Description
Tchaka is one of the most popular meals in Haitian cuisine. It’s a “melting pot” – a tasty mélange of different food products such as corn, beans with pork, and crustaceans. Likewise, Haitian folklore consists of a huge variety of rhythms and dances that when mixed together give birth to extraordinary works. Bon appétit and happy listening!
Jazz band arrangement now available: Tchaka for Jazz Band!
Translation of Haitian Creole text:
Turn up the fire! We are going to eat tchaka!
Turn up the fire, stir up the corn, don’t forget the salt pork,
We are going to eat a delicious tchaka.
We are going to cook up a mind-blowing stew.
At the sound of the three drums, everyone yells out hurray.
If we join together we can all move forward.
Let us enmesh in lovely harmony
A delicious homemade stew, a musical tchaka.
It’s a delicious homemade stew, a national tchaka,
A delicious homemade stew…
Turn up the fire! Turn up the fire!
*Yanvalou, Kontredans, Rabòday are amazing.
Roots music, oh yes, that’s good stuff.
Let’s stick together; side by side we can move forward.
Turn up the fire! Turn up the fire! The tchaka is cooking…
Click Here for complete text and English Translation
Click Here Traducción al Español
Recordings
Tchaka recording 1:
University of Oregon Chamber Choir
Sharon Paul, conductor
June 1, 2018
Tchaka recording 2:
Tesoro High School Madrigals
Keith Hancock, conductor
Western ACDA Conference (West coast premiere)
Pasadena, CA – February 25, 2016
Tchaka recording 3:
Cal State Long Beach – Bob Hope School of Music
Jonathan Talberg, conductor
Tchaka recording 4:
Robinson Secondary School Singers
Michael T. Horanski, conductor
Tchaka recording 5:
World Premiere by the WVACDA All-State High School Chamber Choir
Dr. Kym Scott, conductor
Charleston, West Virginia
January 30, 2016
Perusal Score
Performance Videos
Practice Tracks