Bellegarde – Anba Tonèl (Bellegarde, 2018)
Canadian percussionist and composer Daniel Bellegarde explores the encounters of 19th century European ballroom dance music with the musical genres from the French-speaking Caribbean on Anba Tonèl.
The modernized styles featured on Anba Tonèl include contradans (square dance), the quadrilles of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Dominica; minuet-congo of Haiti; and Haitian twoubadou guitar music.
Bellegarde brought in musicians from diverse backgrounds who play typically European instruments like the violin and hurdy gurdy along with a wide range of percussion instruments and French Creole vocals.
Based in Montreal, Bellegarde has performed with numerous artists in the Quebec music scene as well as Cirque du Soleil.
The lineup includes Daniel Bellegarde on percussion and manouba (thumb piano); David Boulanger on violin; Hassan El Hadi on banjo and ud; Marco Jeanty on lead vocals; Toto Laraque on guitar, bass and banjo; Erik West-Millette on acoustic and electric bass; The Kreol Supremes Choir: Sylphir Soulafy, Cynthia Soudin and Cynthia Cantave; Nicolas Boulerice on hurdy-gurdy; Diol Kidi and Sacha Daoud on percussion; Frtiz Pageot on bass manouba; Francis Franklin Brisebois on guitar, bass and banjo; Jean Christophe Germain on violin; Bruno Rouyere on vocals; and Olivier St-Pierre on lap steel, manouba, mandolin, guitar, bass and banjo.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.