GWENDAL (JOE CANTS REEL)

In the mere year that divided GWENDAL's first 2 self titled albums, now conveniently named for their opening tracks, Youenn Leberre's interests beyond trad folk abandoned their covert phase clearly and with occasional verve.

A more lucid representation of the nascent jazzy folk of this instrumental Breton group, this manages to skirt the over indulgences to follow. Even the seemingly mundane "Joe Cant's Reel" signals evolution on the home stretch, and, if "Benoit", "Galway Bay", and "Da Scalloway Lasses" are still overly familiar, "Galway Hills" and its funky rhythms and bombarde illuminates the curvy path to later world music. Even more compelling are "Rue de Petit Musc", "Crystal Palace" and the 7 minute "Douze Degres" which, once it really gets going, conjures a feral saxophone attack a la Lizard era Crimson meets obscure compatriots TI JAZ, in the best ways.

Even at this relatively late stage in the 1960s/70s Breton folk revival, GWENDAL's second album forges an identity that acknowledges the past while blazing ahead.