At the threshold of 50 years of musical partnership, Gwen and Job wanted to mark and celebrate their "golden anniversary." Surrounded by friends who sing or play music, they wished to self-produce a Compact Disc, according to Gwen and Job, "buzzing to their heart's content."
Most often, stubborn "peddlers" of traditional Breton music from the Gallo region, these two now eminent biniou/bombarde players met in 1977.
For several years, Job was active in various Breton formations, extending beyond traditional music, such as DILEM, Etienne GRANDJEAN Trio, within which he swapped the biniou for the bass or guitar.
For his part, from childhood, cradled by his father's bagpipe, Gwenn naturally found himself with a biniou between his young and nimble fingers, but this new instrumental tête-à-tête led him to abandon the biniou in favor of the bombarde. This was the necessary and sufficient keystone for the creation, and then the revelation, of an exceptional and reference duo of biniou/bombarde players who would particularly shine at the annual Bogue d’or competition in Redon, created in 1975 by the Breton Cultural Group of the Pays de Vilaine, an iconic Breton musical event now listed in the Inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France.
For over 20 years, the well-known duo from the Rennes basin, Gwen DAYOT / Job DEFERNEZ, has dominated this instrumental and singing competition, organized in this municipality located at the border of three historically Breton departments: Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, and Loire-Atlantique (44-Bzh). They have notably won the bronze bogue (2021), silver (2012 and 2025), gold (2013), the koz ridée 6 times competition (2014), and the special melody ridée 6 times biniou competition (2022)…
For our part, we had "met" and appreciated these two excellent melodists through two collective recordings that have been in our music library for many years, namely:
Released in 1994, in the "Celtic Music" category, Disker collection (reference GRI 190472), the album "Binious et Bombardes" with Gilbert HERVIEUX / Jacques BEAUCHAMP and… Job DEFERNEZ / Gwenn DAYOT, where the two swift players interpret, respectively, on tracks 8 and 9, a "Suite Plinn" – Ton simpl – Bal – Ton double and a "Suite Gavotte Des Montagnes" – Tam kentan – Tam kreiz – Ton doubl); the latter recording also appears as the 8th track on the Compact Disc titled "Sonneurs et bagadoù de Bretagne," released in 1997, in the Panorama collection, by Versailles – SONY – (Reference CER 488692 2).
When we received this new self-produced disc, accompanied by a very nice handwritten card from Gwen DAYOT, knowing, as mentioned above, somewhat about these two brilliant Breton interpreters and composers, we were assured of discovering quality and listening pleasure.
Given, at the edge of a connotation, forgive us the neologism, "Rimski-Korsakovian," or in reference to the drone that accompanies the levriad of a biniou koz, as well as the Latin word "bombus" meaning "buzzing" which gives its name to the bombarde, or simply from the name of the pollinating insect that produces this constant sound that can similarly be heard in many traditional musical pieces, "The Flight of the Drones," which aptly names the opus, immediately captivated us. The subtitle "Chansonailles" among Friends only amplified our smile.
Symbols of memory (also present in the theme of the disc), in the foreground, three poppies, hovered over by two… drones, against a backdrop of a bluish watercolor pond stretching under a celestial vault where, piercing the clouds, two sets of fingers are visible, one on the body of a bombarde, the other on the chanter of the bagpipe, provide the finishing touch to a pictorial and pastoral graphic work, signed by Marc PAGES, which illustrates the cover and fully marks the root charm of the region.
Focusing on marches and melodies, alongside which singing also holds a prominent place, Gwen DAYOT on bombarde and Job DEFERNEZ on biniou koz present us with a substantial program of 17 tracks and a bonus, totaling no less than one hour and 18 minutes of listening, featuring 11 traditional tunes and 6 original compositions, including 2 paired with traditional pieces.
From Iffendic in Ille-et-Vilaine to Limerzel, Penestin, Pluherlin, Quelneuc, Caroen, Arzal in Morbihan, and even to Campbon in Loire Atlantique (44-Bzh), the two musicians primarily immerse us in the musical terroir of Gallo-Vannetais.
On the threshold of 50 years of musical collaboration, Gwen and Job wished to mark and celebrate their "golden anniversary." Surrounded by friends who sing or play music, they decided to self-produce a Compact Disc, as Gwen and Job put it, "buzzing to their heart's content." For this "flight of the drones," throughout the numerous pieces, the two companions are joined by Gaëlle DUBOIS, Nanou MESNIL, Jil LEHARD, Sylvain GIRAULT (artistically known as GirO), Mathieu HAMON, and Charles QUIMBERT on vocals; Mathilde CHEVREL on cello, Janick MARTIN on diatonic accordion, Gilles LE BIGOT on guitars, Florian BARON on oud and daf; and Louise, Prune, and Célestin HAMON on biniou, bombarde, and vocals.
What better way to fully enter into the bright play of the two protagonists than with a joyful march, especially one composed by Job? Inspired by a place-name nestled in a corner of the forest in the municipality of Iffendic, located about thirty kilometers west of Rennes, this invigorating and short piece, titled "La marche des Fossés," immediately places you at the heart of a perfectly balanced and beautifully shared musical dialogue.
A lovely introduction that continues, on the second track, with a melancholic evocation, this time, with "Chanson pour Joseph," another composition by Job, written in memory of his late father-in-law.
Through listening to these two pieces, we are already certain to find not only energy but also the finesse and interpretative eloquence that characterize the unique sound of these two atypical musicians. Are we in for a succession of such fine duos? ... Well, yes! But also, much more than that!
Indeed, on track 3, it is the "carillon-like" guitar of Gilles LE BIGOT that opens the piece and invites, with all their subtlety, the two musicians to come... "sing" on its delicate strings. The instrumental trio, titled "Quand j’étais chez mon père," is bold... and superb!
If, on the next track, the bombarde/biniou duo reappears at the first notes of "La fille d’un roi français," it is only to be joined, embraced, by the charming cello of Mathilde CHEVREL. What beautiful harmonies between winds and strings to serve this superb traditional melody that here takes on the qualities of chamber music.
But, as the emblematic talabarder Jean BARON, holder of the State Diploma in traditional music (bombarde), multiple-time Champion of Brittany for duos, and multi-instrumentalist practicing, beyond the legendary "Breton oboe with double reed," the biniou koz, bagpipe, veuze, whistles, ocarina, violin, and of course traditional singing, points out in the foreword featured on the inner flap of the cover of "L’envol des bourdons": [ …/…] "Excellent melodists, they (Gwen and Job) recreate in this album the strong connection between traditional singing and this duo of instruments while harmonizing it with beautiful colored layers interpreted by singers and musicians of great talent" […/…]
If for the instrumentals we mentioned above two excellent and sought-after musicians, Gilles LE BIGOT and Mathilde CHEVREL, track 5, with "Les saisons de l’oubli," a complete composition, written with text and music by Job in 1998, allows us to hear, as Mr. BARON suggests, the well-timbred voice of the peasant-singer Mathieu HAMON, whom we discovered, for our part, as the lead singer of the Breton group inspired by traditional singing from Upper Brittany, KATE ME ("Avec moi," in Gallo).
Once again, thanks to the well-mastered playing of the pipers who open the song in the first third of the composition, the balance of the trio, voice and instruments, in a style of rooted pastoral background and form, is perfect.
"It’s in spring, there I was strolling,
Arms laden with a lovely bouquet (repeat)
Chorus:
Flowers, there for my dear, my pretty little heart
At her bedside, there I went
Flowers, there for my dear
Thus life forgets her" (repeat)
[…/…]
It should be noted that this march was recorded in 2000 by the group KATE-ME, as the 10th track of a self-titled album published by Globe Sony DIC (reference B 13142), with Job DEFERNEZ on bass.
Here we are at the 5th title of "L’envol des bourdons," and needless to say, wishing to preserve your pleasure in discovering all the pieces that make up the album, we will refrain from reviewing the 12 other songs and instrumentals. We simply wanted, through these initial evocations, to convey that this recording is very rich and varied and that it is by no means an aggregate of fest-noz music, solely played by a couple of pipers, but rather an extensive palette of colors and styles that only virtuosos of the genre can offer, by playing with other instruments or carefully accompanying multiple and talented voices.
Nevertheless, we cannot overlook a very judicious and aesthetic sound association between traditional Breton and Eastern instruments, with track 8, "Ridées déridées." Indeed, this piece is largely colored by the plucked strings of the oud and the percussion of the daf by Florian BARON, son of Jean, previously mentioned. If the typical warm-toned strings nostalgically open the dance in invitation, the bombarde and biniou that join in, imprinting the rhythm, lead, in perfect harmony, the instrument, with its rounded pear-shaped body and short fretless neck, into this dance originating from the Vannes region, derived from the branles of the Renaissance, with its round that moves in a clockwise direction, from right to left. Florian's daf punctuates the steps, the musicians' "interjections" revive the tempo, the whole offering us a very open moment of "World-dance-music," thus adding value to a 6/8 style that, as specified in the booklet accompanying the CD, earned Gwen and Job some Bogues in Redon.
Again, we are sorry to add a few words to highlight, in the next track, the very visceral and poignant interpretation of "L’adieu à une amie," carried by the singing of Sylvain GirO, the author of the text and music of this song, which was also recorded with KATE ME in 2003, as the 9th track of the album "Entrance," a self-produced work, then distributed by Coop Breizh (Reference – CDKM01), a recording that also won the Grand Prix du disque Produit en Bretagne. In the first third of the piece, over a simple drone and a few sound chimes, then, in crescendo, joined by the biniou, followed by the bombarde, Sylvain's powerful, timbred, and highly expressive singing grips us with emotion. The couple of pipers who, after the vocal part, take up the song prolongs the emotion until the sustained note of the final send-off, concluded by the last and fading chimes. A highlight of the program!
To avoid being intrusive and stifling your own pleasure of discovery, we will remain silent about a few other gems that await you, and there are many.
We greatly enjoyed this album with a very broad artistic and musical spectrum and, being certain that it will appeal to your discerning ear, we strongly recommend its acquisition (*1*).
The booklet included with the CD precisely contextualizes the presented pieces, mentioning the origins of the collections, the places of creation, the names of the original traditional performers, the awards received, the lyrics of all the songs, including one in Breton with its translation, the musicians and singers involved…
In the central double page, a mosaic of individual photos presents all the "artist-painters," creators of this vibrant vast fresco of Breton music.
This recording is undoubtedly a reference in the genre, especially when we are faced with such a bombarde / biniou duo, which manages to express itself with such subtlety and variations, we reach excellence.
If we had to summarize, in just 3 words… a challenge, the talent of these two virtuosos, we would say: power, nuance, elegance… But Gwen DAYOT and Job DEFERNEZ deserve many more, which you will be able to attribute to them after listening to this program that will take you to contemplation.
In his preface, Jean BARON is right to write:
"Here is an atypical couple, if there ever was one, who decided to reach 'maturity' to make us discover this gem"… […/…] "The music of Upper Brittany is honored with such a beautiful album."
Nothing could be more accurate!
Gérard SIMON
Sound illustration of the page: Gwen DAYOT and Job DEFERNEZ - From the album "l'envol des bourdons":
"Marche des Fossés" - Excerpt from 01:00.
Other sound excerpts on the Culture et Celtie website, the e-MAGazine: HERE
The Tamm-Keiz page of the duo of pipers: HERE
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(*1*) - To order the CD, contact the artists by email: HERE.
The tracks of the CD by Gwen DAYOT and Job DEFERNEZ - "L'envol des bourdons":
01. Marche des Fossés - 02:11.
02. Chanson pour Joseph - 04:04.
03. Quand j’étais chez mon père - (Gilles LE BIGOT, guitars). - 03:24.
04. La fille d’un roi français (Mathilde CHEVREL, cello). - 04:20.
05. Les saisons de l’oubli (Mathieu HAMON, vocals). - 03:57.
06. Les airs de Marine - 03:15.
07. Ar gemenerez yaouank (Jil LEHART, vocals). - 04:18.
08. Ridées déridées (Florian BARON, oud, daf). - 06:09.
09. L’adieu à une amie (Sylvain GirO, vocals). - 06:23.
10. Trinquons les verres - Evitons la bouteille (Janick MARTIN, diatonic accordion). - 03:40.
11. Second souffle - 03:39.
12. Belle Héloïse (Gaëlle DUBOIS and Nanou MESNIL, vocals). - 06:03.
13. Le jeune homme qui se déguise - 03:36.
14. Le jour de Saint-Etienne (Charles QUIMBERT, vocals). - 07:09.
15. Tour à tour - 04:14.
16. Complainte de Saint-Alexis - 03:54.
17. A la claire fontaine (Mathieu HAMON, Louise, Prune and Célestin HAMON-MERAND) - 05:20.
Bonus track: Moon et Brel - 01:02
Total duration: 01:16:38.
Gwen DAYOT and Job DEFERNEZ - "l'envol des bourdons".
Release: 2026.
Self-production and distribution: To order the CD, contact the artists by email: HERE
Reference: n.r.
© Culture et Celtie
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