Genticorum’s Yann Falquet Answers a Few Questions for the GLFF

Genticorum (Photo Credit: Catherine Aboumrad)

 

This year the Great Lakes Folk Festival offers a superb line up of performers; among them is Québécois band, Genticorum. 

Over the past decade the traditional Québécois group Genticorum has become a fixture in the international, traditional, folk, and Celtic music circuit. Firmly rooted in the soil of their French-Canadian homeland, the trio also incorporates the dynamism of today's North American and European folk cultures in their music. They weave precise and intricate fiddle and flute work, vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion, and guitar and bass accompaniment into a jubilant musical feast. Genticorum's second album, Malins Plaisirs (2005) won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Ensemble and was nominated for Canada’s Juno and the Félix Awards.

Genticorum was formed by Pascal Gemme (fiddle), Yann Falquet (guitar) and Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand, three musicians who found a love for French Canadian fiddle tunes and folk music. Genticorum gained their name from a word which Gemme remembers his grandfather singing, although he is unsure of the meaning. He believes it carries with it an association with the words gentil (gentle or nice) and quorum.

Yann Falquet of Genticorum (Photo Credit: Catherine Aboumrad)

Between festivals and fiddle camps, guitarist Yann Falquet was able to answer a few questions about traditional Québécois music and the band for the Great Folks blog.

How do you craft medleys?  What goes into deciding two tunes go well together?

It depend on the effect we are trying to achieve, sometime we go for continuity, sometime for contrast, sometime for a crescendo of intensity throughout out the set...  The choice of tune allow us to shape in many different ways.

What do you enjoy most about playing Québécois music?

Like many traditional musics, it's music that always often accompanied gathering of people that wanted to have fun together - it's very inclusive, and participative, especially with the "chansons à répondre".

Do you have any particular regional influences on your playing styles?

As an accompanist, I draw my influences from other accompanists from different regions of Québec, and from other cousin traditions (Irish, Scottish, etc...)

What should we expect from Genticorum at the Great Lakes Folk Festival?

A gathering of people that want to have fun together, playing music and singing songs from Québec!


You can catch Genticorum at the Great Lakes Folk Festival at these times:

Friday, August 7
          6:15 pm, MAC Stage

Saturday, August 8
          1:15 pm, MAC Stage
          9:45 pm, Albert Ave Dance Stage

Sunday, August 9
         1:15 pm, MAC Stage

Here's some ear candy in anticipation of the Great Lakes Folk Festival which starts next Friday, August 7 in East Lansing, Michigan: