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Joël Lutbert is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Martinique (Pierrotin by origin), celebrated as a passionate defender of the island’s musical heritage. Expertly mixing traditional Saint-Pierre biguine with jazz, reggae, and zouk, his work brings fresh life to local sounds.
He began performing at 18, then trained formally at Studio 14 in Fort-de-France before moving to Paris in 1990 to study at CIM and the American School of Modern Music. In Paris, he played with various ensembles, fusing jazz with Caribbean rhythms.
Returning home in 1996, Lutbert co-founded groups like Akoma, Krazz, Pail Coco (a biguine quartet), and Les 5 Éléments. He later formed Makadanm’, a band focused on reimagining biguine through a modern jazz lens.
Notable achievements include winning the “Rêve Antillais” contest at Atrium around 2000, releasing the acclaimed 'Au Feu' album with Les 5 Éléments, and receiving the SACEM Prize for Traditional Music in 2006 for 'Délectation'. In 2016, he led a powerful "Tribute to Kali" during the Biguine Jazz Festival, reuniting the legendary artist with Makadanm’ on stage.
He also contributes to cultural education through masterclasses at schools like AMEP (2019) and regularly performs in the “Jédi Mizik” series at Tropiques Atrium, including the October 2020 reopening concert.
Lutbert continues to shape the future of Martinique’s sound, reviving, reshaping, and reaffirming biguine’s rightful place in its cultural identity.
