Erik Marchand - traditional breton singer and clarinett player

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Érik MARCHAND

The Man
Available recordings :
- « An tri Breur »
- « Sag an tan ell »
- « Condaghes »
- « Kan »
- with Quintet Clarinettes
- with Gwerz

The Man

    Today's Breton music owes a lot to Erik Marchand. Not only for the masterpieces he offered us, but also with this new type of philosophy.
    His first meetings with Breton traditional music came while on the road, he was collecting songs, tales and music near Rostrenn, in Center-Brittany. He learns the biniou kozh and begins singing in festoù-noz together with Erik Salaun and Yves Castel. At the age of 18, he discovers Manu Kerjean and his marvellous voice and singing style. That really is the beginning of his Kan ha diskan education. Meanwhile, he keeps going with the clarinett and also studies the wonderful breton laments : 'Gwerz'.
     His first recordings will be for Chasse-Marée's sea-shanties anthology and for Cabestan as he appears in 'Gwerz penmarc'h'.
    1985 marks the turning point of his professional career as he forms Gwerz which still remains an example for many of today's bands as they really invented a 'new breton sound', specially with their 'Live album'. Together with Erik were Youenn Le Bihan, Patrick and Jacky Molard, Soïg Siberil, Alain Genty and Bruno Caillot. As it often happens this adventure came to an end, the band split for professional reasons. But there are recent news about a re-form in 2000...
    His meeting with Thierry Robin in 1988 will be the starting point of a strong co-work. They'll form, together with Hameed Khan, the Erik Marchand Trio and record an excellent album, An tri breur where the trio is joined by Yann-Fañch Kemener, Youenn le Bihan and Fañch Landreau. He also continues with the clarinett by playing in Quintet Clarinettes.
    In 1992, he meets Costel Pau, a virtuoso trumpet player who was performing at a dance in the snow covered village of Brebu, in Rumania. Three days later, as Erik told him about his will to play music with a Rumanian band, Costel formed a band consisting of Costica Olan on the targot, Dany Iova on the alto saxophone, Petrica Maxim on the accordion and Nellu Turcu on the double-bass, four famous musicians from the towns of Caransebes and Resita. On their first trip to Brittany in May 1993, 'taraf de Caransebes' was very warmly received at Poullaouen, Erik's new hometown. The musicians made friends there and took part to 'weddings and festoù-noz. As styles of dance can be quite similar between Rumania and Brittany, they decided to record a wonderful album, Sag an tan ell.
    In 1997, he forms a new trio together with Fresu and Pellen which offers us a wonderfull album : Condaghes, creates his own musical label, 'Gwerz' (of course...) and takes part to the new Celtic Procession concerts and Live album.
    His new album, Kan, is a place where Breton singing tradition meets Albanian, Sardaignan, Galician and Malian singing traditions. Simply amazing !

« An tri Breur » 24,24 €

in trio with Thierry Robin & Hameed Khan

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