Kawandak
Marrying strong traditions and powerful music!!
Meeting between western music and traditional indigenous music from North America.
Kawandak, which means white spinet in the Algonquin language, set up by jazz double bassist Normand Guilbeault, aims to be a meeting between western music and traditional indigenous music from North America (United States, Canada, Quebec).
Everything in this music calls out to us; the songs, the rhythms, the ode to nature and the sacred. Guilbeault with this ensemble, a true “Power Quartet”, manages to combine jazz, blues, rock and indigenous music into a coherent and magnificently mixed whole!
Traditional Aboriginal repertoire arranged in jazz/blues/rock mode and material from contemporary artists such as Randy Wood, Jim Pepper and Buffy Ste-Marie... that's what Kawandak offers!
Technical device
Group members
Normand Guilbeault: Double bass, voice, musical direction
Annie Poulain: Voice and keyboards
Sylvain Provost: Guitars
Claude Lavergne: Drums, percussion;
Biography of the artists
Norman Guilbeault
Montreal double bassist and composer-performer Normand Guilbeault has been part of the elite in the jazz world in Quebec and Canada for nearly 35 years. However, we cannot only summarize Normand Guilbeault's career in jazz. A multidisciplinary musician and artist, Guilbeault works in several spheres: song, literature, cinema, poetry, history and social issues.
In recent years, the influence of his indigenous roots has taken a more prominent place in his life and in his music. In addition to having created the Kawandak indigenous performance project, he now works in social and cultural fields linked to First Nations.
He worked as an indigenous liaison officer at the Drummondville federal penitentiary and presents educational workshop-conferences on his knowledge and experiences with numerous North American indigenous cultures and societies.
Known first of all for his associations with jewels of the Montreal jazz scene (Nelson Symonds, Bernard Primeau, Wray Downes, Stan Patrick), Guilbeault has also accompanied international artists including Sheila Jordan, Paul Bley, Marilyn Crispell, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Christian Escoudé. He also collaborated regularly with illustrious local creators from multiple backgrounds, notably Richard Desjardins, Karen Young and Jean Derome.
Annie Poulain
Annie Poulain, and jazz…
Annie is one of those discreet artists, but nevertheless enjoying a very flourishing career. Working her way up since the 2000s, the singer decided to specialize in writing and arranging jazz pieces in French. She will be seen in particular on the stages of the Quebec Jazz Festival, Rimouski International Jazz Festival, Lévis Jazz Festival, Quebec International Summer Festival, SunFest in London in Ontario, Port-au-Prince Jazz Festival in Haiti and opening act for Luc de Larochellière in Paris. With two albums to her credit Jazzons Québec and Saoulée à l'autre (nomination at ADISQ in 2010) of which she assumed several stages, from composition to production including arrangements, Annie has carved out a special place on the airwaves of Espace Musique, selling more than 4,500 albums.
She also took part in Tribute to Sylvain Lelièvre, giving numerous concerts: Maison de la culture Maisonneuve (as part of Coup de cœur francophone), Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges, Maison de la culture Rosemont- La Petite-Patrie. More recently, the Montreal company Effendi released an album entitled TRIADES on which Annie wrote four texts and performed more with Charles Biddle Jr. and Sonia Johnson. This collective project also earned her two nominations at the ADISQ 2013 and the JUNO Awards 2014. For several months, Annie Poulain (also keyboardist) has been performing with all her art within the indigenous musical group Kawandak where traditional and spiritual blends of blues, rock and jazz take a new, unusual path.
Accompanied by Claude Lavergne on drums, Sylvain Provost on guitar and Normand Guilbeault on double bass, this original musical group leaves its echoes in coveted venues such as Le Cercle in Quebec and Le Quai des Brumes et l'Astral in Montreal. Annie Poulain, inhabited by an energy that is both calm and invigorating, looks forward this year to her forties and the set of projects that this inspiring passage gives rise to. With a completely calm and technically impeccable alto voice, some will say that Annie is at the top of her art: a lot of sensitivity, emotions on edge, a sacred respect for the texts. Annie Poulain is a real quiet force. Recently, the singer was awarded a grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for the writing of her next album bringing together ten major pianists… One to watch!!!
Sylvain Provost
Winner of the Yamaha Prize at the Montreal Jazz Festival with the group Quartz in 1983 and recipient of an ADISQ Félix for best Jazz album in 2001, guitarist and composer SYLVAIN PROVOST has carved out an important place for himself on the scene Jazz.
Recognized by his peers and admired by Jazz enthusiasts for his great musicality and virtuosity, Sylvain Provost has performed regularly for over 25 years now, both in concerts on television, on the radio, and in stage shows.
Several albums resulted from his years of creation and collaboration with bassist Norman Lachapelle, winning numerous awards and nominations (Félix de l'ADISQ, Opus du CQM).
Numerous appearances in shows and performances on records with various artists and groups have earned Sylvain Provost national and international recognition. Thanks to his fluid style, his gift for improvisation and his eclectic talent, he has toured the world from 1990 to 1994 with the dance troupe “La La La Human Steps” by choreographer Edouard Lock; as well as alongside Jean Vanasse and Chinese singer Coco Zhao during a tour in Asia in 2006. A sensitive and intelligent performer, he has also been seen alongside creators and musicians such as Oliver Jones, Karen Young, Gerry Boulet, Sylvain Lelièvre, François Marcaurelle, Normand Guilbeault, Terez Montcalm, Yannick Rieu, Michel Donato, Paul Brochu and Jean-Pierre Zanella.
With his latest album “Désirs Démodés” (EFFENDI Records – released March 2009), Sylvain Provost continues his approach and offers us, true to his habits, an original and personal work, inspired by the lyrical richness of the various sounds of his favorite guitars. He takes advantage of this album to introduce us to his new trio formation, made up of his friends and accomplices, the musicians Guy Boisvert on double bass and Alain Boyer on drums.
CLAUDE LAVERGNE
Born in Montreal in 1966, Claude Lavergne graduated from Concordia University. In the 90s he was one of the drummers the most sought after in Quebec. Considered a self-taught musician, he is constantly looking for new ideas and new sounds. He also had the privilege of having been guided by many great musicians: Dave Turner, Nelson Symonds, Normand Guilbeault, Jean Derome, René Lussier, Charles Ellison and many others.
