Music Reviews…

Philippe Le Gallou & Pierrick Lemou/Paziou Dañs/Coop Breizh/2023

Personnel:

Philippe Le Gallou: guitare, dobro

Pierrick Lemou: violon, alto violon 

In Paziou Dañs, guitarist Philippe Le Gallou and violinist Pierrick Lemou  present a refined interpretation of Breton music in a ten-track album.  The duo makes a mark with carefully chosen material, highly developed arrangements and expressive and lively performance. Like a couple of sonneurs de couple (most typically the pairing of biniou and bombard), playing together is at the heart of their artistic approach.

A well-known figure in the Breton milieu, Pierrick Lemou has appeared on a number of duo recordings such as Seizh Hun with accordionist Patrick Lefebvre, Reabaterien with Dominique Trichet, and Accordéon Diatonique Et Violon with Etienne Grandjean. Lemou has earned  a certain place in the world of Breton violin. He does not have the smooth turn of ornament and phrase of Christian LeMaitre or the soaring highs of Fañch Landreau, and he does not play with the virtuosic power of Jacky Molard. What he does have, and displays to enormous effect on this recording is a deeply sensitive tonality. Looking at the recording’s notes sees mention of his use of an ‘alto violon’, or octave violin, which are rare and intriguing instruments. This might explain the unique approach he uses on this recording of playing quite high in the violin’s range for a couple of times through a melody, and then switching to a very low section. This works extremely well and really provides interesting contrast.

While Lemou, through his many recordings and groups such as Djiboudjep, Cabestan, La Godinette, Archetype, and Gwenva, is somewhat of a known commodity, Le Gallou is not and he is the revelation of this recording. Le Gallou’s tasteful guitar parts provide a unique and beautiful counterpart to Lemou’s tender violin. Rather than strum along as a mere accompanist might, he presents a  panoply of approaches that provide an immensely interesting sound. It is no accident that all of the material on this recording credits him for the arrangements, which are fantastic. He employs complex fingerstyle sequences, switches to play the melody with a pick, or provides beautiful and unique figures that include perfectly placed chords that give the material tremendous depth. His guitar parts are wonderfully recorded - full, warm, and rich, and add a quality to this recording that Lemou has not found with some of his previous partners. 

On track 4, Androu, he also uses Dobro. The use of Dobro always puzzles me in this genre of music, because the vast majority of the time it sounds out of place and just doesn’t work. Here, it’s… not bad at all, and that’s something. Like Androu, many of the tracks here are named after their tune/dance type. Other standout material includes the first two tracks, Ronds de Loire Vilaine and Kas ha-barh, and the seventh track, Suite de Ronds de Loudia, all of which have quite captivating melodies.

The third track, simply named Jabadou, marks the appearance of a musical instrument that Lemou manages to interject into most of his recordings. The jaw harp, jew’s harp, mouth harp - it is a little contraption that goes by various awkward names and it makes a ‘boing boing boing’ sound when you bend and release a small metal tong. Lemou clearly loves it. I definitely do not, so let’s leave it at that.

This recording is the fruit of a collaboration anchored in a gentle blend of sensitive performance and really detailed, gorgeous arrangements. Without a lot of fanfare or hoopla, it is one of the most charming recordings to come my way in some time.

-Fañch

Storvan, An deiziou kaer, Keltia Musique, 1996

09/23/2023

Storvan/An deiziou kaer/Keltia Musique/1996

Personnel: 

Christian LeMaitre: violin and guitar

Franck Le Bloas: bouzouki and bass pedal

Herve Guillo: wooden flute

Christian Faucheur: bombard and low whistle

An deiziou kaer (which means “Springtime” or “Beautiful Days” in Breton) was the second recording from the group Storvan in the late ’90s and a benchmark recording for this reviewer. Coming with a slight change in personnel  (Christian LeMaitre  replacing Frédéric Samzun on violin) several years after their first, more simply produced recording Digor N’ Abadenn, it represented a quantum shift in presentation for Breton music. An deiziou kaer combined a variety of sonic textures in a pleasing aesthetic whole with powerful, complex arrangements and superior production. It also provided a bit of a surprise popular hit with the tune Ar Biniou. After not listening to the disc for quite some time I revisited it recently with special interest in seeing how it would compare to modern releases and the ever-expanding envelope of stylistic influences, production technology and sounds in Breton music. Did it hold up? It did!

This disc has all of the elements that compel my interest in Breton music: hypnotic and exciting dance rhythms and haunting, sinuous melodies interwoven with varied harmonies, all beautifully arranged and played. While lacking some of the ‘innovative’ antics of today’s bands, the arrangement of LeMaitre’s fiddle, the unique, intricate bouzouki of Le Bloas, the thick tone of Guillo’s solid and always perfectly fitted flute parts and the incredible articulation and drive of Christian Faucher’s epic bombard solos are still nothing short of stunning.  An deizou kaer is always effortlessly mesmerizing and tasteful in a way that many current bands can only wish for. Honestly, every aspect of this recording is superior to the majority of what is being produced today, as this is not an especially golden age for recordings of almost any genre due to the corrosive effect of streaming services. 

Discs published by Keltia Musique do not typically suffer from poor production values and that is most certainly the case here. This recording in particular presents itself as a whole; a recognizable soundscape that ebbs and flows, charges and gallops in a way that has allowed it to remain intriguing after many repeat listens over the years. Storvan still perform very occasionally, with guests filling in for the late Le Bloas, who left us in 2021. 2023 saw a return to a regular performance schedule, with the return of Frédéric Samzun on violin and young guitarist Erwan Moal stepping in as the stringed instrument player.

-Fañch

Storvan 2023! Storvan returns after a decades-long hiatus, with original violinist Frédéric Samzun and new guitarist  Erwan Moal.

‘Ndiaz, La Brune, L’Usinerie, 2023

07/15/2023

‘Ndiaz/La Brune/L’Usinerie/2023

Personnel:

‍ Youn Kamm: trumpet, biniou

Timothée Le Bour: saxophone 

Yann Le Corre: accordion, Roland synth accordion

Jérôme Kerihuel: drums

‘Ndiaz is one of the flagship groups of the new scene in Brittany, which their production house L’Usinerie describes as “unique musical and sound writing, at the confluence of improvisation and popular music from around the world. Their universes are characteristic of an interconnected creative bubbling open to the world, which Brittany embraces. Beyond a claim to local identity, far from a globalized aesthetic defined by the era, their approaches recompose fascinating personal geographies. With a view to development, L’Usinerie works to give voice to these demanding and committed artistic paths.”

The Breton quartet serves up a cocktail of influences ranging from 70s american jazz to euro-beats and various electronic musical genres. New to the band this time around are synthesizer sounds drawn from what looks like a Roland electronic synthesizer accordion, placed on a stool next to Le Corre as he stands wearing his regular instrument. Kerihuel has moved from playing mixed percussion to playing a drum kit, which sounds great.

The slow progression between day and night, of which Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) writes, in his poem “The evening twilight” from the collection Les Fleurs du mal, is the claimed source of inspiration for ‘La Brune’. “The brunette” is this crepuscular in-between, “too light to be night and too dark to be day“, as the group defines it – a suspended moment where the limits are blurred, a moment which sounds the death knell of the past day.

The album ‘La Brune’ is also an opportunity for ‘Ndiaz to collaborate, for a song, with the Chilean composer and performer Paz Court. In the track “Primera Estrella”, the singer’s voice rises and falls through a dreamlike soundscape. 

So that’s great and all, but does it work? Well, sort of… It’s both HIT and MISS… intriguing but flawed.

I reviewed their first album HERE. I never reviewed the second recording, ’Son’Rod’, because, while it had a few really fantastically strong tracks, it also had a bunch of weaker ones and represented more of a lateral move than the sophomore-effort development I was wishing for. So here is the third disc and it definitely shows a developmental path. The description from L’Usinerie sounds like a slam-dunk for success – inspired mixture of Breton roots with heady influences from around the world – so what’s not to love?

THE MISS: To boil it down to a point, I think the problem here is too much euro-club and 70s jazz influence and not enough Breton music. Without the roots the branches can only grow so far before breaking off, to beat the metaphor to death. The result, while it has some incredible playing and some really great moments, particularly in the first few tracks, ends up ultimately being neither fish nor fowl. For all its strengths, ‘La Brune’ doesn’t produce much in the way of memorable melodies. While it’s produced by guys from Brittany, it doesn’t sound particularly like Breton music. It falls into the trap that others before it have, of ending up dangerously close to amorphous, euro-world music with amazingly skilled performances of… ultimately forgettable material. Another miss: Paz Court. Yeah, of course she can sing but I just don’t get it. Meh. It reminds me vaguely of some world music or such from the 80s or 90s. The vibe is definitely not a Breton vibe… I don’t know who it’s supposed to appeal to – lovers of soft jazz? Another miss: the artwork by Raphaël Decoster. An abstract piece that tries hard and sadly fails hard to be a visual reflection of the verbiage spun out by L’Usinerie in the first paragraph above. Instead it’s kind of “Huh?” – some sort of faded-out blob of color. Perhaps a visual reflection of this recording’s failings?

…these talented guys are pursuing a singular vision with intense creativity and for that, you have to applaud.

THE HIT: Perhaps the previous paragraph is far too unkind. Notice the mention of amazing performances. Those first three tracks or so: pretty awesome! These guys can really, really play. I cannot emphasize enough the imagination and skill put to work here. Intriguing riffs and arrangements abound. One also has to point out the obvious standout voice on this recording: the saxophone of Timothy Le Bour. Le Bour has become an almost ubiquitous presence in many of the more forward-thinking Breton recordings and for good reason. His playing is interesting and powerful and his tone is great; neither crude nor overly polite. I think he’s hit a high point on this recording and that alone makes it worth a careful listen. This guy is just so good. He has a great sound, plays great lines and he is beautifully recorded here. I think to myself “Eh, this album is just so-so, it is no more Breton than Daft Punk” but then end up listening to it again and again.

For me, as a listener and as a musician, the concept of putting wings on this genre of music and really expanding its complexity and expressive palette is incredibly appealing. It’s what I work to do and I am keenly fascinated by others who work in even a vaguely similar direction, which would include groups such as ’ndiaz, Fleuves, Wipidoup, and even Dibenn from the 90s. After an incredibly promising debut, ’Ndiaz hasn’t managed to really fully deliver since for my very particular taste, but the journey that they are on is nonetheless a really fascinating one. Which makes ‘La Brune’ worth listening to, for all it flaws, for this group of musicians is most definitely not phoning it in. They are, in the words of the immortal Lou Reed, “Doin’ the things that they want to.” Succeed or fail, these talented guys are pursuing a singular vision with intense creativity and for that, you have to applaud.

-Fañch

Toutã, Hybride, Paker Productions 2023

05/22/2023

Toutã/Hybride/Paker Productions/2023

Personnel:

Tibo Niobé: guitar

Gabriel Faure : violin & tenor guitar

Yeltaz Guenneau : pipes, flute & duduk

Kentin Juillard & Jérôme Kerihuel : percussion

Erwan Volant : bass

Paker Produuctions, which poot forth this recording, as Frank Zappa would say, makes these claims about Hybride: “Formed around the compositions of guitarist Tibo Niobé, Toutã ( the tribe ) is a heterogeneous mixture of universes gleaned over the course of his various experiences and musical encounters. A solid rhythm section, a formidable telluric bass, fiddle and flutes in total symbiosis, sometimes sharp sometimes caressing guitars form this powerful hybrid of groove, trad and many other influences.”

The album also has testimonials, though they are difficult to read because of poor graphics decisions, from luminaries as bright as Soïg Siberil and Dan Ar Bras no less, so ‘woah’. So what is going on here?

Not much. This album hit the brand new Yamaha CD player with some expectation. I’ve seen Niobe play and I know that he is quite good. What came out of the speakers, though, was all-instrumental rock music, with some mild prog-rock here and there, some folkiness here and there, some Celtic (and by Celtic I mean Irish and Scottish, not Breton, which is super weird), some mild mid-east/world sounds on a couple of tracks… This sounds like a rock band from anywhere USA with some nods to world music. I could not detect a single bit of actual Breton influence in this recording. Why do nominally Celtic/rock hybrid projects inevitably fail so miserably? Two great tastes that don’t taste great together? This makes me think back to the early 90s recording ‘Den’ which drew on members of Pennou Skoulm for a jazz/rock/Breton sound which, while still not ultimately successful, was vastly more interesting than this recording.

These are all established, talented musicians well known in the Fest Noz milieu, and on this release they show that they can all move their hands over the strings in complicated patterns in strict tempo – you know, they can play. All in all though, this music is not moving and is no more Breton than any other rock band and is way less interesting than countless numbers of them. Yes, there is another great genre of music, rock music, with endless numbers of intensely creative, freaky musicians doing really wild stuff, all the time, all over the world.

Despite the gloss, the hype, the pedigreed lineup, this is just not a good album. Perhaps if these guys did not market themselves in the trad context I would not harsh out on them… but they did. Back to the drawing board, boys. Write some tunes with some soul next time. Maybe try playing some more Breton-style music, one of the world’s great musical genres that is literally right on your doorstep.

-Fañch