Happy Feet

GENTICORUM

La Bibournoise

Roues et Archets 012

Is there anything as joyous as a well-done album of Quebeçois music? The latest by Genticorum is very well done indeed. Unlike most Belle Province lineups, there is neither a piano nor accordion; instead Alexandre Moulin de Grosbois-Garand plays flute on most of the tracks. When added to the incessant foot clogging characteristic of Quebeçois music it makes sets such as “La Grondeuse Opossum” feel like the intersection between a gallop and a sashay. When necessary, the flute also serves to hasten the pace, as in “Le Brandy Culotté,” “brandy” in this case the name given to four-part heart-stopping reels played in Québec. Pascal Gemme handles most of the fancy fiddling and Yann Falquet the guitar licks, but all three handle the bow at some point, as showcased for a moment on “Le Pommeau.” Each is also a fine vocalist. Falquet offers a gorgeous treatment to “Le Vingt d’Avril,” a traditional lament of love, war, and tragedy. And the three collaborate on the whimsical title track, an a capella fantasy about a prison whose cells are made of food. If you have any doubt that the world is flat, check out “Valse Beaulieu,” which began life as a gentle waltz to commemorate a town in Scotland. It’s still a waltz, but as filtered through robust clogging and call-and-response singing. C’est bon!

Click here for a YouTube link.