Trio Erik Marchand - An Tri Breur {Silex}

Erik Marchand (who took part in the previous Silex CDs I published earlier) was at the beginning of his musical experiments when he released this smart album with Thierry Robin (’ud) and Hameed Khan (tabla) in 1997. Before he ventured with romanian taraf or rock musician Rodolphe Burger, here is a minimalist and successful attempt to gather Brittany traditional songs with eastern instruments. Needless to say it has with nothing to do with the cheesy new-age lounge music that was hype at that time!


Trio Erik Marchand with Yann-Fañch Kemener, Youenn Le Bihan, Fañch Landreau - "An Tri Breur (three brothers)" Chants du Centre-Bretagne {Silex Y225008} - 1997 > 

Quintet Clarinettes - Musique Têtue + Bazh Du {Silex}

Quintet Clarinettes was the association of five french musicians: Michel Aumont, Dominique Jouve, Dominique Le Bozec, Erik Marchand and Bernard Subert who created a new sound for the breton traditionnal music. They ingeniously mixed the sound of classical clarinet and bass clarinet with the Treujenn Gaol from Brittany. This rudimentary clarinet (translated as Black Stick or Bazh Du, for it looks like the stalk of a cabbage) in just one octave, is played along the bombarde during Fest-Noz. Of course they had to ask Louis Sclavis to be on a few titles. I used to listen days and nights to these albums, and I must say, I even learned to play the clarinet thanks to these guys!

France - Silex Y225001 (1990) and Y225031 (1993)

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