti Felt Different From a Regular Concert
Lakol Mizik Majik did not feel like an ordinary addition to a concert bill. The band’s appearance carried the feeling of a reunion, especially for people who remembered the musicians’ earlier work and followed their careers after the group.
Many Haitian music fans know how quickly a good band can become part of their personal soundtrack. A song can bring back a party, a road trip, a family gathering, or a moment from a different chapter of life. Lakol brought that kind of expectation into the room.
I was curious about the original material, but I also looked forward to hearing how the band would approach songs connected to other major names in Haitian music. The musicians had each taken different path, yet they were coming together under the Lakol name.
A Personal Connection to the Haitian Music Scene
My interest in Lakol was also personal because I had met or built relationships with many of the people connected to the band. Over the years, Haitian music events created opportunities to talk, laugh, share memories, and watch artists grow beyond one group or one season.
Those connections included Jean Max Valcourt and Perin Joseph through the years with Phantoms. I also knew Arly Lariviere through Nu Look, Shedly Abraham through Djaz La and Vayb, and Nuxon Mesidor through Klass.
That history did not make me less critical of the performance. It made the trip more meaningful. I was not only attending an event. I was watching musicians whose work I had followed across different stages of Haitian music.
Meet the Lakol D.Haiti Musicians Behind the Sound
The Lakol Mizik Majik story is closely tied to the musicians who shaped its sound and later built careers in other important bands. Their roles may differ from one performance to another, but the names connected to Lakol show the level of talent that moved through the group.
A band can have good songs, but it needs musicians who understand timing, space, and how to support one another. Lakol’s lineup brought together players and vocalists with experience across several corners of the Haitian music industry.
The Rhythm and Instrumental Team
Jean Max Valcourt brought keyboard experience shaped by his years with Phantoms. Perin Joseph, also connected with Phantoms, carried the low end on bass. Those two musicians shared a history that gave the band’s sound a familiar musical foundation.
Arly Lariviere, known widely through Nu Look, added keyboard work and a recognizable musical presence. Shedly Abraham brought his drums and his background with Djaz La and Vayb. Nuxon Mesidor, later known through Klass, added another strong bass connection to the group.
Alphonse Patrick Duret led the band on guitar. His role required more than playing chords or taking a solo. A bandleader has to guide the pace, read the room, and keep the musicians focused when the arrangement moves in a new direction.
Evens Joachim added the bright, sharp sound of the gong, while Frantz Moncher worked the congas. In Haitian dance music, those details matter. The drums establish the drive, but percussion gives a song its movement and its texture.
Lakol Mizik Majik’s strength came from musicians who understood how to play as a unit.
The Voices That Complete the Performance
Delly Francois and Elliott Alouidor carried lead-vocal duties, while Kettlye Adams supported the sound with background vocals. A strong lead singer brings a song forward, but the supporting voices help make the chorus feel larger and warmer.
That balance matters when a band moves between original songs and familiar covers. Lead vocals carry the story, while background vocals give the audience a place to join in. The best moments often come when the crowd starts answering back.
What Made the Lakol Mizik Majik Performance Worth the Trip
The performance justified the hotel reservation. I came in with high expectations because of the people onstage, yet the night had its own personality once the music began.
The group did not rush into the set. Lakol opened with an intro that gave the musicians room to settle into the sound before moving into “Unissons-nous,” a DP Express song. That opening choice was fitting because it set the night in a Haitian musical tradition that reaches across generations.
The original songs created a different kind of experience. Some audience members, including me, were hearing much of that material without the comfort of knowing every lyric or cue. A few longtime Lakol supporters knew the songs and sang along, which made their connection to the band easy to see.
The Musicians Who Stood Out on Stage
The keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, gong, and congas worked as a conversation rather than a competition. Each part had its place, and the rhythms kept the set moving even when the crowd was less familiar with an original selection.
Arly Lariviere’s presence stood out whenever the band moved into music associated with Nu Look. His voice and musical identity are familiar to many fans, so the audience responded as soon as those sounds entered the set.
Meanwhile, the rhythm section gave the group its footing. Bass lines held the songs together, while the drums and percussion kept the dance-floor pulse alive. The guitar and keyboards filled the spaces without crowding the singers.
The Energy Between Lakol Mizik Majik and the Crowd
The response shifted as the set moved between original songs and covers. During the lesser-known material, people watched closely and listened. However, familiar songs changed the energy right away.
When the audience recognized a melody, people sang, cheered, and moved with more freedom. That reaction did not take away from the originals. It showed how memory works at a Haitian concert. Fans often need only a few notes to reconnect with a song they have carried for years.
Many of the musicians associated with Lakol went on to successful careers. Seeing them together made the band’s caliber clear. They were not simply talented individuals sharing a stage. They had built enough musical trust to make a reunion feel natural.
The Songs That Moved the Set Forward
After the intro and “Unissons-nous,” Lakol played original selections including “Pil Ou Fas,” “Meditation,” “Yon Melodi,” and “Soley Te Fin Kouche.” The band also performed “Bolero,” a Septentrional cover.
For those who knew Lakol’s earlier material, these songs offered a chance to revisit music that did not always get the same exposure as later hits from bigger bands. For the rest of us, the set offered a chance to hear where some of these musicians had been before their later careers took off.
The crowd came alive in a bigger way during the covers. “Loving You” from Nu Look drew the strongest participation, especially because Maestro Arly Lariviere sang it. The room knew that song, and the reaction showed it.
Lakol also performed “Vision,” a cover associated with Super Star Mizik Machine. Familiar songs created a bridge between the musicians and the audience. Even people who did not know every Lakol original could still feel part of the show.
Arly Lariviere and Richie: An Awkward but Meaningful Moment
The biggest non-musical moment came when Richie presented Arly Lariviere with a plaque from the organizers. On paper, it was a simple presentation. In the room, it felt more complicated.
Usually, the presenter stays next to the honoree for a photo after handing over an award. Richie stepped back and sat down soon after giving Arly the plaque. His body language made the moment feel awkward, as if he was not fully comfortable standing in the spotlight beside him.
Arly responded with humility. He asked Richie for forgiveness if he had ever done or said anything that caused offense in the past. He also asked the audience to use the moment as a reminder that Haitians should unite around bigger causes.
Richie kept his comments personal. He spoke about his respect for Arly’s talent and his contributions to the Haitian music industry. He also praised Arly for remembering his roots and joining an old bandmate for such a meaningful reunion.
Arly has appeared humbler in public lately, and that was clear during his remarks. Only he knows what sits behind that change. Still, the words he chose that night encouraged respect and reconciliation.
A Night Worth Reserving a Hotel For
The night ended sooner than many people hoped. The late start, tied to the Argentina versus Switzerland World Cup game, left Klass with time for only three songs before the event had to close.
Even so, Le Grand Nord delivered a memorable annual gathering. Lakol D.Haiti gave the audience music, history, and a reunion of artists whose careers have touched Phantoms, Nu Look, Vayb, Klass, Djaz La, and more.
That flyer was enough to bring me back, and the experience proved it was the right decision. For anyone who loves Haitian live music, Lakol Mizik Majik at Le Grand Nord was the kind of night that stays with you long after the final song.
