“We want to go blow out the candles with them! »

What do Raymonde, in her late sixties, Jean-Luc, 67, Boris, 31, and Pierre-Yves, 46, have in common? ? Everyone will be this Saturday evening at Zéhypr, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Blue Stars. None of them could have missed the event, because they are, to different degrees, « fanatik Blue Stars ».

Although it began to be heard in 1969, the group was, in reality, born a year earlier. « It was a group of high school friends »likes to point out Yves Nugent, head of musical training. « Il y avait Henri Néron, José Chong-Wa, Victor Nugent, Antonio Jean-Charles, Victor Clet, Georges Glennie, Jocelyn Lapompe-Paironne et me, Yves Nugent. » Variety orchestra, the group plays everything. On the carnival side, he does performances for private individuals but also a lot of videos. In 1995, he moved from this street carnival to a dance hall.

Raymonde Lafontaine has not forgotten this arrival at Nana's house. « Since that moment, I have been a fan ! The musicians are complete, they know how to play everything. It really is MY orchestra. » Raymonde loves the Blue Stars so much that she called on them for several of her birthdays : « My 50th birthday, my 55th birthday, my 65th birthday. I already know it will be them for the next 70 ! » Fanatic, but not exclusive, Raymonde still called on the Patrons for her 60th birthday… but not without the Blue Stars : « I had both ! »

Raymonde follows the group in all its events : « I went on a joint trip with them, I went on a cruise too… When they left Nana, I went to Polina with them…I really liked Nana, but Polina is a very pleasant place. Today, the Blue Stars is also my family orchestra. My children, my brothers and sisters : everyone loves them. » This evening, Raymonde, her sister Colette and her gossip Victoire will of course be at Zéphyr so as not to miss anything.

I went on a joint trip with them, I went on a cruise too… When they left Nana, I went to Polina with them

Right in front of the stage, Jean-Luc Jason will be there. « My ticket has been there for three weeks »he indicates. “ I have reduced mobility now, but I continue to follow them, to support them. » Like Raymonde, Jean-Luc is also a fan from the start. « 55 years is not 5 years ! If the public is there after all these years, it's because there is quality in each release. To me, this group is a small industry and each person from the oldest to the youngest is in control. I have already attended rehearsals : we see that there is a lot of work. » And Jean-Luc cites the qualities of the members of the group : « Victor Clet, a hard worker beyond the singer/host, experienced young people like Karim Weimert, Gilles Gibus, Kenny Ho-York-Krui who know how to read music, Claudy Neillette who has heart on stage… »

For me this group is a small industry

Jean-Luc also likes « Madame Denon's costumes, the seriousness of the group, their endurance because they play for seven hours straight… » Phew ! We would lose our breath listing everything. So the fan has a sentence to sum up his point : « Blue stars work for Guyanese music, beyond carnival ».

Boris Zulémaro is a bit like the Obelix of the Blue Stars: he is “fell in when he was little”. Here, no magic cauldron, like for the comic book character, but perhaps a little magic potion all the same. “When I was a child, I watched the show Fouyaya by Léodate Saïbou. I loved the music, the atmosphere… When I turned 18 and went to the carnival halls, I chose to go to Nana's, for the Blue Stars. »

If the group plays in a shack I go there. If it's in a tent, I'm there too

Boris Zulémaro

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The 31-year-old admits that many of his friends made fun of him : « I was told that it was the dance hall of “grown-up people” however, I think that at Nana's house there were also young people ! » Over the years, and Boris is very proud of it, he has managed to “ to convert » some of his friends. Is it because the group changed venue ? Not for Boris. « My orchestra is the Blue Stars. If the group plays in a shack I go there. If it's in a tent, I'm there too. »

Yves Nugent has also noted this shift towards a younger audience, and not only because he looks at the faces of the dancers in the ballrooms. « In 2015, our audience wanted something different. Our music has become more jerky, more energetic, more dynamic. That’s what we were asked and we fell for the game. »

Pierre-Yves Carlier describes himself as a “ unconditional carnival fan for around fifteen years and de facto fan of the Blue Stars, the current flagship group “. He shares Yves Nugent's opinion and believes that over the past ten years, all groups have evolved their songs. « Before, they were very long. I remember counting : once, the pike of Magic Potion lasted 13 minutes ! However, this is not something that I am particularly looking for and I believe that neither is the public. »

Highlighting the contribution of new generations to the group, Pierre-Yves emphasizes those who arrived before « We don't pay enough tribute to the compositions of Richard Raisin which made the Blue Stars famous. I am also a huge fan of Claudy Neillette’s compositions. What Vanessa Bafau composes also brings something.» This tribute to the current members but also to those of the group's past, Pierre-Yves Carlier will continue to do so. He has just finished a biography of Victor Clet which should be in all bookstores before the end of year holidays. « There will be 200 pages which will speak, through him, of the history of the group, of the carnival but also of Guyana. »

We often see our parents or our brothers and sisters, yet we go to their birthday !

Tonight, the Blue Stars have planned some of the songs they play during the carnival, but not only. And for those who might think that it is not necessarily necessary to go and celebrate one more birthday with them, Pierre-Yves has a good reason : « We often see our parents or our brothers and sisters, yet we go to their birthday ! Even if we see them regularly, we want to go blow out the candles with them ! »