L'Accordeonaire
Music of Auvergne, Centre France, Brittany, and other places
Category: Breton
Monday Flo
This is Florence Glorion a player of the chromatic button accordion, who duets often with diato player Florence Pindivic. They host a site together, Diou Flo, which focuses primarily on Breton music. I love both of the Florences’ music, and will feature Pindivic next…
Unknown Tune in Four
The Theme of the Month at mel,net is “Something in Four.” It’s for the odds and sods tunes. The march, polka, or whatever that seems somehow different and out of place. This tune is one that I learned from a fiddler about fifteen years…
Alain Pennec, Breton Accordion
A bit of Alain Pennec to start off your week. He’s known for deploying interesting band arrangements, so capturing him solo is a special treat. Enjoy.
Le Lundi Accordéonaire III
Every Monday, I will be posting a new or newly discovered (newly by me, anyway) video of French accordionistics. If you would like to draw my attention to something out there that should be posted, or want to submit one of yourself playing some…
Breton Dance Field Recordings (and other places)
The An Dro snakes through! Pic by Chris Ryall UPDATE: I’ve gotten some push back on this post from folks (great stuff in the comment section), essentially saying that some of these videos are not exemplars of their regional styles, but are just examples…
Breton Music Week
Two North American Breton cultural organizations, Kerlenn New York and Bretons de Quebec, have joined forces to launch the first annual Breton Music Week. A series of events from October 18 to 27 scheduled in a swath reaching from New York City, through Massachusetts, and…
First Tunes with the Baffetti
Videos down below! The Dino Baffetti Tex-Mex II/34 arrived on Thursday! Very exciting! I had intended to do an internal examination of the box, a la Owen Woods or Daddy Long Les, but I found I couldn’t bear to take a screw driver to it,…
Yann-Fañch Perroches, a Celebration
An Droug Hirnez, by Yann-Fañch Perroches With much gratitude, I celebrate Yann-Fañch Perroches. Owen Woods, who writes the fantastic Music and Melodeons, mentioned in passing that he’s playing a gig in support of the great Breton accordéonist, Yann-Fañch Perroches. After the wave of envy…
Appreciation: Daniel Thonon
Daniel Thonon was a first contact for French music for many North American players. Residing in Quebec, the multi-instrumentalist — accordéon, pipes, hurdy gurdy, recorders, harpsichord — was one of several key members of Ad Vielle Que Pourra, which was a featured group on the…
Mazurka de Comptoir
Here’s a mazurka I learned off the compilation, Accordeons Diatonique en Bretagne. On that recording it was played by Christian Desnos. I don’t know if that makes it a “Breton” mazurka or not, but it’s a good tune. For more mazurkas, I invite you…
Scottish du Pere Rouxel
In French music a scottish is not Scottish, and it’s not a schottische (however you want to spell that). A scottish is a mid-tempo four-four dance. I often think of these in the same light as mazurkas: medium tempo bits of goodness and light….
Hanter Dro
Another Breton tune, learned from clarinetist Steve Gruverman (tune finder extraordinaire). The hanter dro is that rare thing, an intimate line dance. Moving to the 3/2 meter, the dancers snake around the floor, spiraling, encircling, ensorceling the musicians. I try to embody the apparent…
Le Bon Truc
