Just checking out the schedule for the Dance Flurry festival in Saratoga Springs NY in Feb http://www.danceflurry.org/festival2006/festhome.html
and found that this band is performing: http://www.genticorum.com/. Great sound on the clips. And it looks like their flute player, Alexandre de
Grosbois-Garand, will be part of a short workshop on wind styles in trad music.
I know a little bit about the fiddle music of Quebec, but this is the first flute stuff I’ve encountered, other than Grey Larsen’s recordings. Any suggestions for more?
The only other flute player that pops to my mind is Nicholas Williams, and I admit I’m not sure whether he is in Ontario near Quebec, or Quebec near Ontario.
There’s some nice low whistle playing on the album Le Vent du Nord, which is the album a couple of the Le Vent du Nord guys put out before the recruited the rest of the guys and formed the band. I don’t think there’s any flute on that album, though.
As far as Genticorum goes, I have to admit that due to a scheduling mistake, I ended up taking (their fiddler) Pascal Gemme’s Quebecois tunes class (with my low whistle) rather than Alex’s at Goderich this summer.
Jean Duval also composes his own tunes. I had spoken with him and Christine Fortin re: my putting out a CD of Québécois flute players, but haven’t heard anything further. At about the same time, I also heard from A Welsh player re: Welsh tunes on flute. It’s been about 4 months since I heard from anybody, though.
Just a few of the standards, plus several of Jean Duval’s tunes (Jean has composed some wonderful melodies; he’s a genius. Many of his tunes sound more Irish than Québecois, though).
I find most Québecois tunes tricky on the flute, probably because my fingers just aren’t used to the patterns, plus they tend to sit better on the fiddle anyway.
I know quite a few good flute players here, but I’d say all of us apart from Alexandre play more Irish than Québecois tunes.
Here in my house (pardon spelling!) Reel Eugene, St Stanislaus, Issodun, and Valse Matique are standards. (My wife and I both know know a handful of others, too, but this list may be the only ones we have in common.)
I probably know some of these tunes by ear but not by name! Jean Duval does play plenty of Québecois tunes, by the way, and he’s quite handy on the harmonica and fiddle as well as flute (he’s an awesome flute player, as is Alexandre). We’ve played some of Jean’s reels for set carré dances and they work very well. He published a book full of his tunes a few years back and he keeps coming up with new ones. And then of course he did his album of one-handed whistle suites, which is amazing.
There are a few flute players up in Québec City as well…I’m sure they must play some Québecois tunes as well…
