Jean-Marc Monnerville, better known as Kali, was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique in 1956. After traveling to Paris to study music in the 1970s, Kali returned to Martinique, where he played in a number of local bands, including 6ème Continent (Sixth Continent), which fused the traditional folk music of Martinique with reggae. Kali ultimately decided to pursue a solo career, focusing on the banjo-driven swing of beguine. Biguine, which experienced international fame in the 1930s and was immortalized in the 1938 Cole Porter song “Begin the Beguine,” is rooted in the folkloric bèlè dance with added touches of European ballroom dances such as mazurkas and quadrilles as well as New Orleans jazz swing.
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