Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!

Subject: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: mattDP
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 05:54 AM

Hi,

A little while ago I enjoyed watching a local folk band perform some early Breton music with Hurdy Gurdy and a number of musettes. I really enjoyed the music and indeed the unusual instruments and I was wondering if anyone could recommend some recordings/artists in this style I might be able to find?

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 01:46 PM

mattDP, try this link:

Alden and Cali Hackmann's hurdy-gurdy page

for some good info on hurdy-gurdies, links to artists and recordings, and a bunch of other information. They build these strange instruments on this side of the water, and host an international festival each year in Washington state.

Hope this helps!

Lin

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: John J
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 02:15 PM

Try 'Shave the Monkey', a band based in East Anglia, King's Lynn I think. They make great use of a Hurdy Gurdy, a very powerful sound indeed. I think a search on the www may find them for you.

John

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 03:16 PM

I was going to recommend a cd I have, then realized I've got Breton music (Christian LeMaitre on fiddle, and unaccompanied women's vocals), and hurdy gurdy music (from Berry, in central France), but not Breton hurdy gurdy music. Obviously, I've only just started to scratch the surface of French folk... best to plumb the depths of that great site that Lin recommended!

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Cllr
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 03:43 PM

Nigel Eaton from Blowzabella etc. I also saw him at a Page and Plant concert (ex Led Zepplin for any one from a different planet)doing an eight minute hurdy solo on Hangman, The crowd, of mainly grizzled looking heavy mettalists, went wild. Also check out Felicia Dale of "Pint and Dale" she plays a lovley bit of hurdy as well. Latest shave the Monkey album is "Good luck Mr Gorsky" Cllr

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Peg
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 04:34 PM

Mince Pye (medieval and renaissance)

Garmarna (Swedish folk rock)

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Jeanie
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 05:06 PM

A really good website for Breton information is www.breizh.net/icdbl (The International Committee for Defence of the Breton Language). It has a "Guide to Music in Brittany" and links to instruments, recordings, performers.

www.hurdygurdy.com www.prydein.com (Fete de la Vielle in Vermont) www.pregomusic.co.uk www.vermontel.net/~theweepiper (CDs/tapes) www.thorsebyfestnoz.com (Website with sound samples, details of performers and video on line of Fest Noz held in Nottingham, U.K)

All the above have infinite links to infinite numbers of websites of performers of this lovely music. Oh, you've made me want to go back there for my holidays, now ... I can taste the crepes already ... Bon voyage ! - Jeanie

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 28 Jan 02 - 05:32 PM

HAving bought a bombarde last summer, I would be interested to hear of any other useful links on that instrument and Breton music in general.
GtD.

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 04:17 AM

Hi

Scolvan are a great band and so are Ar Re Youank, hard hitting beefy breton music, you can't beat it!

Cheers, Sam

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Nerd
Date: 30 Jan 02 - 12:50 AM

Unfortunately, no one yet has named a Breton Hurdy Gurdy artist on this thread (!) I'm not saying this to be snotty; it's actually very hard to find Breton Hurdy-Gurdy players. That's because the Hurdy Gurdy was on the verge of dying out in Brittany, and only recently was sort of revived. Many musicians blame the diatonic accordion for driving out the H-G from the Breton tradition.

Bands that use H-G in Breton music include:

Kasadenn Les Chiens Jaunes Luskañ

individual musicians include:

Jacqueline Blanchard Pascal Etesse

for an introduction to the tradition, you can get a compilation CD called "Sonneurs de Vielle en Bretagne" available from Armen, at www.armen.net

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: Nerd
Date: 30 Jan 02 - 01:11 AM

Oops! Forgot my tags. That should have read:

Bands that use H-G in Breton music include
:

Kasadenn
Les Chiens Jaunes
Luskañ

individual musicians include:

Jacqueline Blanchard
Pascal Etesse

Subject: RE: Name some Breton/Hurdy-Gurdy Artists!
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Aug 13 - 08:42 AM

Michel Colleu - but HG isn't his only, or even his main, instrument.