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Raz-de-Marée
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Champlain’s Legacy Alive Today in Franco-American Traditions Cross Currents: The Flow of Traditional Music Between New England and New France
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On Saturday April 25 at 8:00 p.m. there will be a veillée (pronounced vay-yay)—a traditional Franco-American music and dance party with refreshments. Yaëlle Azoulay will be caller to live music provided by Raz-de-Marée. Yaëlle Azoulay will also lead a 2:00 p.m. dance workshop—again with live music by Raz-de-Marée—to teach traditional Québécois social dancing: squares, circles, and quadrilles in contra formation. The workshop is $10; the veillée is $15; or attend both for just $20. Saturday’s workshop and veillée take place at the Plattsburgh Elks Lodge, located at 56 Cumberland Avenue. For more information please call (518) 293-7613 or visit on-line at www.hillandhollowmusic.org. The name Raz-de-Marée—translated as “Tidal Wave”—acknowledges the French-Canadian maritime history along the St. Lawrence Seaway. Samuel de Champlain and early French settlers traded regularly with the Native Americans at Tadoussac, where the Saguenay River flows down from the north into the broad St. Lawrence River. A swirling, churning caldron is created where the fast-flowing fresh water collides with the salty tidal current. Like those mighty rivers, the music of Raz-de-Marée is full of movement and drive. Entitled Cross Currents: The Flow of Traditional Music Between New England and New France, this Hill and Hollow Music residency project will illustrate a lively cross-border musical interchange. French music from north of the border has long been part of the mix at traditional New England dances, along with English, Irish, and Scottish traditional music. French-speaking people from Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia have lived in New England since the earliest days of settlement, but they came south in great numbers to work in the mills and factories during the second half of the 19th century. They had their own social clubs with music and dance. Over time French musicians mixed with their Anglo counterparts, exchanging tunes and dance figures. Québécois traditional music and dance have been warmly embraced in the American folk scene, and their popularity is right now at an all-time high. The core members of Raz-de-Marée—hailing from both Québec and New England—are Claudine Arcand on fiddle, Sabin Jacques on accordion and foot percussion, Rachel Aucoin on piano, and Stuart Kenney on five-string banjo and upright bass. While in residence with Hill and Hollow Music they will perform concerts and workshops in several regional schools: Beekmantown Elementary, Ellenburg Elementary, Northeast Clinton Middle and High, Peru Intermediate, and Saranac Middle. Raz-de-Marée and Yaëlle Azoulay will also give a mini-concert—open to the general public—at Lake Forest Senior Living Community in Plattsburgh on Thursday April 23 at 6:30 pm. Tickets for the mini-concert are $10. Dinner served at 5:30 pm is available for an additional $10. For concert tickets and dinner reservations please call Lake Forest directly at 518-561-6431. Hill and Hollow Music is a key participant in the Champlain Quadricentennial, interpreting the theme “Vive la France!—From the Old Country to the New World” with performances of French and Franco-American music. Throughout the year a variety of music and dance events—drawing on medieval, renaissance, baroque, traditional folk, and contemporary traditional—tell the story of French exploration and settlement in our region from 1609 onward, and illustrate the diversity of French culture in North America, a culture that continues to thrive and evolve in our present day. For more information about any of these events please call 518-293-7613 or visit on-line at www.hillandhollowmusic.org. More About the Artists . . . Claudine Arcand, fiddle Born in Lachine, Claudine Arcand began violin lessons at age five. She pursued her classical training with Nathalie Cadotte in the music program at Pierre-Laporte high school in Montreal. For five years she played violin and viola with l’Orchèstre Symphonique des Jeunes Laval-Laurentides. In 1992 she discovered the traditional music of Québec through a dance troop from Lachine called Les Éclusiers. At that time, she met Sabin Jacques, Richard Forest and Benoît Bourque, who guided her as she learned to play the beautiful Québécois repertoire by ear. Later on she was a member of several groups, including Réveillons!, La part du quêteux, and les Grondeuses. She also accompanied Les Éclusiers de Lachine on several tours in the United States, France, Spain, and Mexico. She participated in performances given by the storyteller Simon Gauthier and Corne de brume in France, as well as in the show entitled La turlutte des Little-Delisle performed by Monique Jutras and Gilles Plante. Claudine now lives in l’Islet-sur-mer where she teaches violin through classical and traditional repertoire and directs her own youth string ensemble. She recently recorded with Montmagny’s own Alexandre Caron, one of the young upcoming accordionists, along with masters Denis Pépi and Marcel Messervier. You can also hear her on Raz-de-Marée/Tidal Wave’s debut self-titled album with Sabin Jacques, Rachel Aucoin, Stuart Kenney and guest fiddlers Éric Favreau and André Brunet. This favorite contradance band regularly invites her to join them on tour across North America. Sabin Jacques, accordion and foot percussion Since Sabin Jacques began playing the accordion at age 14, his reputation has grown nonstop; his multiple and diverse musical engagements made him a versatile and accomplished artist. Deeply influenced by such musicians as Simard, Bruneau, Labbé, Messervier and Montmarquette, he sought his originality in his unusual technique which gives him, as a left-handed player, a recognizable signature. Sabin was soon invited to play for traditional dance troupes; these collaborations offered him many opportunities to travel worldwide. Since age 20 he has accompanied the ensembles les Gens de mon Pays, les Danseurs de la Vallée Saint Jean and les Eclusiers de Lachine in Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, France, England, Spain, and Madagascar, where he took part in Les Jeux de la Francophonie (1997), receiving a bronze medal. In 1995, he was featured as the Québécois artist at the Montmagny Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordéon Originally from the beautiful Gaspé peninsula, Sabin made Montreal his home in 1992, in search of work in the electronics field. This greater musical community allowed him to make significant acquaintances with musicians in the popular and commercial music domain. His work with Acadian icon signer Edith Butler remains the most prolific: between 1993 and 2001 he accompanied her on many tours and played on two of her recordings. Sabin can also be heard with the celebrated Hugues Aufray, as well as on recordings of Jean-Pierre Ferland, Ann-Victor, and rap band Kid Fléo. Despite these various musical adventures, including prime time television appearances (Gregory Charles’s Mélomaniaques (2005) and Droit au coeur (2006), Sabin remains profoundly attached to his traditional roots and regularly takes part in pedagogical projects by teaching his heritage at home at l’école des Arts de la Veillée and at summer camps such as Ashokan (NY), Pinewoods (MA), Augusta (WV), and others abroad. His teaching is said to be practical, uplifting and always inspiring. Some of his more traditional recordings include Les pieds qui parlent (1994), Hommage à Alfred Montmarquette (1994), Domino I (1998), Michèle Choinière (2002), Domino Pris au Jeu (2004) and his latest: Raz-de-marée/Tidal Wave (2007), all of these putting a highlight on his stunning dexterity and musicianship while confirming his status as one of Québec’s leading master accordionists. Rachel Aucoin, piano and vocals After a thorough classical training, including two Masters degrees (performance, University of Montreal, 2001 and piano pedagogy, University of Laval, 2003), two first prizes at the prestigious Canadian Music Competition (1997 and 1998), and a solo performance of Beethoven’s Second Concerto with the Orchestre Symphonique de la Montérégie (1997), since her first appearance at the Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordéon in 1999, Rachel Aucoin has specialized in folk music accompaniment. She never imagined this apparently innocent performance would change her musical destiny. A window on the world had just opened and showed her the way to her heart’s music, where she would meet with her Acadian ancestors’ spirits, bringing out a family tradition rich with singing, dancing and fiddling kitchen-style. She even discovered recently her great-grandfather was certainly one of the first accordion players in Cape Breton Island! She first appeared at numerous festivals in Canada, the USA, and abroad as the pianist in Domino, giving her a solid experience as a dance back-up musician. In addition, Rachel has recorded with many artists such as American fiddler Laura Risk, Vermont-based singer-songwriter Michèle Choinière, as well as many other Québécois masters (Claude Méthé, Francine Desjardins, Réjean Simard, Jean Duval, Frank Sears). Last year, she recorded on Great Meadows label Raz-de-marée/Tidal Wave’s debut recording, showing her percussive, rich and sensible improvised accompaniment. With accordionist Christian Laurence Rachel recently formed Duo Christel, which plays original compositions that are a beautiful symbiosis of meditative flow, folk-inspired, celtic colors, and European accents. The Duo performed again at the world-renowned Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordeon in 2005, which led to the recording of their first production entitled Sur un air d’aller. Nevertheless, Rachel meets her greatest interest and passion through teaching. Approached by the University of Montreal’s preparatory school in 2005 to create an innovative program for piano students, she is now busy building a bridge between the spontaneity and immersion musicianship of her folk experience and the aesthetic beauty and refinement in the artistry within her classical music education. Stuart Kenney, upright bass & 5-string banjo One of the most-in-demand upright bass and five-string banjo players on the US contradance circuit, Stuart Kenney’s regional musical interests sweep from Southwest Louisiana to Acadia. Stuart began playing five-string banjo at age 12, and upright bass at age 18. He has a long career in many traditional music genres. Stuart cut his Cajun teeth with the legendary, late Dewey Balfa, and played with him for many of his northeast appearances. His interest in Québécois music formed through the fiddling of Lisa Ornstein, and performances by La Bottine Souriante. The inclusion of French-Canadian music in the living tradition of New England contradance music caught his attention early on. In 1999 Stuart’s path crossed with Sabin Jacques and Rachel Aucoin at Augusta Heritage Traditional Dance and Music week. At that point Stuart invited them to play for contradances in Greenfield, MA, and they’ve been playing together ever since. A tight musical bond was formed. Later these three formed this group, Raz-de-marée/Tidal Wave. Stuart is a founding member of many bands including Airdance, Greenfield Dance Band, The Sevens, Tidal Wave, and Undertoe. He spent 14 years touring with the now-legendary contradance band Wild Asparagus. He has played on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered (The Sevens), and NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion (Airdance). Stuart has appeared at American Folk Festival, (ME) (National Council for Traditional Arts), Ashokan (NY) Fiddle and Dance workshops with Jay Unger and Molly Mason, Augusta (WV), Alaska Traditional Folk Dance Society, City Stages (AL), Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (NY), Fiddle Tunes (WA), Hawaii and St. Croix Dance Vacations, Philadelphia Folk Festival (PA), Sidmouth Folk Festival (UK), and countless others. Stuart is a much-in-demand studio musician, with over fifty recordings to his credit. Stuart’s most recent project, Undertoe, is a musical collaboration with accordionist Karen Tweed (Yorkshire, England), John Dipper (London), and Marko Packard (US). He has composed many original pieces of music featured in their first recording Walking Down Angell Road. Although Stuart’s music has brought him coast to coast and beyond, his musical home is at the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, MA, where he plays for and hosts the TopHill Music and Dance Series.
Éric Favreau,
fiddle Éric Favreau comes from a family of traditional musicians and has spent a great deal of time playing with other fiddlers, learning their repertoire and studying their varied styles. Éric has explored and exploited various sources, including archives, has personally made field recordings, and has accumulated a rich and fascinating repertoire. Over the years he has garnered a profound understanding and vast knowledge of Québécois traditional music. As an individual, and in various groups including Entourloupe, Éric has vast experience in the Canadian, United States, and European music scenes. Éric has recorded two solo albums, two with his current group Entourloupe, and has appeared on at least a dozen others. He is a consummate entertainer/educator in his Introduction to Traditional Music workshop in the public school system under the auspices of the Minister of Education. He also teaches traditional fiddle, and the history of traditional music at the Cégèp(junior college) in Joliette, Québec. Éric’s playing is marked by delicacy, nuance, and liveliness that will leave no foot untapped! Yaëlle Azoulay, step-dancer & dance caller
In addition to step dancing, Yaëlle also has a tremendous passion for international dance and “calling” - the art of getting people to dance - which she learned to perfection from dance-master Gérard Morin. In order to become more directly involved in the traditional dance and music of Québec, she joined l’Association Québécoise des Loisirs Folkloriques in January 2004 as a development officer. During her two-and-a-half years with the organization she has also worked as assistant editor of Québec Folklore, a magazine for which she wrote several columns, including Place aux Jeunes. Yaëlle holds a college diploma in arts and literature, with a major in communication, from the Collège Montmorency, and is presently completing a Bachelor’s program called Histoire et pratiques et interventions culturelles at the University of Québec in Rimouski. Working in this new environment means that she can give the people of the lower St. Lawrence and the Gaspé a chance to discover Québec’s traditional dance, opening new doors for her artistic endeavors. |
Brought
back to the North Country by popular demand, Tidal Wave or 
A
six-year stint with Laval’s Les Pieds Légers and two-and-a-half
years with the Reel et Macadam Dance Company have made it possible
for Yaëlle Azoulay to find her place in Québec’s world of
traditional dance. She received training from step dancers such as
Jean-François Berthiaume, Martine Billette, and Pierre Chartrand,
resulting in her participation in Chantier and Rapaillé, as well as
two performances of the Collectif de folklore urbain Zeugma. As a
member of Rapaillé she got the chance to be involved in the fifth
Francophone Games, held in Niger in 2005. For two years she was
also the choreographer and performer in a show called Conferencius
Gigus. In January 2005 she joined a contemporary step-dance company,
Fuxi Club, founded by Luc Fleury, to play a role in a film called
Ville-Fantôme. In March 2007 she presented her first
choreography at Tangente called La Turqueoise, a mixture of
Québécois and Turkish rhythms and movements.