Portrait

Bagad Kemper, a blend of heritage and modernity

Bagpipes Kemper bagad. © RFI / Olivier Favier

07/26/2019

Bagad Kemper is 70 years old. A great opportunity for this ensemble, a true legend of Breton music culture, to perform on the stage of the Cornouaille festival in Quimper, Brittany, this 24th of July. Story.

They are 45 on stage, divided between a bombarder's desk and a binious desk - the Breton equivalent of the Scottish bagpipe, which tends to replace it. In the middle of the bagad, there are percussionists and snares, but also, occasionally, a section of brass and a section of guitarists. The orchestra can still call on singing, as was the case at the 70-year-old bagad Kemper concert, accompanied and commented by Marthe Vassallo, with whom he has been collaborating for 20 years.

Do not say Quimper bagad, there are five, one for the city center, one for each of the four hills that surround it. Say bagad Kemper, taking care to accentuate on the first syllable, and you will therefore evoke a true legend of the Breton musical culture, born in 1949, one of the 17 classified in the first category, "the elite", to date the most successful. Excellence, he knew it in its beginnings to find it towards the end of the sixties until four times in succession to win the national championship the following decade.

Local music, but open to the world

Who is not aware of Celtic music will not associate the word bagad with that of Lann-Bihoué, symbol of an adventurous life for Alain Souchon, the rest of all bagadoù the only to be composed of professionals, military musicians from the maritime base around Lorient. But the reality is much larger, going beyond the borders of present-day Brittany as historical, and not disdaining, if need be, to welcome musicians from elsewhere to Finistère.

Bagad Kemper dreamed of Yannick and Tangi, Colombian twins adopted one by a Breton family, the other in Gallo country. While evolving in this orchestra, they won the Lorient contest of the couple biniou-bombarde in 2011, thus asserting themselves as the duo Josset and Martin, named after their respective families. Of course, this success is the fruit a tenacity not exclusively musical, because the arrival of two black ringer did not immediately unanimous in the brittany circles.

But at Bagad Kemper, the welcome and openness to others goes hand in hand with the motto of the formation: "war roudoù hon tadoù", in the footsteps of our fathers. "We must not forget where we come from" Steven Bodenes, the current Penn-soner, the leading ringer, in other words the conductor. If the musician devotes one night a week to rehearsals and takes many courses, giving all their free time to their passion, they also do it to travel.

© RFI / Olivier Favier

At the heart of the current scene

Steven Bodénès was 18 years old when, at the Festival des Vieilles Charrues, he joined the orchestra that played that year with Johnny Clegg. It was in 1998 and the sadness of the recent disappearance of the South African singer did not erase the wonder of this experience. "He always tried to speak French," remembers Jean-Paul Goasguen, a former bomber who became the president of bagad Kemper.

If the collaboration with the "white Zulu" has marked all the spirits, it is far from being the only one. At the concert given at the Pavillon de Quimper for the 70th anniversary, some figures from the Breton scene came to make their contribution. In addition to Marthe Vassalo, we heard singer Rozenn Talec, Sylvain Giro or Dan Ar Braz who all collaborated with bagad Kemper. Finally, there is the remarkable appearance of Jean-Pierre Riou, of the Red Rock band from Quimper, who will celebrate on August 9th with a new concert at the Festival interceltique de Lorient, his new album Nerzh , made in collaboration with Bagad Kemper.

"Our music is not traditional, it is current, " says Steven Bodénès, who has permanently abandoned his commercial career to become a full-time bombard professor 10 years ago. Growing up in the midst of Fest Noz, he is one of three Bagad musicians to arrange or compose songs. With the orchestra, he traveled throughout the Celtic world of course, from Galicia to Scotland, but also to Gabon, opening up to all crossbreeding. In 2010, he created with Erik Marchand the show Breizh Balkanik where the melodies and rhythms of Eastern Europe were revisited on Breton tones.

Bagad Kemper is always dreaming

Another sign of the times, the bagad now attracts more women. "The first was in 1991 , he recalls, and the first bagpipe in 2002." In the 60s, the structure had a time doubled of an entirely feminine training, bagad Morgann, which lasted only 5 years. "Today, and this time, it is the teacher who speaks, there are more girls than boys who come to learn Breton music."

It takes time to become a good musician or a good musician, "seven years," says Jean-Paul Goasguen, to become a Talabarder, a ringer of bombard. "" Children often change their activity today, remarks Steven Bodénès, and this is a worry for the future even if the courses are very busy. " Perhaps there is no need to be more alarmed, if we believe the average age the ringers, who turn around 35. In the current formation, the youngest is 17 years old.

At the evening of the concert, spectators and spectators were carried away several times in collective dances, perfectly traditional for their part. This mixture of heritage and modernity, regional roots and cultural exploration, is obviously for many in the vitality of Breton music. Let's not forget that Kemper means confluence in Breton. " After Johnny Clegg, what would be the musical personality you dream to welcome?" Steven Bodenes smiles, then pats with three fingers on the coffee table: "I think Sting would not hurt."

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By: Olivier Favier

Celtic Music - France - concert