Dadou Pasquet: A Monument Fades, a Legacy to Preserve

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— Haitian music has just lost one of its greatest architects. André «Dadou» Pasquet, a virtuoso guitarist, co-founder of the legendary Magnum Band, and a major figure in compas, passed away on November 22, 2025, in the United States, at the age of 72, after a long illness. This loss plunges Haiti and the diaspora into deep emotion, as his artistic influence marked more than half a century of musical creation. Born on August 19, 1953, in Port-au-Prince, Dadou Pasquet first played with the group Tabou Combo in the 1970s, before co-founding Magnum Band with his brother Tico in 1976, a group that became emblematic of modern compas. A guitarist of rare finesse, he developed an immediately recognizable style: elegant melodic phrases, technical fluidity, and a warm tone blending traditional konpa, jazz, funk, and blues. This signature gave birth to what music lovers and specialists still call the “Magnum touch.” Among his most notable compositions are Pike Devan, Monica, Nadia, Jehovah, Lajan, and Expérience, which are now considered classics of Haitian music. A Transgenerational and Transnational Influence «Dadou Pasquet was not just a brilliant guitarist; he was a cultural ambassador. His tours in Haiti, the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean largely contributed to making compas known beyond national borders,» emphasized Michel Joanel, a konpa direct radio host. «His music touched new generations as well as the Haitian diaspora settled in Miami, New York, or Paris,» he continued. According to several analysts, Dadou is among the artists who modernized konpa without altering its soul, injecting imagination, rigor, and sophistication into his arrangements. Many of today's Haitian guitarists claim his direct influence on their learning and style. A Cultural Legacy Turned Heritage In their reactions, cultural institutions and personalities from the art world emphasize the heritage dimension of his work. The Haitian Ministry of Culture refers to «the loss of a compas giant whose music is now an integral part of the country's cultural identity.» Furthermore, at the instigation of the Ministry of Culture and Communication and music lovers living in the diaspora, a vigil was held in Miami in homage to Dadou with the participation of several artists. How to Preserve His Memory? The death of Dadou Pasquet opens up a vast project for the preservation of his work, all the more crucial as Haitian musical archives are often fragile. Several points are to be considered:

1. Safeguard and digitize his catalog:
   Restore recordings, concerts, and audiovisual archives to ensure their lasting availability for future generations.
2. Institute regular tributes:
   Festivals, thematic concerts, guitar awards, or art scholarships in his name are all ways to celebrate and transmit his contribution.
3. Integrate his work into music education:
   Music schools, conservatories, and workshops should study his compositions and playing style, as is already done for other masters of the genre.
4. Document his journey:
   Biographies, documentaries, exhibitions, and testimonies from artists who collaborated with him could form an essential body of work for Haitian cultural memory.
5. Promote compas as heritage:
   Several cultural actors advocate for international recognition of compas as intangible heritage, an approach that would strengthen the place of figures like Dadou in world cultural history.

Farewell to a Genius Whose Work Will Not Fade The passing of Dadou Pasquet marks the end of an era, that of the pioneers who shaped modern compas and accompanied the social, political, and artistic transformations of the Haitian nation. But it also recalls the responsibility to transmit and protect what artists like him built for over fifty years. His legacy extends beyond the musical sphere: it touches the collective memory of a people, its history, and its relationship with the diaspora. Magnum Band, under Dadou's impetus, forged a link between several generations, reinventing compas while remaining faithful to its roots. His work, for its part, will continue to resonate. On stages, in studios, in collective memory, and especially in the hearts of all those who, in Haiti and elsewhere, once danced, loved, or hoped to the sound of his guitar. Jean Mapou