Kendall man on mission to remind world of late uncle’s talent for guitar playing

 

by BY CHRISTINA MAYO

Paying tribute to a lost loved one can weigh heavily on our hearts. But Kendall resident Yanatha Desouvre has made it his mission to help the world know and remember his guitarist uncle and godfather, Daniel Coulanges, who died in 1989 at 28 of HIV/AIDS complications.

“Imagine the musicians Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, or Amy Winehouse, who all died at a very young age, had some rare unheard creative works that were never shared with the world. What would you do to get that music to the world?” Desouvre said in email.

He last saw his godfather 27 years ago when Desouvre was an 11-year-old boy. Coulanges, was a classical Haitian guitarist, “like his award-winning, world-renowned accomplished older brother Amos Coulanges.” Another uncle in the musical family, Nito Coulanges, was in the Haitian gospel band, Echo Mysteriuex.

Desouvre discovered his late godfather’s music through its remarkable journey to him.

A video of Daniel Coulanges playing “Killing Me Softly” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” traveled from New York to Paris to Miami.

“My Uncle Amos Coulanges said, ‘Nephew, someone told me they have a recording of Daniel playing guitar at a college in Staten Island, New York.’ He told me as soon as he gets it he’ll send me a copy,” Desouvre said.

“I received a gift I will never forget,” he said. “I opened the international package and silence filled the room. I put the DVD in my computer and with each guitar string my godfather plucked I cried and cried. My godfather was speaking directly to me with each note.”

“He died on April 30, 1989, two years before Magic Johnson made his announcement, and never had an opportunity to share his talent with the world, until now,” Desouvre said.

In the grainy video (https://youtu.be/nnX9-VhPtMY), Coulanges also plays a stunning classical guitar adaption of “Ne Me Quitte Pas” by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.

Desouvre is trying to raise $1,358 through Indiegogo to have the recordings remastered.

He is also trying to raise awareness about HIV testing through the project. Desouvre is a prolific author. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, grew up in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, and now lives in Kendall with his wife and three children. Another is on the way. He works at the University of Miami.

He said he remembers his godfather in the Brooklyn apartment. He remembers him playing guitar and he said he does not want to throw away his chance to share that music with the world.

“My wife and I named our second daughter Danielle after my godfather. She shares his drive, ambition and sense of humor,” he said.

As for the recording, he said, “I managed to extract the audio from the video performances. I plan to get the songs mastered and produced so we may share this sentimental musical and video project with the world titled, ‘Daniel Coulanges — World's Finest — Live in New York’ because that was how the host introduced my godfather.”

He relates to and quotes “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the words in Miranda’s Tony acceptance speech: “Nothing here is promised, not one day.”

“I strongly agree with Lin-Manuel Miranda. I also believe since we all only have just one life to live we must all live that life to the fullest,” Desouvre said. “This is a story of how a nephew/godson wants to honor the legacy of his musically gifted late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges. That nephew/godson is me.”

Desouvre is planning to release the album for his godfather in January.

“After the album is produced all the proceeds from that album will create a fund to establish and finance a not-for-profit center called Daniel Coulanges Center for Arts, Technology, and Business where there will be workshops and classes for anyone who wants to learn the business of the art that they are passionate about,” Desouvre said.

Yanatha Desouvre Hopes to Raise HIV Awareness With Album of Lost Footage From His Late Uncle

Kendall Man Hopes to Raise HIV Awareness With Album of Lost Footage From His Late Uncle

By Jessica Lipscomb

courtesy of Yanatha Desouvre

On a stage in Staten Island almost 30 years ago, a host grabbed the mike and announced the next performer, a Haitian classical guitarist.

"One of the world's finest guitarists, Daniel Coulanges," he said. "Please welcome Mr. Coulanges."

Wearing a charcoal-gray suit and a black bow tie, Coulanges took a seat on a black piano bench against a backdrop of verdant treetops. Without further ado, he moved his fingers up and down the neck of his guitar, strumming out the chords of "Killing Me Softly."

Coulanges died of AIDS shortly after the performance, in 1989. His godson and nephew Yanatha Desouvre says he wept when he saw footage of the Staten Island performance for the first time earlier this year. Now, Desouvre, a Kendall resident who works in IT at the University of Miami, is raising money to have the audio remastered and released to honor his uncle's legacy and encourage people to get tested for HIV.

Desouvre says another uncle sent him the DVD of Coulanges' performance this past April. He was instantly flooded with childhood memories of growing up in Brooklyn and enjoying visits from Uncle Daniel. 

"I have a wife and three kids at home, so it's normally really loud. But when I popped in the video, it got quiet," he says. "I saw my godfather alive, and with every guitar string that he plucked, I started crying and crying and crying. He talked to me through the music, and I couldn't hold it in. I was like, I gotta do something with this."

Desouvre remembers spending Sunday afternoons with his uncle watching kung fu movies and soccer games in Spanish, because the commentary was more exciting that way. As a boy, he remembers his uncle cutting his hair in the living room and listening raptly as his uncle played guitar. 

"The house was full of music," Desouvre says. "Music is in my DNA."

Photo courtesy of Yanatha Desouvre

Desouvre was only 11 years old when he learned that his Uncle Daniel had died. It was so sudden and his uncle so young — just 28 — that nothing about his death made sense. It wasn't until two years later when Desouvre found a piece of paper indicating his godfather had HIV/AIDS that his questions were answered. 

"We were told that he was sick and he died," Desouvre says. "It was the late '80s, and no one really talked about it. It was taboo."

Desouvre's mission is twofold: He hopes to encourage people to know their status but also to explore their passions and share their talents. 

"Miami, according to the statistics, in 2014 was number one for new cases of HIV and AIDS, so I want to encourage people to know your status and be able to live your life to the fullest. If you're negative, that's great, and if you're positive, there's medicine that can help you live a fulfilled life," he says. "My uncle didn't get a chance to live a full life, and that's why I'm doing this. I want the music to be out in the world and encourage others to live life."