Bio
Daniel Bellegarde, Montreal-based Canadian percussionist of Haitian origin, has been a self-taught musician since 1984. He perfected his percussion skills with Yaya Diallo from Mali and Georges Rodriguez from Haiti in Canada, then in France with Cyrille Daumont from Guadeloupe, Michel Réman from Martinique and Silvano Michelino from Brazil and Massimiliano Cangelosi from Italia. He has made a name for himself alongside legendary Quebec artist Robert Charlebois, Haitian singer Émeline Michel, Brazilian artists Bïa and Paulo Ramos, and Cirque du Soleil.
As a freelance musician, he can be heard on over 50 albums as a studio musician, including Daniel Bélanger for Quatre saisons dans le désordre album and Richard Desjardins' Kanasuta album. He has worked on some fifteen soundtracks for TV and radio commercials and cinema, including the films Black Soul and Un dimanche à Kigali.
At the end of 2017, he produced his first solo album, Anba Tonèl (sous la tonnelle), the fruit of research and creative work on the West Indian music that cradled his childhood. Fascinated by the history of Haiti that his grandfather wrote in 1906, and by old and traditional music, Daniel presents a repertoire of quadrille, contredanse, minuet-kongo, waltz and troubadour. Winner of a Global Music Award in 2018, the album was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award in 2018 and an Independent Music Award in the U.S. in 2019.
The track “Autobus Nord” (instrumental version) from the album *Anba Tonèl* has been selected for the compilation album *Caribbean Celebration* by the legendary American label Putumayo, set for worldwide release in 2024.
Returning to the stage in 2022, Daniel presents Pastourelle, the second album in his trilogy, blending his Haitian roots with his Celtic and Brazilian musical influences, offering a journey through time and a personal and contemporary vision of this music, embellished with original compositions. It is also a reflection on the theme of métissage and on the relations of power and injustice between Europe and Africa in the 19th century. Winner of his 2nd Global Music Award in the U.S. in 2022, and nominated for a Gamiq Award in Quebec.
Following in the footsteps of his previous albums, the percussionist released his new single, “Parigol,” in December 2025. Stepping outside the prescribed norms of our time, Daniel embraces an approach that bridges tradition and modernity—one that truly reflects who he is.
This track is a composition inspired by a musical variation on the Yanvalou rhythm, which originated in Haiti. It is celebrated through the sound of an ensemble featuring the Irish tin whistle, the French hurdy-gurdy, and Haitian percussion instruments, including the zizipan—a little-known frame drum similar to Italy’s tamburello.
It is a reflection on cultural fusion and a tribute to traditional Caribbean dances, whose influences navigate between Africa, Europe, and Indigenous peoples.