01/22/2023
War-Sav/Ar Vuhez/Coop Breizh/2021
Personnel
Korentin LE DAVAY : voix
Camille BOSSARD : guitare
Elouan LE COULS : violon
Mathieu MESSAGER : bombard
Quentin GUILLOU : accordéon
During the height of the pandemic lockdown, I took an online course in the Breton language provided by Skol an Emsav (https://skolanemsav.bzh). This was kind of a novel experiment in that it was being taught for primarily english speaking students, and was also an adaptation of what was usually an immersive in-person course for children. A few classes in, our teacher played a video as part of the course, see below, mentioning that she was friends with the singer, Korentin Le Davay. That is how I first learned about this band, War-sav (sav is pronounced like sow, a female pig) and this recording, Ar Vuhez (The Life).
This is a great recording, certainly a stand-out not only in an era where great recordings are increasingly rare, but just as a timeless, classic work of Breton music.
The first thing you notice about this band is the singer. That hat, that big mustache, that voice. Is he the reincarnation of Erik Marchand or what? Well, not withstanding that Marchand is still alive the comparisons are too easy to make. Le Davay is like a sparkly new, next-gen take on the Marchand template. His voice and persona are much warmer and more congenial. He seems so happy, he has a huge smile. He sounds fresh, he sounds great. I love his work here. An interesting note is that lyrics for the title track “Ar Vuhez ?” come from Breton writer Angelina Duval’s translation of the poem “La Vida” by the Spanish poet Marcos Ana written during his years in prison under the Franco regime.
While all of the players are solid and are obviously playing together, as opposed to playing simultaneously, the bombard player, Mathieu Messager, stands out as particularly good. Ar Vuhez also has some intriguing guest performers in RégisHuiban, probably the finest chromatic accordion player in Brittany today, and Erwan Volant, a talented guitarist who adds some really tasty electric guitar to “De Notre-Dame à la Paquelais” (Rond de Saint-Vincent).
The overall sound of this band hearkens back to an era, not long ago, when instrumentation like bombard, violin, diatonic accordion, acoustic guitar and a vocalist would have been standard fare. Nowadays it seems a bit nostalgic, being devoid of electronica, beat box, or the myriad other dubious tricks used on countless recordings to try and stand apart. Instead, what we have here is quality material done creatively and really well. This album uses their ‘old school’ instrumentation to good effect. Ar Vuhez has great takes on classically traditional-sounding material, adding little surprising twists and flourishes on top of imaginative and balanced arrangements.
Of special interest to those that like having a physical recording in their hands, Ar Vuhez comes in a classy package. It folds out across 3 panels and it has a nice thick booklet filled with text and pictures. If you want to sink comfortably into the world of the artists as you listen to the recording, this is the CD for you.
-Fañch
