DOUAR NEVEZ

Few first albums by a solo artist have such an overall band feel and maturity as "Douar Nevez", which is not surprising given Dan Ar Braz' roots and long involvement with the likes of Alan Stivell. He wisely chose a concept for this instrumental effort, that of the legend of the land of Ys, which returns again and again in Breton lore. The generally disjointed and schizophrenic offshoots of more mainstream progressive acts of the time come up woefully short of this flowing epic. While the influence of these artists can be felt throughout, one can also perceive the effect of Ar Braz on those who had yet to cast more than a guarded eye towards their own Celtic roots, such as Mike Oldfield and perhaps even Jean Luc Ponty. Acoustic and electric sections are tastefully interspersed with piping here and there, as well as period electric pianos, and tracks run the gamut from sparse reflection ("Cheval de Mer") to electrified jigs ("Orgies Nocturnes") to full out progressive solos ("L'Appel du Sage") backed by full band including atmospheric keyboards. Sure, it's all pretty short and gentle by today's standards, but to many here "Douar Nevez" would be a "new land" worth exploring.