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Sat. April 14 Jeremiah McLane was born in New Hampshire in 1957, but when he was three his family moved to the rural part of France, where they lived two years. But that’s no t how McLane came to study, love and play the music from France and the French music transported overseas to Quebec, New England and Louisiana. That came much later. "I went back to France as a junior high school student in 1974," the Vermont-based accordionist and keyboardist says, "and that’s where I ended up learning the language. There was a folk revival going on when I was there, too. At that point, I was studying classical and jazz. I didn’t become immersed in traditional music until much later. In the late ‘70s, I spent a lot of time transitioning from jazz to traditional Celtic music - my family is Scottish – and I was into that scene, It wasn’t until somewhere in ‘80s that I made the connection to the folk music of France."It has remained McLane’s passion since. He applied to the Vermont Arts Council for a grant in 2000 and spent a year writing music, after having done research in France. In 2003, he and four other musicians came together to form the group, Le Bon Vent (The Good Wind). They will be bringing their eclectic mix of music to the Springstep Center in Medford April 14th at 8 p.m. They’re calling their presentation "From the French Courts to the Cajun Kitchen."
Through the use of violin, mandolin, accordion, mandocello, clarinet, guitar and percussion, they’ll be playing folk songs that have existed for several centuries, but reconfigured by Le Bon Vent – as well as some of McLane’s originals.
“What we do is a mixture of French music, with bits of jazz and classical,” says McLane, who is also Le Bon Vent’s musical director. You’ll hear folk and medieval music and dance tunes from Brittany and Auverge. McLane cites French composer Joseph Cantaloube as an inspiration, and a source for much of what Le Bon Vent plays. “He’s as well known in France as Aaron Copland is here. Cantaloube was working with folk melodies that have existed for years, sung by simple people in rural settings, that he borrowed for classical musicians – he went to central France, listened to the music an captured the flavor with classical instruments.”
Just as there is no particular sound to “American” music, neither is there to French music. “France has been a melting pot,” McLane says. “It was a melting pot before ours. French music is composed of many things. We bring together many of the strands of music involved. The people in Brittany, in northwestern France are a Celtic people. You hear a Middle Eastern sound in our music – you know, the Turks actually came within 100 miles of Paris and left a huge influence. Also the music called ‘musette’ - classic Edith Piaf, Paris café music. The style is urban, sophisticated. Nobody is doing exactly the same thing we’re doing.”
The members of Le Bon Vent are all accomplished musicians who come from varied backgrounds. McLane explains that James Falzone, whom he met while studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston, is “steeped in contemporary jazz and classical.” Fiddler Ruthie Dorfeld plays “every style” and is particularly adept at Bulgarian music. Guitarist-mandolinist James Larrabee is skilled at bluegrass and teaches at the New England Conservatory. Percussionist Taki Masuko came to Boston from Japan after playing in the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and is on the faculty at Longy School of Music. Singer Cristi Catt is “a French dialect specialist and also sings in the early music group Tapestry.” The band members have six masters degrees among them.
Le Bon Vent’s concert in Medford will not just be musical. “We’re going to teach them a little bit,” says McLane. “We talk a lot when we play; it’s an educational thing, partly. We want them to understand this music is not so foreign, that is has a lot of roots in this country.”
What does he want an audience to take away? “I think the diversity of the Francophone experience is huge,” says McLane. “Many people in our audience will say grand-father is from Quebec and he plays the accordion. Many of the songs we do are well-known songs that we have our own versions of. We’re trained as performers, and we’re improvising as we go. It’s not a revival, it’s a living thing, and we’re in the process of changing it.” Tickets: $18 and $15. 98 Hassett Dr., Medford, 781-395-0402 springstep.org |
