Eric et Daniel RAILLARD
Born in 1966 and 1968 in a family swimming in traditional music (their parents dance, sing, tell stories, and their elder brother Christophe plays the diatonic accordion), they learn how to dance at primary school under the direction of Gérard Chaventon (school teacher who chose to replace sports by "bourrée", waltz and mazurkas, and so transmitted his passion to many children in Saulieu), then quicly join a folk group.
At the age of 8, they are given musical instruments : Eric starts learning the diatonic accordion, then the hurdy-gurdy, while Daniel successively learns the chromatic then diatonic accordion. Since then, they are often seen at dances, theme parties, and at the first "Journées de la vielle" ("days of the hurdy-gurdy") in Anost. There they would meet the "ancients", many respected musicians, and benefit from their experience and repertory.
If the two brothers have, since then, chosen different paths (Eric became a professional musician, Daniel chose to remain an amateur), various musical experiments bring them together again. This is how they have decided, back in 1993, to record an audio tape of traditional songs of Morvan, bringing back to life old, forgotten songs, played with the spirit of the days of yore. Thanks to their efforts, many of these songs will then be learnt again by new generations of musicians.
In 2002, they decide to do it again and manage to find many other songs which have been played in the past and then forgotten. It is a long and fastidious piece of work: It consists in listening to old musical collections - their musical quality having gotten worse and worse with time, recreating the original melody, analysing the artistic techniques of the ancients in order to revive with more possible fidelity this well-known "cadence" that characterizes the music of Morvan, to finally arrange the songs without adding too many new elements and record them. The CD called "Jacques Luti" hit the shelves in spring 2003. Its title comes from a collection made by Gérard Chaventon (yes, him again!) from Pierre Machin, which became, since the Raillards have revived it, a real "morvandiau hit"!
"Laivou qu'ot passé le Jacquot Luti
Mâ laivou don qu'al ot, mâ laivou don qu'al ot
Al ot dans lai rivière que pouâche
Mâ laivou don qu'al ot, mâ laivou don qu'al ot ... "
Download this song by Pierre Machin in mp3 format (56ko)!
The CD - appreciations :
"here is the subtle feeling of the accordion, then the rough touch of the hurdy-gurdy. Or vice-versa... Anyway, above any consideration regarding their perfect musical mastery, is the complicity between the two artists which saves this kind of recording from a total confidentiality.
Daniel & Eric play the traditional songs as if they were at home, as a duet near the fireplace, not only to please the ears but also in order to save these old-fashioned melodies from oblivion. Composing is a good thing, but managing to correctly play the good old songs is a bit too much work for many musicians. With their caracteristic originality and brilliance, Eric & Daniel invite you to a traditional dance. If Eric is well known for taking an active participation in the GOP and in Maubuissons, his younger brother Daniel is less known himself. Saying that they share the family spirit and that along with their brother Christophe, they are the pride of traditional musicians from Morvan might be enough to describe them."
"here is no more need for an introduction . When it comes to the music of Morvan, one of the Raillard brothers is never very far away. This time, they have chosen to work on a repertory that has been collected from the ancients. This will be a good occasion of adding almost forgotten, or even previously unreleased songs to the repertory of contemporary traditional musicians, and I bet that some of them will be played again pretty soon.
Their duet, hurdy-gurby and diatonic accordion, was made to work in this way. It has already been done in the past, you might remember other duets such as those of the "pères Racoussot et Rougelet" or "l'Henri Goguelat et l'Henri Clément". It is true that these two instruments work well together. Eric & Daniel Raillard have assimilated this musical heritage and the final result is quite lively. They have managed to add a great rythmic aspect to their way of playing, this well-know "cadence" that was said to be only to the ancients! With them, "scottisch" songs and jazzy rythms go well together, the mazurka dances with the java, there is swing in the air.
As a conclusion : dance, great music and extended repertory..."
"Jacques Luti" + "Retour vers le passé":
42 partitions de musique du Morvan
117 partitions : airs du Morvan
16 partitions Sédéloc .
te;loc".