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Reviews |
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The September Bury Bal took place in Elmswell on the 24th . Katskoo headlined and were supported by Bof!. The evening was filled with colourful and vibrant music from both sides of the channel. Bof! played two fantastic sets, with a mix of old and new tunes, played in a passionate, soulful style. They played some beautiful waltzes, which never fail to create a feeling of connection between the dancer and the musician and a sense of ‘equalness’ between the two. Katskoo are comprised of Wim Poesen on pipes and whistles, Leo Rutten on diatonic accordion and Reinout Bertels on guitar. Their music was an intricate and exciting mix of well-crafted melodies and harmonies creating a continuous feeling of momentum driving the dancers on. As a dancer the quality and intricateness of both the harmony and melody are as important as the rhythm and have the ability to inspire the dancers. Both Bof! and Katskoo hit the spot. Katskoo also ran a music workshop for those interested in the afternoon. Richard & Maria |
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M MAY 2011 BURYBAL WORKSHOP WITH Yannick Minvielle-Debat This was the most enjoyable workshop. Yannick is charming and instantly put everyone at ease. She has an infectious enthusiasm for the dances and their history, which had all of us spellbound. Yannick sings the accompaniment to some of the dances, teaching us the words of the song as well as the dance, translating as she went! Multitasking or what!! I found this aspect of her teaching style particularly enjoyable, as I am always wanting to improve my French. I would personally highly recommend attending any of Yannick's future workshops. She definitely fits the "NOT TO BE MISSED'' category.
EVENING BAL with BOF! supported by Richard and Maria
The dancing included both the familiar and the challenging! We also got an opportunity to once again enjoy the dances that Yannick had taught us during the afternoon. Bof! played a variety of tunes including some from their latest CD, "Le Gai Matelot ", which I find very enjoyable to listen and dance too. They were supported by Richard and Maria, who presented some lovely dance tunes. When Maria played the fiddle, and Richard the melodeon, musically, they reminded me very much of Chris Wood and Andy Cutting. I would highly recommend the Bury Bal events, as an opportunity to hear some great music, as they always book experienced musicians (even some real French bands!) and a chance to learn some interesting dances from the different regions of France. You don't even have to bring a partner, as Bals are a social event where the dancers tend to mingle during the evening. Thank you, Linda, for organising the Workshop and Bal on 14-05-11, I found it enchanting and delightful.
Liz Hortt
Mistral at Burybal 8th January 2011. January 8th at The Blackbourne, Elmswell saw the return of Chris & Caroline Shaw to guest for the first BuryBal of 2011. Their stage name,‘Mistral’, some say, derives from the dusty south-east winds that blow from Forest Hill & the South Circular down Peckham Rye. You might know better. They kicked off at 5.00pm with a workshop to teach some dances from south western France. We had versions of the ‘Rondo‘, the ‘Sept Sauts‘, a processional dance & finally, a parallel, progressive 3 time Gascon bourrée, the Boreia Planière”. At around 7.00 we all sat down for a shared buffet style meal. This is a brilliant innovation carried over from the last Bal & will be continued in the future, with all attending bringing food to share, with teas, coffees, bread & basics provided. There is now a ‘bring your own booze’ to oil the wheels. The Bal proper was opened with the very excellent Bof! playing a set of cracking dance tunes, (many from their new CD ‘Le Gai Matelot’) including a stomping new Suite Plinn. Mistral completed the first set, sometimes with two fiddles, sometimes with Chris on accordeon diatonic to Caroline’s fiddle. The dances were a mix from central France with some of the south west from the workshop. We had a good helping of Breton dances, most of which were sung, sometimes in the ‘kan ha diskan’ style & some accompanied. The second half carried on in the same fashion, with Bof! & then Mistral to bring the evening to a splendid finalé, sending the revellers off, tired & happy into the frosty night. Until the next Bal on May 14th. A Fan. Note; The term Bal derives from Bal Folk which is the French way of saying Folk Dance. If you enjoy a good Celidh, then give it a try. Some instruction is often given & if you don’t want to dance, the music & company is fantastic. Allons dansez. |
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La Mere Folle
Saturday
September 25th was the most successful day yet for the Burybal French
dance group. Elmswell village hall was open from 2.00pm for a series of
music workshops that lasted through the afternoon until 6.pm when
everyone shared a delicious meal round a long table that was then
cleared away for the final dance workshop that preceded the "Bal", or
dance, itself. The artists providing the expertise for the workshops
were the group La Mere Folle who had travelled up from the Morvan in
Central France. They had arrived from across the Channel on the Friday
evening, just in time to do a guest appearance at the Milkmaid Folk Club
in Bury. An enthusiastic audience was treated to a selection of
beautifully played traditional and composed music from Central France,
delivered around a typically French romantic and poetic narrative theme
that gave structure to their musical selection. Our thanks go to Terry
Walden for his continued willingness to introduce a touch of world music
to the East Anglian folk scene.
Dave Shepherd at the Elmswell Burybal on 16th May, 2010 Although performing solo, Dave’s virtuoso playing provided a rich and varied programme which delighted the dancers. He included some Breton tunes and occasionally stopped to teach new dances. Everyone was up and dancing. The support from four-piece band Bof! added another dimension and variety of sound to the evening as they played tunes from their latest CD, le Gai Matelot. They joined with Dave for an exciting finale, climaxing with the ever popular dance, the Tour of the Potteries. The next Burybal is 25th September, with a return from the amazing Morvan band, La Mere Folle. Katskoo January 2010 English dancers (and a visiting Australian) doing French dances to French music and Scandi dances to Scandinavian music, played by some Belgian musicians was the scene on January 16th at Elmswell! Burybal, now in its 5th year, maintains its tradition of introducing exciting musicians from abroad to Suffolk. The January Bal was something of a ‘blind date’ as Bof! had become acquainted with Katskoo through Myspace, and had admired their music. The rendezvous came up to expectations, as Katskoo’s live sound was even better than we had anticipated. Equally enthused, the dancers kept dancing until we had to close the hall! The line-up is Wim Poesed on flutes, saxophone, pipes; Leo Rutten on accordeon; and Reinout Bertels on guitar. They played fluently, with a good driving pace for the dancers. Their music for the French dance was interesting with influences from other genres, such as Irish and their native, Flemish; but these did not detract from the strong rhythms supporting the French dance. They finished their set with a haunting tune, composed by Wim, ‘Waltz for Polle’ which was familiar to many musicians and dancers. Bof! provided excellent support as ever, and we were treated to a couple of tunes and a new dance from the visiting duo, Mistral, who had played at a previous Bal. The next event is May 15th, when Dave Shepherd of Blowzabella will be playing for us.
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Bury Bal Chemins de Traverse at Elmswell
The Paris-based French dance band Chemins de Traverse hit The Blackbourne (Village hall) in Elmswell on Saturday 15th September with the full range of popular traditional dances - bourrees, waltzes, scottishes, mazurkas, polkas and more – to the delight of a capacity audience.
Les Hauts Esprits kicked off the evening, and the dance floor was alive with couples from their first number. This local five-piece "French" band has gone from strength to strength during the past year with their line-up of diatonic accordeon, clarinet-oboe-fiddle, flute-recorder, guitar and percussion. They seem to have a knack of choosing delightful melodies and then arranging them imaginatively, so that their music is good both for listening to and dancing to.
Just after 8.45, Chemins de Traverse attacked their first set with a passion that set the tone for the rest of the evening. The hurdy-gurdy of Benoit Michaud and the double-bass of Caroline Tomba provided a perfect rhythmic accompaniment to melodies provided by the chromatic accordeon of Francois Tillerot and the bagpipes of Philippe Suzanne. This group of superb musicians were joined towards the end of the evening by Blowzabella's Dave Shepherd on violin.
The majority of English ceilidh bands in recent years have tended to use the diatonic accordeon (otherwise known as the melodeon), and this instrument is also used extensively by many French dance bands. The pull-push mechanics of these instruments provides rhythm but also limits the melodies that can be played. However, the use of the chromatic accordeon by Chemins de Traverse allows the band to include more complex melodies in their repertoire, and is largely responsible for their "bal musette" or "Paris-accordeon" sound, which conjures up scenes of late-19th century Parisian cafe life, where musicians from the Auvergne played dance music – first on bagpipes and later on Italian accordeons - for the thousands of their compatriots who had moved to the capital to find work.
Chemins de Traverse went on to play for a dance group in Kent on Sunday 16th before returning to France after a brilliant weekend. The next Bury Bal takes place on January 12 2008 when we welcome The Drift. This band from mid-Sussex features musicians from the great band Rosbif, the first group of English musicians to introduce French dance music to the British folk scene.
To keep up-to-date with Bury Bal events check their website at www. burybal.com
Simon Haines 2007
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La Mère Folle On Saturday May 26th the French band, La Mère Folle, came to play at Elmswell for the sixth Burybal. Their performance was a real treat and it was a disappointment for the organisers that there were not more people at the dance considering the high calibre of musicianship on show. The band come from the Morvan area of France, and the leader of the band, Yves Grosprêtre, is an authority on the music of the region. Many of the tunes played by the band were collected by him and so we were introduced to a whole raft of music not usually heard in England. With a classic line up of Hurdy Gurdys, bagpipes, accordion and percussion, the five piece band blasted through two hours of exciting, dynamic dance music which kept everybody on their feet until the dance closed at 11.45pm. Support for La Mère Folle came from Bof!, who skilfully warmed the night up with a variety of dances from France and Brittany from their growing repertoire. This band continues to develop a tight and driving sound, which captures the essential essence of the French Bal tradition. The next Burybal takes place on September 15th when François Tillerot, the accordion player from La Mère Folle, will return with another five piece line up, based in Paris, called Chemins de Traverse. This includes another musician, Benoid Michaud, who has delighted Burybal previously. They will be supported by local band, Les Hauts Esprits. We look forward to a packed dance hall for a quality night of French music and dance. See you there!
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The Debut of Les Hauts Esprits.
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