We’re just back from Paris where we had a few gigs and also the chance to sing an a-capella Kan ha Diskan for a danse at a fest-noz. Image is quite blurry but sound is cool!
Gavotte
Let’s Twist!
This video is indeed a kind of making-off of our last video recording for Barzh an Ifern (You still can watch it >here<).
Lyrics are traditional from Brittany (and as usual in #Breton language). A bachelor is complaining about the way girls are nowadays, not willing to stay home but rather going to school or partying. Composed at least… 100 years ago ! (full English translation and more facts >here<)
The final Live part is from the song “Barzh an Ifern”, in Marseille (south of France), March the 15th, 2014, in Equitable Café (crazy ambiance that night as you can hear from the sound!)
One of our goals is to get ALL the songs from our album available on our YouTube channel, (if you are a regular user of YouTube, you can subscribe here, that way you’ll easily get notified from our new videos)… And we’re almost half-way 😉
Enjoy, and if you enjoy it, please share around!
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Staying Within The Circle…
Brittany is well know among folk lovers to have a great variety of traditional dances. And indeed, they are quite a variety of those dances. Although most of them have specific names nowadays, some decades ago they would mostly be referred to as “circle dance”. Mostly “Dañs Tro” (for all the variations on the gavotte) and “An-Dro” (in the Vannes area). Because of Breton grammar, Tro and Dro are indeed the same word, first letter change is a typical marker of Celtic languages. But they mean “circle”. And every area would mostly only dance one kind of dance. Their dance. The one from their community, or we could even say, the one that would make them belong to their community.
In our area, we mostly dance gavotte. In remote villages, there is no problem playing 2 complete sets of gavotte in a row (a complete set is about 15, 20 min). We almost consider that other dances, from other parts of the province are more like… fun! We like them, we like to dance them, we enjoy them. We even try to play them. But gavotte is ours. It is part of who we are.
I always had the feeling that dancing was and still is for some people more than a show, or something to be good at. It is just something to get together. To feel you are united. To feel you are part of “that” circle. This is what Within the Circle is about.
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Within the Circle, you don’t look outside, you’re not there to show off. You can just be yourself.
§ Simone
Twist en-dro war al leur goat
Twist en-dro is this month within >fRoots playlist<, it is time for some explanations + translations!
There is be too much to say about this odd title, en-dro means “again”, but it is also the name of a particular dance from the Vannes area. Al leur goat is a wooden generally non-permanant flooring used outside or in ballrooms for fest-noz, our favorite ones are smooth enough so that you feel lighter while dancing, but not too much either, and it responds by a sharp sound while you dance (see notes bellow from the translation…. )
Lyrics used are a very common text mostly sung as a “gavotte” like here, and know under the title “Ar Poatr Yaouank Kozh”. They are however much longer, you may find the full version >here<, with French translation.
Instruments : guitar, violin, ‘oud, electric ‘oud, derbouka
Rythme : gavotte dance
Music: a mix of traditional tunes with Yann’s compositions
[ don’t forget to click on the cover image bellow, so that you can listen to it while reading the translation… ]
Ar Poatr Yaouank Kozh
The Bachelor
Me zo chomet da goshaat ha n’on ket c’hoazh dimezet
Ha dre-se on gwelet fall gant an dimezelled
I’m getting older but I’m still not married
This is why I get mocked by young Ladies
Ar merc’hed a oa gwechall a glaske labourat
Kannañ gwenn ar rochedoù, ober stamm ha gwriad
Girls used to work hard
To wash, sew and repair clothes
Met ar re yaouank zo bremañ a zo o klask bezañ koant
Setu aze ‘vit petra on chomet poatr yaouank
But young ones now are trying nothing but to look pretty
This is why I’m still a bachelor
Pa vo pardonioù ‘barzh ar vro, ‘hay en noz da zañsal
Neuze ‘vo klevet o c’hoarzhin hag he zreid o strakal (*)
When they are fairs around the country, they’re going at night to dance
You’ll only hear laughing and their feet hitting the floor (*)
Hag an deiz war-lerc’h ‘chomo ‘pad an deiz en he gwele
Gant ar boan ba’n he divhar pe an droug ‘n he c’hostez
And then the next day they stay in bed for the all day
With pain in their legs or on their stomach
Un dilhad eus ar c’haerañ ‘renko c’hoazh da gaoued
Ur robenn brodet gant seiz hag un tok alaouret
They’ll also claim for the most beautiful clothing
A dress embroidered with silk and a goldish hat
An dra-se ‘vez ket gwall-bell ‘tegas ur mil da bemp kant
Setu aze ‘vit petra on chomet poatr yaouank
Before you notice it you’ll out of money
And this is why I’m still a bachelor
Notes:
(*) strakañ : hitting and making a “bang” noise all together, mostly used for the noise made by dancers feet and… like in aSTRAKAn
This is as usual a personal translation, with emphasis on the meaning than on the exact-correct-official translation
§ Simone
. astrakan project . 