05/03/2012
Duo Carvou/Bizien, An Amzer Gwechall, 2012
A new release from veterans Malo Carvou ( Flûtes ) and Bernard Bizien (Guitare ) adds another volume to the genre of Breton flute and guitar originally pioneered by Jean-Michel Veillon, who is thanked in the liner notes. With the recording following the duo’s advertised formula of ‘Musique Bretonne, Irlandaise, Swing Musette’, the listener can expect the musical journey to cover a wide amount of stylistic territory.
Carvou and Bizien have been playing together for a long time, and it shows. Both were part of the original lineup of the great Fest Noz group Penn Gollo on their first recording Splamb!. The two remained together along with vocalist Armel an Héjer as the Ozan Trio, as well as with the expanded lineup of the same group that goes under the name Deus’ta. More recently they joined Jamie McMenemy’s aptly named group “Jamie McMenemy 4”.
An Amzer Gwechall starts off in full Breton mode with a sound and even material strongly reminiscent of Veillon’s earlier work with Yvon Riou. Carvou has a dense, complex flute tone perfectly suited for these pieces. A slight ‘gypsy-jazz’ influence in Bizien’s syncopated guitar accompaniment for faster tunes is distinguishably unique and works very well. After a couple of tracks the recording shifts into a startlingly different gear, however, with the introduction of swing musette, the first tune of which is penned by Gus Viseur.
In any recording, the program represents the private world of the musicians, which typically are reflective of a given genre or genres with shared qualities and instrumentation which the listener can understand as a coherent whole. The coherence in An Amzer Gwechall across the chasm from Breizh to Musette rests solely upon the instruments and musicians, for the aesthetics and mood of these genres are markedly divergent. The divide is a pretty wide one. Does it work; does the bold duo succeed in seamlessly crossing this aesthetic chasm?
Not really. Having said that, let me be clear – I am a musician who performs Breton music and a listener who owns hundreds and hundreds of recordings of Breton music. Of the musette or gypsy-jazz genre, I own less than ten. For someone else, who loves both genres equally and doesn’t mind the surprising shift from mournful, minor key Breton melodies to the sweet, jazzy flavors of Gus Viseur the answer might very well be yes. Because the musette material is actually played very well – there can be no question of the integrity of the performers here.
So all in all, as an appreciator of Breton music, and in particular the flute-and-guitar sub-genre which works so magically well with the material, this recording is worth a close listen because these two players are quite good. I must admit, though, to hitting the ‘fast forward’ button on the musette pieces after a couple of listens when a deeper appreciation of them failed to take root. They are not bad – but to this bombard player’s ears they are not great either, unlike the material from Brittany which is lovely and moving.
-Fañch
