05/21/2021
Forj/Forj/Coop Breizh/2021
Personnel:
Clément Le Goff - vocals, harmonium
Kenan Guernalec - wooden flute, piano
Alice Vallée - guitars
Loumi Séveno - violon
Marcus Camus - drums
Hubert Fardel - bass
Already well established as a trio in the world of ‘Gallo’ music from Upper (Eastern) Brittany, Trio Forj has transformed into a sextet with this eponymous new album, subtitled Musique de Bretagne - Son-Nrî De Haott B-rtingn. The approach on this recording consists of creating dance music based around vocals with lyrics taken from original texts in the Gallo language by the well-known writer and singer Bèrtrand Obrée.
In addition to the original trio of Clément Le Goff (vocals, harmonium), Kenan Guernalec (wooden flute, piano) and Alice Vallée (guitars), the sound has expanded considerably with the addition of violinist Loumi Séveno (Alan Stivell, Tri Yann), drummer Marcus Camus, (Alan Stivell) and bassist Hubert Fardel.
This is an extremely interesting recording, one that I have spent significantly more time with than many, despite its obvious flaws. This is because its strengths are so impressive; the instrumental prowess of the individual players and thoughtful arrangements that will please and reward the careful listener.
As with the previous Trio Forj recording, the flute and guitar of the original members are superb, but I was surprised at how completely satisfying the newly added violin, bass, and drums are here. Excellent! Séveno’s violin peppers the tracks with beautiful solos and variations for Guernalec’s flute to respond to throughout, and the bass and drums in their interplay and motifs are perfectly tasteful, with the percussion providing an especially intriguing and complex approach.
The main problem with this recording is that all of this finely wrought instrumental work is built as a gorgeous wrapping around the central lead melodic element, the vocals of Clément Le Goff. Despite having a pleasant timbre to his voice, Le Goff continues to suffer from significant intonation issues, with the most dominant tendency being to sing up to a quarter note flat at the end of vocal lines.
If you are a musician or otherwise have a good sense of pitch you will notice this immediately. I find myself so distracted by it that at times I will focus on wondering just how precisely flat the vocals are - to the extent that I lose track of the rest of the music. In the current day sophisticated studio recording software (Logic, Pro Tools, etc) has built-in features that can auto-correct deficiencies in intonation. These can be dialed-in for a greater or lesser effect and it is not uncommon for at least a mild use of this tool on woodwinds and vocals. I strongly suggest that this feature should be considered for Le Goff in any future recordings because this issue is quite noticeable.
Some standout moments on this recording - the four Ronds de Loudéac tunes are probably the highlight here. The melody and arrangement of the first and third tunes in the suite are just divine. The final closing piece offers a delightful, slow jazz take on a familiar melody. Fardel’s use of an upright bass and his solo on this track are impeccable. At the other end of the spectrum, there is something about the characteristic galloping rhythm of the Avant deux de travers type of tune that I really don’t like, so for me the fast forward button saves the day every time it comes around.
In conclusion then, here’s a recording I recommend for its gorgeous instrumentals. The flawed vocals bug the crap out of me, so you know the rest of the recording must be really good to still get a thumbs up. With deeply supportive friendliness and all due respect to Mr. Le Goff - singing lessons, dude. Get your intonation sorted out!
~Fañch
