La Travers¿¿e de l'Atlantique

by La Bottine Souriante

Overview

Back before they acquired a horn section and turned into a strange sort of Quebecois rhythm and reels band, La Bottine Souriante plied a more traditional brand of regional folk music, complete with call-and-response vocals, occasional sets of Celtic jigs and reels, and the trademark boot-stomping percussion typical of that area (bandleader Andre Marchand is credited with "guitare, pieds et voix"). This is one of the better albums from the band's early career. There's something irresistible about the rollicking good humor of this music, and it's hard to imagine anyone not dancing to the strains of "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" or "La Madelon." Marchand's voice is a wonderful, rich instrument, and he and Bernard Simard are both outstanding guitarists. The lineup is rounded out by fiddler Martin Racine and accordionist Yves Lambert, who mostly play in unison while the two guitarists play different but complementary rhythm parts. The debt to Celtic music is obvious on tunes like "Le Reel du Mal de Do" and "Le Petit Cheval de Bois," but no one would ever mistake La Bottine Souriante for an Irish group. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	07/25/2006
Label:	Dep / Milles-Pattes
UPC:	0675270203422
Rank:	255945

Tracks

1. Sur le Pont d'Avignon
2. Le Meunier et La Jeune Fille
3. Le Reel des Vieux/Le Reel ¿¿ Jules Verret
4. J'Aurai le Vin/Le Reel du Petit Cheval de Bois
5. La Belle Ennuit¿¿e
6. La Travers¿¿e de l'Atlantiquele Set Carr¿¿ ¿¿ Pitou Boudreault
7. Le Lac ¿¿ Beauce/Le Reel St-Jean
8. La Madelon
9. Le Reel du Mal de Do/Le Reel ¿¿ Jean-Marie Verret
10. La Chanson des Menteries
11. Hommage ¿¿ Philippe Bruneau/La Valse d'Hiver
12. La Chanson des Pompiers

Album Credits

Performance Credits

La Bottine Souriante   Primary Artist
Martin Racine   Voices,Violone
Bernard Simard   Guitar,Voices
Andre Marchand   Guitar,Voices,Foot Stomping
Yves Lambert   Voices,Accordion,Harmonica
Danielle Martineau   Piano

Technical Credits

Martin Racine   Group Member,Composer
Bernard Simard   Group Member
Andre Marchand   Group Member
Yves Lambert   Group Member
Danielle Martineau   Artist,Composer