Diane

One of the more interesting and random recordings of Sidney Bechet from the late 1930s, this rendition of a Haitian meringue classic, "Diane." It indicates that Bechet and his fellow African-American musicians (Willie the Lion Smith, etc.) were cognizant of Haitian music and must have either heard performances of Haitian music or perhaps had access to sheet music. "Diane" was composed by a leader of the Musique du Palais, Luc Jean-Baptiste, and this may be the earliest recording of the song. It could very well be the case that Haitian musicians in Europe introduced pieces like "Diane" to African American musicians. For instance, Bertin Salnave did claim to have met Bechet. Unfortunately for jazz lovers, Bechet did not improvise on his Haitian recordings, but they're useful testaments to how Haitian popular music of the 1930s may have sounded. Besides this, there's a few recordings of Francois Alexis Guignard's group and the Lomax recordings of urban bands. Indeed, some of the Haitian songs recorded by Bechet and company sound a bit like Surprise Jazz.