Saxophonist and composer Jacques Ardouin Chancy, alias "Doudou" died of a heart failure on Sunday, September 16, 2012 at Brasserie Creole, Queens NY, during a live performance with the Kompa group "Impresyon". He was 53 years old.

He will be remembered as a loving father, a great musician and a talented sax player. Foremost, this wonderful artist will be remembered as a community mentor for children through his project JACAM, a program created in Haiti to teach music to underprivileged children.

The saxophonist was known for his charismatic personality and his dedication to music. In the NYC area, he was the Haitian community's favorite saxophonist. He has worked as a music teacher in the East Windsor Regional School District in New-Jersey. His academic background consisted of a B.S. in Music Education and a M.S. in Public Administration. He's survived by four children as well as a grandchild.

Jacques Chancy's availability for collaborative project made him one of the more sought after saxophone player in the Haitian music industry (HMI). He was first noticed on the Compas scene in 1980 when he joined the group Skah-Shah d'Haiti under the leadership of the great composer, Arsène Appolon. His lines were remarkably smooth and balanced with dynamic solos that clearly delineate his playing from his more famous brother, the well known saxophonist Georges Loubert Chancy. Ironically, one of Loubert's most popular songs is also titled: "Doudou". His team spirit lead him to play with Tuco Bouzi's Dixie Band. He recorded the album "Malouines" (1982) with the group. He played with Bossa Combo with which he recorded"Arrosoire" in 1985 and "Deuxieme Independence" in 1987. The list would not be incomplete without counting his solo work. Jacques Chancy released two albums as a leader. They are "Cry for Freedom" and Souvenir Dantan".

But what made this musician so interesting to our view, at Karijazz, is the interest he had showed many times, for what we considered as the "avant-garde" Haitian music that started to develop during the seventies. His experimental musical journey began with PICORANAYA, a funky style group, created in 1978, alongside Denis Emile (Composer, Arranger, Educator), Chico Boyer (Bass), Fred Daniel (Guitar), Carlo Louis (Guitar), Sergo Jean Noel (Singer), just to name a few. He also drew from Compas and Jazz music with the curiosity to come up with a more defined roots sound.

He later joined Wilfred Lavaud (Guitarist-Composer and Singer), Chico Boyer (Bass), Robert Bernadotte (Drums) and Nasser Jean-Baptiste (Tambour) to create the roots group "SA". This exceptional band made its first appearance in Arcahaie on January 1st, 1980, followed by three other remarkable appearances in other venues such as La Salle St-Louis (Les Cayes), Institut Francais d'Haiti and Rex Theatre (Port-au-Prince). This attempt set the stage for what we call "Mizik Rasin". This bold and advanced concept is considered by most people as the first step toward a musical revolution that gave roots music a voice of its own and put the Haitian musical experience on the pathway of the so-called Kreyòl Jazz.

Karl Joseph
September 18, 2012