Carré Manchot

Breton Music Updates….

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

    It is sad that those who don’t know anything about music get to set on a panel and judge performers. They even have the nerve to tell the performers off that” he or she will not amount to anything”. How did this happen? How did we let these poor guys have the power to tell us what to do and what not to do? They don’t  even know anything about music. If you review their history or CV, there’s nothing there that says something about music except getting involved with bands or performers who capitalize on looks rather than talent. And yet we let these guys run our lives? Simon Cowell should know his place. And it is not on the panel. It’s on the cash register.

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Those who love  Carre Manchot will be glad to know that they have gigs set for February.  I love their groovy music , coupled with sleek  performance. This is another one Brittany will be proud of.

More at: http://www.carremanchot.fr

and : http://www.myspace.com/carremanchot

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Marc Pollier is attracting audiences from all over Europe with his style of playing the Uillean Pipes. There is something warm and exotic with his style. I guess it’s because he’s combining two cultural modes and making them his own. according to his bio(Translated from French though Google and grammatical inconsistencies I tried to address):

Marco POLLIER practiced Uilleann Pipes for 25 years. He perfected his style directly from the Irish musicians he met while residing in Birmingham between 1986 and 1989 with Kevin Crawford (flute group LUNAS), Mick Conneely (Dé Danann) and Paul O’Driscoll (RIVERDANSE). Being a professional musician for 20 years, he traveled throughout Europe, giving concerts in solo or in groups. Then he moved to Ennis, Ireland for 6 years, in  County Clare, where he worked with renowned musicians such as John FAULKNER, Siobhan PEOPLES, Jesse SMITH, Josephine MARSH … Again his talent for piping and virtuosity make him a popular musician. He recorded his solo album EBONY & BRASS which gained   prestigious local acclaim. Since 2003, he played in the group Eitri, with Kevin Ryan, Dag Westling, Esbjorn Hazelius and Fredrik Bengtsson. Back in France, Marco founded a duo with pianist and accordionist Christopher RAILLARD and played in various bands such as: – O’NEILL MOR with Paddy O’Neill (fiddle and flute) and Paul BROUGHTON (guitar-vocals). – SILVER SQUID with Jean-Claude and Camille Philippe – Macalla with Pierrick Lemou, Herve Dréan and Rachel Goodwin – AVALON CELTIC DANCES – with Serge, Patrick and Florentin Desaunay – with Jean-Michel Veillon and Ronan PELLEN – It also provides courses Uilleann Pipes and Tin Whistle (Irish flute) and master classes.

http://www.myspace.com/marcpollier

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Two guys I will watch out for:

Yannig Alory: wooden flutes / Antonin Volson: percussion are a duo worth noting. They play really lively but relaxing tunes. There’s not much clatter here. Unlike the usual ‘wall of sound approach in most Breton music, these guys want to keep it down with minimal noise as possible. So far I’ve only listened to are Ha Ni Zo Tri Breur and Kas-Bar. Trully wonderful tracks that keeps you going. I will be checking more tunes  from them

http://www.myspace.com/duoaloryvolson

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  Our Breton music excursion gets exciting as I discover the music of Erwan Volant. His style is more like Latin meets mediterranean with that typical Breton spicy stuff that appeals to my ear buds! At times his music can escalate into something that you’d hear in movies like James Bond. He happens to be a member of the Martin Harmon Quintet which I featured here. I am impressed by his version of The Tree originally done by The Cure( After all The Celts treated trees as sacred so this is only fitting).  Listen to his music and don’t tell me I didn’t warn ya.

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Carré Manchot in The Music Map

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 5 Comments

There are so many reasons to go to France. Not only that it is the country hosting the biggest Celtic music event called Interceltique Festival, the west coast is also home to Breton music. There are so many musicians that are already out there stirring the scene with their brand of Celtic music and some of them made it to our ears. Let me present now

Carré Manchot

This  I got from the official website:

Carré Manchot is a traditional dance music band from Brittany; it was founded in 1986 by Remi MARTIN (box accordion), Jean-Claude RIOU (fiddle), Herve LE LU (bombarde) and Gilbert LE PENNEC (guitar), who still plays with the band today. The same year, they produced their first recording: “Tabalich”.


In 1988, Remi and Jean-Claude left and were replaced by Ronan ROBERT (box) and Ronan PINC (fiddle). After two albums (“Mab ar Miliner” and “An Disparti”), both Ronan left the band and three musicians joined: Yannig ALORY (wooden flute), Erwan VOLANT (bass) and Yann-Loïc JOLY (box accordion). Together they released five albums: “Noz!” (1996), “Riboul!” (1997),”Liyannaj” (1999, featuring Guadeloupean group “Akiyo Ka” and breton singer Patrick Marie), “Degemer” (2001), “Liyannaj Live” (2003). In 2005, Stéphane SOTIN (percussions) replaced Erwan Volant and in 2006, Carré Manchot recorded a new album “Laÿoù” and celebrated their 20th anniversary on July the 13th in Mûr-de-Bretagne, along with many Breton musicians and bands.


In 2007, Herve LE LU, founding member, and Stephane SOTIN, percussionist, hit the road for some new musical adventures…
Uilleann piper Loïc BLEJEAN joined in January 2007.This new line-up keeps playing with the same energy that has made Carré Manchot one of the most acclaimed Breton music band for more than twenty years on the dance floors of festou noz in Brittany and elsewhere…

My personal observation:

This is quite unique coming from Breton music. The melodies are gentle, the instruments are not the usual wall of sound you would expect without the bombarde and the binou. It is also interesting to note that the band has been around since 1986 and yet they still play with the same energy the day they started. They are still here, still making beautiful music for us. And I think this is what makes the rest of the guys wonderful.

http://www.carremanchot.fr/carre-manchot-home/1.html

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For those who are curious about the Yaouank music fest in Brittany is, this is a good link:

http://www.myspace.com/yaouankgouel

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And here is my friend

Dom DufF

with the Bagad Rosend Mor at Paimpol Chant de Marin

He has an updated website:

http://www.domduff.com/

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The last but not the least,

Hamon Martin Métamorphose Project

Wow, I love the energy of these guys. The instruments are something you would like to dip your ears into and experience a moment  of bliss. Sweet, spicy and a lot of Celtic Spirit. So watch out for these guys.