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Genticorum are a leading voice in traditional Québécois music with an international reputation that has seen them perform on stages across the world, including Celtic Connections and, more recently, WOMAD and Cambridge Folk Festival. The trio, Pascal Gemme, Yann Falquet, and Nicholas Williams, have also picked up numerous awards over the years including Ensemble of the Year at the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Last year, they released their eleventh album Au Coeur de l’Aube (The Heart of Dawn).
The album’s twelve tracks, a fusion of vocal pieces and instrumentals, are a vibrant tapestry of bird-related themes. The lark, a recurring character, graces sailors on the high seas, accompanies lovers in the fields, and entrusts her heart to the wings of the blackbird. The quail and the partridge, perched regally on their nest, observe us. These narratives are brought to life by the trio’s unique musical sensibility, a product of their extensive international experience spanning over 20 years.
We have the pleasure of sharing a live video of the trio performing Old Yamaska, a true treat for the ears on which Yann Faquet shared:
Genticorum’s fiddler Pascal Gemme composed this melody as a tribute to the Yamaska River, which runs right behind his childhood home in Farnham, QC. It was his playground growing up, where he learned to fish and spent countless hours alone, except for the company of thousands of mosquitoes! Arranging it as a band was a lot of fun, as we followed the crooked tune’s sinuous path and came up with the extended bridge section. The tune is featured on our latest album : Au cœur de l’aube.
This is a video of us playing “Old Yamaska” live in Nicholas William’s (on accordion) kitchen in Waterville, QC, filmed by our friend Olivier Arseneault, who, in addition to being a fine filmmaker, is an accomplished “gigueur” (step dancer)!
Au coeur de l’aube is available via Bandcamp (Digital/CD/Vinyl): https://genticorum.bandcamp.com/album/au-coeur-de-laube
More: https://www.genticorum.com/
Also, in case you missed it, Yann Falquet recently released his debut solo album, Les secrets du ciel (“The Sky’s Secrets”), described by Devon Léger in his KLOF review as “a tour-de-force of his artistic vision.” He adds that “Falquet arranges each of the songs on the album with the same careful ear he brings to his trio Genticorum, perhaps able here in his solo work to push the envelope a bit further. Swells of strings, the occasional horn, and some well-placed drums and electronics provide support for the songs.”
