Tico Pasquet was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He grew up in a very large and very musical family.
On his mother’s side, the family name is Legros, closely linked with music. On his father’s side, the Pasquet name carries its own musical weight. Among his many brothers and sisters, several also became musicians.
His brother Dadou Pasquet would later become his lifelong musical partner. Another brother, Carlo Pasquet, not only played music, but is the one who gave the band its name, Magnum Band.
As a child in Port-au-Prince, Tico first played tanbou (traditional drum).
He played in a neighborhood group called La Belle Étoile, beating the drums for small theatrical parties where young women danced in the yard. He never “studied” percussion in a formal way. He describes it as something that simply came naturally.
In 1967, while still very young, Tico left Haiti with his mother and his brother Dadou and moved to New York. He completed high school there and quickly became fully immersed in music. Those early years in New York shaped the direction of his life, reinforcing his commitment to becoming a professional musician.
After high school, there was no college for him. Music took over his life completely.
Gypsies, Frères de Jean And A Generation Of Haitian Music
New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s was a key training ground for Tico. He played with several Haitian and Latin bands based in the city:
- With Raymond Sico at Casa Borinquen
- With a group called Baby Jazz
- With another band called Tropical
The big turning point came when Les Gypsies de Pétion-Ville arrived in New York in the early 1970s. Their drummer, Leslie DelaLeu, had suffered an accident and could not play. The club La Canne à Sucre needed a replacement drummer for that night’s show.
Someone had Tico’s home phone number. They called him and asked if he could “save” the concert.
Tico did not know the band. He did not know the songs. He had never listened to their records. He ran upstairs in his building to some Haitian neighbors to quickly listen to a Gypsies record that had songs like “Vrai Bonheur.” He tried to memorize as much as he could.
By the time he reached the club, he had forgotten most of what he heard.
So he used a percussionist’s trick. He asked two band members, Mackedmé and Georges “Foufouy” Malval, to whisper the intro and the ending of each song in his ear.
“Blow the intro in my ear when we start, blow the ending when we are close to finishing. Leave the middle to me.”
The plan worked. The audience had no idea it was his first time with the band. Tico himself was not satisfied with his performance, but he saved the show.
Soon, he became Gypsies’ drummer and followed them back to Haiti.
They arrived in Haiti on 5 December 1972, and played their first major ball there on 23 December 1972 at Hôtel Montana.
It was the start of a beautiful era of respectful musical competition between bands like Gypsies and Les Difficiles. Competition existed, but it stayed respectful and never personal.
Later, Gypsies recorded an album called “La Tulipe” in New York. After that, circumstances and personal choices led to the band’s breakup.
Their last concert, a joint show with Les Difficiles at Le Lambi in Haiti, was both their first time playing together and Gypsies’ final performance. The musicians knew it was the end.
After Gypsies, Tico moved into another legendary group: Les Frères de Jean.
He admired them so much that he would sit in Le Lambi every Tuesday, at his table near the stage, just listening. That is where he fell in love with the song “La Foi (Je crois en toi)” from the album “Marina”.
One day, while he was around Cabane Créole on Ruelle Nazon and found-out Frères de Jean was recording the album Marina.
They had not yet recorded “La Foi.” Tico declared that he was the one who would play drums on that track. He already knew the music just by hearing it so many times at the club.
They let him do it. On the “Marina” album, “La Foi” is the only track where Tico plays drums. The rest are played by Hans Chérubin, the band’s official drummer.
Magnum Band: Birth Of A New Sound
The idea for Magnum Band was born in Brooklyn, in the basement where Tico lived on East Avenue.
The instruments from Gypsies were stored there. Musicians from different bands would come by for jam sessions.
Singers like Yvon Mon Désir from Tabou Combo and others would pass through. Out of those nightly jams grew the idea of forming a new band with its own sound and its own direction.
The core group would include:
- Tico Pasquet – drums and percussion
- Dadou Pasquet – guitar and vocals, coming from Tabou Combo
- Yvon Mon Désir – singer
- Wag Lalanne
- Michel Moïse
- Ti Claude Denize – guitar
- Carlo Pasquet – percussion and vocals, who also gave the band its name
- Another younger brother nicknamed Titi, who also played drums in early rehearsals
Tico is very clear about one principle:
“You can never truly do what you want inside someone else’s band. If you want to realize your own ideas, you must have your own group.”
Dadou left Tabou Combo in good faith, giving a three-month notice and even bringing Elysée Pyronneau to replace him.
There was no desire to hurt Tabou Combo. Tico insists that musicians are not supposed to attack other musicians.
Magnum Band officially took its first breath on 24 June 1976 in Miami, Florida. The inauguration show took place in a Masonic temple called “Âge de Noé.”
From that day, the story of Magnum began.
Forty-Eight Years Of Tours, Albums And Global Stages
It took three years after the band’s creation for Magnum to release its first album. In 1979, they released “Expérience”. They already had been playing the material live for some time, often sung first by Yvon Mon Désir, and then later recorded with singer Errol Fonrose.
Key albums and songs mentioned by Tico include:
- “Expérience” – first album (1979)
- “Jéhovah” – second album, with lyrics written by Yvon Mon Désir
- Songs such as “Liberté,” “Pa Ka Pala,” “Jéhovah,” “Achadé”
Members of Magnum had a background in Freemasonry, and some songs, like “Jéhovah” and “Achadé,” carry a clear spiritual tone. Tico explains that they have faith, they pray, and they use songs to send messages that bring people together.
As the band grew, Nestor Azerot joined and has now spent more than 40 years with Magnum. The band toured widely with Les Frères de Jean and as Magnum itself, playing in:
- Martinique
- Guadeloupe
- French Guiana
- Paris
- Canada
- Many cities in the United States, including Miami, New York, New Orleans, Baton Rouge
One of the proudest achievements in Tico’s eyes is Magnum Band’s performance at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
They were invited to represent Haiti at an event with global media coverage. They were initially scheduled for seven performances, but demand was so strong that they ended up doing eleven shows.
On television, Tico later watched CNN International broadcasting images of Magnum playing “Achadé” and “Expérience” with the Haitian flag behind them.
There was almost no support from Haiti’s Ministry of Culture. No travel assistance, no journalist sent to cover the band. The only help they received was a Haitian living abroad who gave them a Haitian flag to display.
Yet Tico still considers this Olympic moment the band’s greatest accomplishment, because it placed Haitian compas, and Magnum Band in particular, on a truly global stage.
In 2024, Magnum celebrated 48 years of existence with a major concert at the Casino de Paris on June 24. For Tico, that is proof that the band is still alive, still touring, and far from being a “retired” group.
Success Abroad, Frustration At Home: Promoters And Fair Play
Despite that long record of work, Tico feels that Magnum Band is often more celebrated abroad than inside the Haitian diaspora, especially in the United States.
He observes that:
- Many Haitian promoters each have three or four bands they consider “their” bands.
- When they organize festivals or big nights, they often book only those bands.
- Some bands even ask promoters directly not to include Magnum on the lineup.
Tico sees this as a serious problem.
“A musician is not born to hurt another musician. When you try to block someone else, you are also calling karma on yourself.”
He makes a distinction between a real “promotè” and what he calls a “fòmotè.”
A true promoter respects value and culture.
A “faux-promoter” only protects their small circle and refuses to open doors for others, even when those others have contributed a great deal to Haitian music.
For Tico, Magnum Band is an orchestra for everyone. The band does not discriminate and wants to play for all audiences. He believes there is space for every group, and excluding one band to favor another is unnecessary and harmful.
Technology is what keeps Magnum visible. Concerts like the 48th anniversary at Casino de Paris are seen worldwide because of YouTube and social media.
If it depended only on some Haitian media platforms and cultural journalists, many of these achievements would never be covered.
An Open Invitation: Dream Matchups And A Call To Promoters
When Tico talks about his dreams for the future, he does not speak about retirement. He speaks about sharing stages.
He would love to see Magnum paired with modern and established Haitian bands in strong, respectful “matchups,” for example:
- Magnum Band and Tabou Combo
- Magnum Band and T-Vice
- Magnum Band and Carimi
- Magnum Band and Klass
- Magnum Band and Nu Look
- Magnum Band and Zafèm
- Magnum Band and Disip
He has already played with some of these groups in places like Panama, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Boston. He believes these combinations create bridges between generations and give fans from different eras a reason to attend the same event.
Tico has a simple condition: he prefers that Magnum play first.
He explains that many bands start late. His own audience knows he likes to begin on time. If Magnum opens, his fans can hear the show without waiting until three in the morning. Then the other band can close the night, just as they prefer.
His message to promoters is direct and clear:
- You are here to promote Haitian culture and Haitian music, not only your three favorite bands.
- Stop letting bands tell you who to book and who to exclude.
- If you never offer Magnum Band a spot, you cannot claim to know what would have happened.
He insists that Magnum Band Haitian compas is like an open book. Anyone who wants to reach them can find a way, through shows like Biyografi or through the many mutual contacts in the Haitian music world.
His dream is simple.
“My dream is to play with all the bands. Football teams play against other teams. Bands are made to play with other bands.”
Conclusion: Why The Magnum Band Story Matters
The story of Magnum Band is more than a band biography. It is a mirror of Haitian music itself over the last five decades.
Tico Pasquet began with neighborhood drums on 4th Avenue in Bolòs, then moved on to the dancehalls of New York. From there, he joined Gypsies de Pétion-Ville and later performed with Frères de Jean.
In 1976, he helped create Magnum Band inside a Masonic temple in Miami. His journey eventually reached Olympic stages and the Casino de Paris. Through it all, Tico Pasquet has devoted his life to one purpose: bringing Haiti’s rhythm and message to the world.
He is grateful to God, to his parents, to supporters, to close friends who have stood by the band, and especially to Magnum Band’s fans, who ask for the music even when promoters do not offer it.
His final call is not about bitterness. It is about respect, openness, and collaboration. There is room for everyone. There is no need to erase one band so another can shine.
As long as there are stages, audiences, and promoters willing to value the full history of Haitian music, the legacy of Magnum Band Haitian compas will continue to live, inspire, and dance.
