Kassav - Short biography

Kassav, a West Indian Creole word meaning “cassava” is a zouk band from Martinique and Guadeloupe formed in 1979. The original members of the band were Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux (deceased), Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Éloi ( deceased), Jean-Claude Naïmro, and Georges Décimus (who is no longer part of the group) along with some other members, who remained a short time in the group.

The total number of albums (in LP and/or CD form) released by the band is approximately 30.

Kassav was created in 1979 by Pierre-Édouard Décimus, a professional musician who, together with Freddy Marshall, decided to transform the carnival music of Martinique and Guadeloupe into a more modern style.

The band was the first to emerge as a pioneer of zouk. Their sound became "pan-Caribbean", encompassing elements of reggae and salsa. Their first album, Love and Ka Dance (1980), established what would come to be known as zouk. The group became increasingly popular, reaching its peak in 1985 with the album Yélélé, which featured the hit “Zouk la sé sèl médickaman nou ni”. With this song, the group spread their music across Latin America, Africa and also Europe and even countries in Asia, also popularizing the zouk dance.