BERNARD BENOIT

Bernard Benoit is a Breton folk/fingerstyle guitarist and composer whose career has been enormously long, from the early seventies to at least 2010's. This is my very first acquaintance to his music, which I became curious about when noticing that it's been compared to Malicorne and Mike Oldfield.

Rigena is his third solo album, dominated sovereignly by the acoustic guitar, as usual. The first vinyl side contains six pieces and the second side has a 20-minute title piece. 'Anterdro' has fascinating, slightly mystic melodies that somehow makes me think of Tubular Bells. Two (or more?) acoustic guitars create a soundscape that feels perfectly complete. On 'Le Cheval Boiteux' the basic melody in the beginning, and reoccuring later, is reminiscent of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. Otherwise I again sense some delightful similarities to the early, folky Mike Oldfield, especially on the mystic mood. Even a bit of Ommadawn. I'm not saying Benoit is a copycat of any kind, he does have a style of his own.

'Morte-Eau' is a really beautiful and serene acoustic guitar solo piece. If you're fond of acoustic guitar music of Anthony Phillips, you'll definitely enjoy this one. 'Reelodon' is a faster solo number and feels less emotional to me. Neither 'The Trip to Sligo' impresses me as a composition per se, but it contains nice accompanyment by bass guitar, percussion and recorder. For the atmosphere, the A side doesn't continue as strong as it began. 'Ki-Tan' is a fine if not emotionally impressive little piece for dual guitars.

Now the epic. Right from the start one feels this is something more special. The angelic vocalise of Jenika Gaelle (or Genica Gael, as it is written on the Youtube page where I'm listening this album from) is heard within the first minute, returning here and there along the way. The slowly developing melodic substance has again some reminiscence to the early epic works of Mike Oldfield. One just needs to remember this album has a bit narrower arrangement and stays more purely within the folk genre. Nevertheless, this lengthy composition is definitely progressive and moves elegantly from one movement to another. Somewhere along the way there's even some cello, and other uncredited instruments such as synthesizers and uillean pipes (if I'm not mistaken) have brief appearances, and also the drums appear notably for the first time. If the A side had very little besides guitars, 'Rigena' makes that up with awesome richness in musical ideas and dynamic variety in arrangement.

If the whole album was in the level of the epic, it would deserve a masterpiece status. Sadly the LP has never been reissued.

— First review of this album —

Barbaz Breiz is a compilation album. The songs appear to be taken mainly from Benoit's early studio albums. Those are more highly recommended, however, since they have a more consistent sound and feel. This album contains more of the Breton sound, with the small bagpipes playing behind the guitar. There's nothing Progressive Folk about the sound on most of the pieces chosen here, though it's quite lovely. The bagpipe sound reminds me a bit of the early Mike Oldfield use of the Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), but beyond that it's very pretty folk.

For a better, more self consistent approach to Benoit's music, try the excellent Lutunn Noz, which really does have a progressive folk sound, with the pipes and wordless background singing reminiscent of early Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd.

Primarly a folk guitarist, Bernard Benoit came from Frehel in the Bretagne area and his early career finds him in the line-up of the Folk band Diaouled Ar Menez, at a time when he had already released a first solo effort entitled ''Guitare Celtique''.His experience with Diaouled Ar Menez lasted a couple of years, before pursuing a personal career and in 1975 he returned with a second album on Arion, ''Lutunn Noz''.Benoit plays the guitars and he is accompanied also by Didier De Calan, Tanguis Le Dore and Philippe Le Balp on folk instruments and bass (the last two coming from Diaouled Ar Menez) and Jenika Gaelle on female voices.

The music of Benoit hasn't changed from his early years and, while this album circulates as a Prog Folk release, it is 100% a Breton Folk effort with a very relaxing mood and a generally melancholic instrumental approach.There are lot of acoustic crescendos by the French guitarist with hardly any instrument supporting in a very minimalistic and pastoral enviroment and the style gets soon quite repetitive and boring.Of course there are some better moments with the lovely sound of bombarde, the dreamy bagpipes and the accordeon here and there in richer and more optimistic Celtic-influenced soundscapes, but the overall sound does not actually change any level of energy.Some sporadic female choirs make ''Lutunn Noz'' an even more ethereal listening and propably a great choice for background music.But the album suffers from a similar atmosphere all the way, while the lack of a wider instrumental palette makes it a bit of a sterile effort.

End of story.No Prog Folk here.''Lutunn Noz'' is a crystal-clear, calm and atmospheric, all instrumental Breton Folk work with some things to offer for fans of the style, but nothing more that would make it escape the limited circle of Breton Folk lovers.

I have the impression that "Lutunn Noz" is the most highly regarded work of BERNARD BENOIT's career, based on its relatively early appearance, availability, and internet "hits" relative to his many other releases. While "Guitare Celtique" from several years earlier was a promising first cut at sculpting acoustic guitar as a lead instrument in traditional styled performances, this sophomore effort permits the less timid participation of bombarde and pipes which serve to ignite the arrangements. Not surprisingly, while Benoit's peerless picking hath its own charms the highlights here are the tunes in which accompanist Philippe Le Balp attains equal footing.

At times "Lutunn Tuz" seems content to be relegated to the background, especially on the first few cuts, but the lively "Fidandoue kernevad" changes all that with its vivacious accordion passages and leads into the miraculous "Jenovefa rustefan", with one of the most heartwarming melodies I have heard from Brittany. Benoit weaves some flamenco stylings before bombarde assumes the mantle, a pattern we see throughout the disk. The title cut is enhanced by Benoit's vocalizations, as is "Theme de la folle de Toujane" by those of Jenika Gaelle, whose highs, while more subdued, approximate those of a contemporaneous ANNIE HASLAM. "L'Heritiere de keroulaz" begins with delicate plucking by BENOIT, sounding as much like harp as guitar, carrying well into the latter half before the bombarde falls in and hoists the already stately tune to its climax. The album closer possesses all the delicacy of ALAN STIVELL's early "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" and matches it for atmospherics as well.

This is a gentle, dignified and timeless album that can be appreciated on multiple levels, but don't expect it to club you over the head and drag you to its lair. It's more of a sultrily wholesome companion for a cherished quiet Friday night.

The word "boom" does not adequately describe the early 1970s folk scene in Brittany, France. Like so many Celtic and minority cultures oppressed and degraded within the power structure of the great empires, they finally had their day. ALAN STIVELL's aptly named "Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique" revived interest in the instrument almost by itself, and BERNARD BENOIT's debut reveals the significance of acoustic guitar in the movement.

As with Stivell, Benoit does not content himself with simply regurgitating tried and true standbys. Instead, this instrumental album is part sheer picking prowess and improvisation, and part subdued traditionally based melodies. This is almost as far from the textbook progressive sound of the era as can be, but equally as far from the bouncy early works of FAIRPORT and STEELEYE. The attitude is as progressive as can be, though, and could have provided a template for a new form of prog and salvaged new age music for some level of scholarly consideration had it taken off. But rarely is any outcome just in the folk world, be it for subject or artist!

The short list of accompanying instruments does not include percussion, and a lack of available credits confounds my ability to distinguish guitar from what might be harp at times. This is particularly so in "Avel Dro"'s opening bars, before the mainline tune asserts itself on guitar then whistle. My other favourites include "Plin ar Menez", with more plucking and flutes around a spry traditional piece, and especially the genre busting fusion of "An Dro Pour Trois Guitares", which is part sunny South America and part blustery Brittany. The three guitars for which it is named, and the light symphonics (possibly mellotron) all blend mystically.

While Benoit's technique can easily be appreciated, I cannot say it is always particularly enjoyable or memorable, and "Glao War An Doen" and "Ressac" do not capture the heart. Still, as an opening salve to a 40+ year career as of this writing, "Guitare Celtique" motivates me to hear more from this undeservedly obscure fellow.