Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.
Tony McManus is a guitarist from Paisley, Scotland who plays finger-style acoustic guitar arrangements of tunes from Celtic music, classical music, and other genres. McManus emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 2003.
Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard-biniou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched out into numerous subgenres.
Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band.
Manau is a Breton hip hop band formed in 1998, known for their fusing of traditional Celtic melodies with modern hip hop beats. It was initially composed of Martial Tricoche, Cédric Soubiron, and Hervé "R.V." Lardic until Lardic's departure and replacement by Gregor Gandon. Although the band is currently based in Paris, all of the members can trace their roots back to Brittany. The group's name comes from the old Gaelic name for the Isle of Man.
A fest noz is a Breton traditional festival, with dancing in groups and live musicians playing acoustic instruments.
The Irish bouzouki is an adaptation of the Greek bouzouki. The newer Greek tetrachordo bouzouki was introduced into Irish traditional music in the mid-1960s by Johnny Moynihan of the folk group Sweeney's Men, who retuned it from its traditional Greek tuning C³F³A³D⁴ to G²D³A³D⁴, a tuning he had pioneered previously on the mandolin. Alec Finn, first in the Cana Band and subsequently in De Dannan, introduced the first Greek trichordo (3 course) bouzouki into Irish music.
The culture of Brittany is the patterns of human activity and symbolism associated with the historical region of Brittany in northwestern France and the Breton people. Breton culture has been influenced by various local and nearby traditions over the centuries, including the Celtic culture of the Britons and Gauls and French culture to a lesser extent, particularly in Upper Brittany.
The Bretons are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. They trace their heritage to groups of Brittonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, mostly during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. They migrated in waves from the 3rd to 9th century into Armorica, which was subsequently named Brittany after them.
Perhaps no other musical instrument is as emblematic of Breton music as is the bombard. The bombard is a contemporary family of oboes widely used to play traditional Breton music. A bombard player is known as a talabarder.
Jacky Molard is a Breton musician known for performing Breton folk music. He plays violin, fiddle, guitar and bass. He is or has been a member of Gwerz (band), Pennoù Skoulm, the Jacky Molard Acoustic Quartet, and has also played in various groups with Erik Marchand such as Taraf de Caransebes. He is also a composer and producer. Jacky created the "Innacor" Breton/World music label in 2005 along with Erik Marchand and Bertrand Dupont. He has also worked with musicians outside Brittany such as Foune Diarra.
AberFest is a Celtic cultural festival celebrating all things Cornish and Breton that takes place every second year in Cornwall, UK, around Easter. The AberFest Festival alternates with the Breizh – Kernow Festival which is held in Brandivy or Bignan in Brittany, alternating between those two Breton locations.
Red Cardell is a French, Breton rock band, that mixes Breton music with rock, folk, blues, world music and chanson réaliste.
Pat O'May is a French musician who blends rock music with elements of world music. He originally worked with the heavy metal band Marienthal, and also produced several solo albums. He has written over 100 tracks for the TV show European coast seen from the sky. He participated in Alan Simon's rock operas Anne de Bretagne, Excalibur: The Celtic Rock Opera and started working with Martin Barre touring and recording with him.
Celtic Fiddle Festival is a group of Celtic fiddlers active since 1993. Representing three branches of Celtic culture, the members were Johnny Cunningham from Scotland, late of Silly Wizard, Kevin Burke from Ireland, best known for the Bothy Band, and Christian Lemaître from Brittany, member of Kornog. Since Cunningham's death in 2003, the group has continued to perform, replacing him with André Brunet from Quebec, formerly of La Bottine Souriante. In 2015 Andrè Brunet left the band and was replaced by Scottish Fiddler, Charlie McKerron, who is also in the band Capercaille.
Calum Stewart is an uilleann piper, low whistle and wooden flute player and composer from Garmouth in Scotland, who performs primarily traditional Scottish, Irish and Breton music.
The Festival de Cornouaille is an annual festival taking place in Quimper, a city in the south-west of Brittany, a western region of France. The festival begins on the third Sunday of July and lasts for one week. It has been held since 1923 and is one of the biggest cultural events in Brittany.
Coop Breizh is a Breton cultural company founded in 1957 by Kendalc'h confederation, based in Spézet, Brittany, France. Specialized in the production, the publishing and the literary and musical distribution, it propose articles related to Breton culture, Celtic cultures and the sea. Coop Breizh is the main Breton producer and distributor for books and musical creation. There are two shops : in Lorient and in Quimper.
Keltia Musique is a French independent record label and distribution company specializing in Celtic music. It was founded in 1978 in Quimper, Brittany, by Hervé Le Meur.
