Breton band Tri Yann

Subject: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Turtle
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:12 PM

Does anyone have information about the Breton band Tri Yann? I have two albums (yes, vinyl!) of theirs from the late 70s: Lundi Mardi Danse, and La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance. They are among my enduring favorites. Are they still together? Did they make other recordings, and if so, are they still available in France or in Quebec? Does anyone else love their music as much as I do?

Turtle

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Rana who SHOULD be working
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:25 PM

I picked up La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance in the late seventies (in Edmonton, Alberta no less) and it quickly became one of my favourites - it is still fresh and I have a CD copy. I subsequently purchased some of their other recordings when visiting Lyon - one was terrible - different sort of format but the others were good.

Haven't heard their recent stuff though a quick google search yilded this web site - they still exist, I believe.

http://www.bretagnenet.com/tri-yann/

La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance will always be one of my all time favourites

Rana

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Turtle
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 04:22 PM

Thanks for the website, Rana. It seems that they have a lot of other recordings out. Do you remember which one you thought was terrible? And why did you think so?

La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance (the piece) has been on my office wall for years--it's one of the best expressions of the importance of culture I know.

Turtle

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Stewie
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:37 PM

Hi Turtle, 'La Deouverte ou L'Ignorance' has been an enduring favourite of mine also - even though I can barely understand a word of it. The only other albums that I have are 'An Naoded' and 'Dix Ans Dix Filles' from the early 70s, and they are excellent. CD Now has a heap of imported Tri Yann CDs at a sale price.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Rana
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:22 PM

Hi Turtle,

Just wandered downstairs to go through the CDs. Apart from La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance, I have URBA (1978) and An Heol A Zo Glaz Le Soleil Est Vert. Both of which I remember as being good (I keep putting La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance on). The one I hated was called Le Vaisseau de Pierre (arrangements Tri Yann 2 (1988) and has the wording Gwerz Fantastique Contemoraine - Nouvellement Composee. I heard it once in 1989 returning from france and have never played it again. I just remeber disliking it - may put it on in the next few days to remind myself - it was very different.

Regards Rana

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Lena
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 03:22 AM

I love Tri yann as well.As I was in Brittany last summer,record shops were full of their stuff and it looked quite recent.Breton music is among my favourites,i just have a problem with the french taste for most the productions - putting barbie dolls to sing,like Dan ar Braz does,or very fake keyboards....Are you shore you can't get a word of what the songs say?!Breton sound like something you heard(english,french and latin)without quite being it...I find it such a fascinating culture,and their music sounds like shaped on the breton landscape.

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 05:27 AM

AAAAH le Tri Yann, merde chaud avec le knobs on....

They're still playing, they did the Dranouter festival last year, (about 15km from Ypres), and went down a storm. We did buy a CD which had an absolutely stonking version of twa corbies, but the Shark has it in his bag, so I've not seen it for a while.

I'm surprised they've been around long enough to have a vinyl, they all seemed pretty young to me....

If I get the CD off the Shark, I'll give you the sleeve notes.

LTS

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 05:28 AM

Oh, and for those who didn't know, the tri yann is the celtic knot pattern that looks like a cross between the symbol for the Isle of Man and a spiral. A three armed cross that terminates in spirals.

LTS

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Turtle
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 11:28 AM

Thanks everybody for the info! I did find a website yesterday with photos of the band members & brief histories of their participation in the group (in French)--it seems that it was started in the 70s by three men all named Jean--Jean-Louis Jossic, Jean-Paul Corbineau, and Jean Chocun. (I think I also picked up from the page that "Yann" is Breton for "Jean" so the name "Tri Yann" is a pun which means "three Jeans" in Breton. I didn't know about the Celtic knot, thanks Liz.) Then there was quite a line-up of other people who are currently playing with them; it looked as though they had added several folks (including a fiddler for the first time) & upped the size of the band in the last two or three years.

Stewie, thanks for the CDNow hint; I will hie me there forthwith and maybe soon have some new Tri Yann to compete with La Decouverte ou L'Ignorance and Suite Gallaise. Is it the French you don't understand or the Breton? I think their French is pretty clear and easy to understand (and I guess it helps that they put the lyrics on Decouverte *BG*). Breton is, unfortunately, completely beyond me.

Rana, thanks for goin through your CDs for me. Sounds like Le Vaisseau de Pierre is new stuff not traditional music; maybe that's why it's so different. I'd be intrigued to hear it but I don't think I'll start there as I love their traditional stuff so much.

Liz, wow, lucky you to get to hear them live. That would be worth the trip across the Atlantic for me. I studied in France in college (Pau, in southern France near the Pyrenees) but never got to Bretagne though I wanted to. I'd love to know what CD that is, and the liner notes would be wonderful, thanks.

Lena, thanks for the info about your trip to Brittany & I quite agree with you about French production tastes. The Tri Yann albums I have don't fall into that category at all and I hope they haven't succumbed in intervening years. I guess I'll find out soon!

So what are everyone's favorite cuts off the CDs they have?

Turtle

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Rana who SHOULD be working
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 11:39 AM

From AMG all music guide (www.allmusic.com) Under Tri Yann

This band is the most important exponent of urban folk-rock from Brittany. Over the years, their music has ranged from punchy acoustic arrangements of traditional songs to rock & roll based on the Breton and Gallo traditions. -- Steve Winick

1972 An Naoned

1973 Dix Ans Dix Filles

1974 Suite Gallaise

1976 La Decouverte Ou L'ignorance

1977 Les Filles des Forges

1978 Urba

1981 Heol a Zo Glaz, An

1982 Si Mort a Mors

1983 Cafe du Bon Coin

1990 Belle Et Rebelle

1997 En Concert Live

1998 Inventaire, Vol. 2

1998 Portraits

1998 Veillee du 3'emme Millenaire

1999 L' Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

1999 L' Essentiel en Concert

+ (no year given) Le Vaisseau De Pierre

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Turtle
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 12:12 PM

Thanks Rana. Just spent a little time on that site & looking at what's available on CDNow. AMG describes Le Vaisseau de Pierre as "a sort of rock opera on CD" with a "real rock and roll sound." Yikes. Not what I'd be expecting from Tri Yann. Think I'll pass on that one for now.

Liz, I didn't find twa corbies on the track lists of any of the CDs--maybe it's their new concert CD (99) that you have? There wasn't a track list for that one.

Off to order new Tri Yann CDs, huzzah!

happy Turtle

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Manitas
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 03:38 PM

It's not 'The Twa Corbies' but 'An Alarch'(sp?). There was a thread over on the folk newsgroups about this a while back. It seems that a Scots singer was taken by the tune and set 'The Twa Corbies' to it. The tune is from another song about a ship called the Swan which will bring the rightful lord of Brittany back home.

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: simon-pierre
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 08:27 PM

They came for a concert in Québec city in the last two years - not sure exactly when. I didin't really know the band (still I don't) and I didn't pay too much attention. I'm surprised to see it's well-known here, even if they sings in french or breton. I'll have a look.

SP

Subject: RE: Breton band Tri Yann
From: Lena
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 09:32 PM

Turtle,absolutely go to Brittany!!! I strongly suggest the time between half july(Le tombees de la Nuit festival in Rennes)and the beginning of august,when the great Lorient festival is on(i don't have the webs. URL with me,but you should be able to find it easily).and if you go to Lorient,let me know because I'm planning to go there next year.Brittany is cute,small and misterious.With a car(or a bike)and a tent you can tour it like nothing.and with a good guide you can avoid big ugly tourist areas and get to the nice bits. Besides,anyone here has a copy of the Breizh ar Braziz book?! There are very good and tasteful ensembles though.I'm out of home and I couldn't get to my recordings,but in a couple of days I'll give you some band names,Tri Yann are not the only amazing ones...