Genticorum

Genticorum performing at the Solstice Festival.
Image: Thom C from Merrimack Valley, United States. CC BY 2.0. Source.

Summary

Genticorum is a Québec trio working in Québécois traditional music. Fiddle, guitar, flute, accordion, vocal harmony and foot percussion combine dance-tune energy with carefully shaped arrangements.

History

Founding members Pascal Gemme and Yann Falquet developed the group's approach through the Québec traditional scene. Nicholas Williams joined in 2015. International touring has carried that repertoire to folk and traditional-music audiences beyond its home communities.

Music and repertoire

Gemme's work includes collecting and interpreting traditional tunes as well as composition. Falquet's guitar accompaniment draws on experience with jazz and traditional accompaniment from several regions. Williams brings Irish, Scottish and North Indian studies to his flute playing. These are documented influences on the musicians' techniques, rather than grounds for assigning the whole repertoire to each of those genres. Their combination shows a living Québec tradition shaped by arrangement, individual musicianship and exchange. The album Avant l'orage presents the lineup with Williams in a sustained recorded collaboration.

Selected recordings in MuGlobe:

• Old Yamaska - Genticorum — Québécois traditional music.
• Genticorum — Live at Old Songs — Québécois traditional music.
• Genticorum - Forcalquier — Québécois traditional music.

Members and collaborators

Pascal Gemme plays fiddle and sings; Yann Falquet plays guitar and sings; Nicholas Williams contributes flute, accordion and voice. Foot percussion helps supply the dance pulse within the acoustic trio.