Links
Here are some links to various organizations and musical artists websites that you may find interesting, informative and useful. There are MANY more musicians and resources than those I have listed here. Several of the musicians and groups listed here represent some of the more well known and/or older musicians on the Breton musical scene. There are SO many I could discuss that this page would turn into an entire website in itself. As time permits I will add more information to this page.
ICDBL.ORG International Committee for the Defense of the Breton Language - US Branch
Coop Breizh A website in French selling Breton CD's, DVD's, books and many other items.
Son ha Ton Son ha Ton is a website I was made aware of by Lois Kuter through the Bro Nevez newsletter of the ICDBL US branch (see above link). It contains musical notation of the melodies and the lyrics to a vast number of traditional Breton tunes from a variety of styles (kan ha diskan dance tunes, gwerzioù, and others). It also has links to many useful and interesting websites.
Kaouenn.net This is a Breton website with videos and audio files made by various people dealing with the Breton language, culture, politics and sometimes just funny stuff.
La Boutique de la Maison de la Harpe A site in French which sell CD's, books and other items.
Musique Bretonnes A website in French with extensive information on musical traditions, styles and artists from Brittany.
Canal Breizh A webradio site organized by Dastum and Tamm-Kreiz featuring many different Breton musical artists. A very good place to hear lots of different Breton music.
Radio Breizh A website where one can stream six different radio stations in Brittany that play Breton music and music from many different places around the world. Some of the programs on these radio stations are interviews and public information in the Breton language (Brezhoneg). Also a great place to hear all kinds of breton music.
Alan Stivell My favorite musician, singer, composer and interpreter of all time. Much of his music takes its inspiration from Breton dance music (Kan Ha Diskan, etc.) and lamentations (Gwerzioù), but also other celtic musical traditions. In fact he was amongst a few musicians from the 60's and 70's to begin using the now common term "celtic music", as he has always had a very pan-celtic approach. He has composed and arranged his music in a very wide range of settings, from solo acoustic, to ensemble folk with jazz elements, to fully rocked out electric, and even some orchestral pieces. He often utilizes musical influences and instruments from around the world. There are VERY few musicians on this planet that have the ability he has to take in many diverse musical influences and produce music that is still truly an authentic, personal expression. He just has a genius for knowing exactly what elements from other styles and traditions to utilize to create his own fascinating musical statements which have a feeling of organic uniqueness.
Tristan Le Govic An incredible celtic harpist from Brittany. If you ever have the chance to see him play live, do NOT pass up the opportunity. His skill and unique approaches will amaze you. Not to mention his ability to speak fluent Breton, French and English, which is rather intimidating to someone like me!.
Hent Telenn Breizh: Violaine Mayor and Joel Herrou Violaine Mayor is, in my opinion, one of the best players of the wire strung harp played in the traditional way with fingernails. Her husband Joel Herrou makes all the harps she plays and is also a very fine musician himself on the fiddle and other instruments. Joel Herrou makes his wire strung harps very traditionally, burying the willow logs in peat for several months, then carving the soundbox out of the whole willow log. They often play as a quartet with their two children who also play wire strung harps.
Gwenael Kerleo Gwenael Kerleo is a very talented player who utilizes both acoustic and solid body electric harps made by Camac Harps in Brittany, France. She plays both as a solo artist and with other acoustic musicians on fiddle, percussion and other instruments. Her album "Yelenn" is one of my all time favorites. She plays solo on this album, only accompanying her harp playing occasionally with her voice. Even though this album has no traditional tunes or even traditional rhythms on it, it still somehow manages to evoke a "celtic" spirit and feeling more than almost any other harp album I have ever heard.
Myrdhin Myrdhin was one of the earliest harp players to emerge in the early 1970's in Brittany (along with Alan Stivell and others). He plays both wire and nylon strung harps, and often likes to delve into more experimental, "avant garde" sounds and forms. But he also plays traditional music from Brittany and other celtic countries. He plays solo, in a duo with his wife, Zil, who plays a nylon strung harp, and he is also a member of the Afro Celt Sound System.
Rüdiger Oppermann Rüdiger Oppermann is an absolutely stunning musician on both the wire strung and nylon strung harps. He definitely can be considered one of the great proponents of "world music". He combines many different world musical traditions and influences in his music, creating compositions that are often breathtaking. Like Alan Stivell, he plays the wire strung harp with his finger pads, not finger nails. He really has no real connection to the Breton musical scene (although he has played with some breton musicians), but he is so great a player I had to add him here.
Denez Prigent Denez Prigent is not a harp player, but is one of the preeminent singers in the traditional "Gwerz" style of singing in Brittany (as well the Kan ha Diskan style used for dancing). While he is grounded in traditional styles, his music utilizes spare, techno-electronic accompaniment, as well as Breton bombardes and full bagadou (Breton pipe bands), drums, bass guitar, etc. His heartfelt singing can send a chill up your spine.
Didier SquibanDidier Squiban is a jazz pianist from Brittany who has recorded several albums of improvisations based on traditional Breton folk tunes. His improvisations on these traditional melodies shows just how much this musical tradition can be utilized and adapted to various styles and settings.
Jakez FrançoisJakez François, who is the head of Camac Harps in Brittany, and a very accomplished harpist, has recorded a great CD entitled "Harpe Celtique" in which he arranged several traditional Breton tunes for the solo harp. Highly recommended.
Gwenola Roparz Gwenola Roparz has similarly recorded a CD of traditional Breton tunes, which is also very good.
Kristen Noguès The late Kristen Noguès was a fantastic harpist who explored more experimental, avant-garde styles. I especially recommend her CD "Kernelec" as well as the "Logodennig" double CD, which was a tribute retrospective of her work. However, finding some of her CD's may be difficult. You can listen to selected pieces of her music on her myspace.com site, linked above.
Yann-Fanch KemenerThe late Yann-Fanch Kemener is widely considered one of the finest traditional singers of the "Gwerz" style of Brittany. He recorded unaccompanied solo albums as well as collaborations with Didier Squiban and many others.
Annie EbrelAnnie Ebrel is also widely considered one of the finest traditional singers of Brittany. She has collaborated with various musicians to create haunting, oftentimes stark adaptations of traditional songs which are very powerful.
Erik MarchandErik Marchand is yet another brilliant singer of traditional Breton music, both gwerzioù (plural of gwerz) and kan ha diskan (duo or trio singing for dances). He has a great ability to mix non-Breton instruments and styles in a way which still retains a feel rooted in the Breton traditions. In fact he and Annie Ebrel and Yann Fanch Kemeñer have in the past collaborated with one another.
Ar Re YouankAr Re Youank was a group of musicians who took Breton traditional dance music and adapted it in amazingly creative ways. They wove several influences into their music while still retaining a strongly breton character. And it was music that dancers at a fest noz (a night gathering for dancing and generally having a good time) could feel very comfortable using for traditional dance steps. Their bombarde player David Pasquet has incorporated more of a rock feel with his own group, but the music is still perfectly compatible with traditional dances at a fest noz.
If you ever get a chance to attend a fest deiz or fest noz, do not pass up the opportunity, even if all you do is observe the dancers and listen to the singers and bands. These musical/dance gatherings are unlike anything I have experienced anywhere else.
GwendalGwendal is a truly fantastic breton group of musicians. They create their own, original music which is very unique. Much of their music has a more Irish feel to it, but they do also create tunes with a very Breton basis, and many tunes which are just their own, individual styles. A really great group to see in person or to listen to on their many, great recordings.
BagadoùThere are several dozens of bagadoù (Breton pipe bands). These bagadoù started after WWII when the idea came to adapt the Scottish pipe band format to Breton music by adding lots of Breton bombarde players and to utilize Breton melodies and dance rhythms in a pipe band setting. The result has been an absolutely wonderful musical idiom with lots of creativity and fantastic musicianship. If you like the sound of a Scottish pipe band, you will LOVE the sound of highland pipes, drums and Breton bombardes together!
There are so many other musical groups and websites I could include here, but hopefully this short sampling will give you somewhere to start.