Elder Edward Babb (seated center) with The McCollough Sons of Thunder

One of the less recognized, but highly influential musical forms, the shout band is a tradition deeply rooted in the African-American church which quickly gained wider recognition in wider circles. The McCollough ensemble features an all brass instrumentation with accompanying bass drum and cymbals rounding out the sound. A gospel choir and marching band all rolled into one, the McCollough shout band replaces human voices with brass while maintaining gospel music's choral harmonies and dramatic presentation.

At age 13, Edward Babb was gifted a pawnshop trombone from a family friend. He never took music lessons and never learned to read music. Despite his lack of formal training, he earned the coveted position as leader of McCollough at the early age of 18. As the youngest member of the band, he composed songs through melodies heard in his head, hummed those melodies into a tape recorder and mentally arranged them for each instrument of the band. He still uses this method to transcribe his music-- a testament to his prodigious musical abilities.

Elder Babb has received national notoriety from performing at Carnegie Hall to The White House, and international acclaim through taking his band across the world from Morocco to Australia. In 1997, Elder Edward Babb was awarded the highest honor the United States of America bestows upon any traditional artist, The National Heritage Fellowship Award, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts.  

Daniel Moise demonstrates djouba dance, accompanied by Jean-Mary Brignol and friends on drums at VST's "Konbit Zaka" program, May 2014 at the Flatbush Public Library.

Verite Sou Tanbou, was honored to receive an award from New York's Haitian community "for outstanding and dedicated service to Haitian culture," from Haitian dancer/dance educator/ choreographer par excellence,  

Peniel Guerrier and Kriye Bode, the annual symposium on Haitian dance which Mr. Guerrier founded and which his dance students organize and perform. VST is a dialogic partnership between CTMD staff and Haitian community leaders and traditional artists. 

Since 2011, VST's planning group members have produced three seasons of educational Haitian traditional music and dance programs for New York's Haitian community and the general public. In the 2012 season VST (then known as Ayiti Fasafas) presented Louvri Baryè: Opening the Gates, a three-part concert series celebrating Haitian traditional singing, drumming, and dance in New York City. The series showcased 18 local Haitian singers at South Oxford Space in Brooklyn. At Roulette, the group partnered with La Troupe Makandal to support a great gathering of Haitian drummers and musicians who paid tribute to the life of NEA National Heritage Fellow Frisner Augustin (a master Vodou drummer who passed away unexpectedly in February 2012). Finally, the Initiative gathered together five of New York's best Haitian traditional dance/music ensembles in a program honoring Haitian dance pioneer Jean-Léon Destiné, in collaboration with El Museo del Barrio, in July 2012.

Highlights from our 2013 season include a tribute to renowned New York Vodou priestess (manbo) Mama Lola, featuring the Haitian roots music ensemble KONGO, led by Oneza Lafontant, and other Haitian dancers, drummers, and singers, and the One Island: Two Houses symposium, in partnership with City Lore and St. Francis College, on Haitian rara, Dominican gaga, and these musics' socio-historical context. VST's 2014 series theme was Vodou Is Nature! The final program in this series was a djouba dance workshop/ drumming session accompanied by short lecture presentations about environmental conservation, herbal/medicinal plant lore, and Kouzen Zaka, the Haitian spirit of farm workers and agriculture.  

Oneza Lafontant of KONGO sets up a display of foods associated with Kouzen Zaka, the lwa (spirit) of farmers and agriculture, at VST's Konbit Zaka program in May.

Verite Sou Tanbou currently plans another three-part series of performative workshops in 2015 that will continue to educate about the African roots of Haitian traditional arts and culture. The proposed series title is Jete Dlo (Libation), with workshops on the social and ceremonial roles of singers, drummers, and dancers in Haitian culture. VST moves forward into its next season with a deep appreciation for the Kriye Bode award, and the vote of confidence from the Haitian community which the award signifies.                             --Eileen Condon, Ph.D.