Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2018 | Page 284

About the name "Ti Orkest" and its
meaning
The band was looking for a description of itself
to use as a name, to present to the public. At any
given point in time, we are at least nine members
strong on a stage, though the core membership
stands at seven.
Ti Orkest translates to "Little Orchestra" in
English but we left the name in our native
Creole language. It resonates with our French
and English audiences and with the genres of
music that we play, inclusive of our original
compositions.
About their musical influences
Each individual member, is influenced by
different people and bands. We have very
different personal styles, however as a band, we
are strongly influenced by many groups from our
island who helped establish and promote our
native music. Just to name a few: Grammacks,
Midnight Groovers, and Belles Combo, as well
as bands like The Wailers and Steele Pulse, and
artists like Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Aretha
Franklin. It’s amazing to see where inspiration can
come from.
About where they perform
While we have never done any international
tour or cruise as an entire group, the majority
of our individual members have ventured all
over the world, either with each other, or with
other groups to perform. We take that as an
opportunity to share individual experiences to
help discover possible markets, and to recant how
infectious Dominica’s music is and how it invokes
feelings of joy and excitement.