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.

After his years with Stivell, Dan made his first solo album "Douar Nevez" (New Earth). From start to finish this is a masterpiece of progressive folk. To have an excellent bass player like Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg (Ar Braz had a short stint with the band), an excellent hurdy gurdy player like Emanuelle Parrennin, or Patrig Mollard on pipes, Benoit Widemann on keyboards, Michel Santangeli on drums and you know you have some of the crème de la crème of French prog folk.

From the start "Intro" to "Morvac'h" (seahorse) on side 1 and from "Orgies Nocturnes" to "Douar Nevez" one is in a world of reality and myth, of mirth and laughter to gloom and dispair. Especially beautiful are "L'ennui du Roi", "Mort et immersion de Malguen/Fin du voyage" and "L'appel du sage".

It is an album I still play often, I even kept the CD to play in the car.

For people who like this kind of music, Malicorne etc, a real must!!! This one and his second "Allez dire a la ville" (Go and tell the city).

Born in 1949 as Daniel Le Bras,Dan Ar Braz is a French/Bretton guitarist,mostly known for his collaboration with Bretton Folk musician Alan Stivell,whose group he joined in late-60's.After spending eight years with Stivell,Dan Ar Braz moved to England and joined folk rockers Fairport Convention,with whom he spent a year in live performances,without recording any album though.In 1977 Dan returns to France and records his first solo output ''Douar Nevez'',material of which was written in England,while being a member of Fairport Convention.

With an all-star line-up featuring Benoit Widemann from Magma on pianos/organ/synths, Bretton musician Patrig Molard on flutes/bagpipes, bassist Dave Pegg from Fairport Convention and drummer Michel Santangeli from Malicorne,''Douar Nevez'' is a sweet journey into Acoustic Folk combined with OLDFIELD-ian electric compositions,creating dreamy soundscapes and often a cinematic nature.Dan Ar Braz'es unique style shines through,offering delicate acoustic crescendos and also electric outbursts,mixed either with Widemann pianos in a very Fusion-esque style or just delivering great chops in short tracks with organ and synths supporting.Yet the Bretton roots of the musician are always present,from the short instrumentals featuring Molard's grandiose bagpipes or elegant flutes to the acoustic passages with the atmospheric synths around.Definitely the album has a nice flow with a good alternation between mellow and more striking moments and Ar Braz being in a confident shape.

For those unmystified with the combination Folk and Rock music, ''Douar Nevez'' is a good introduction to the world of Contemporary Folk/Art Rock.Anyone into Alan Stivell's personal career should also approach,though this album has a more modern sound.Strongly recommended to all fans of good guitar-driven Art Rock musicianship...3.5 stars.

One of DAB's better known albums, the debut Douar Nevez (New Territories) also happens to be his proggiest and more instrumental. Before that, the guitarist had been his fellow Breton folk buddy Alan Stivell's acclaimed guitarist for a few years. In his first few albums, DAB had some renowned studio acolytes, such as Dave Pegg, the Zeuhlish Benoit Widemann on keys, Emmanuelle Parrenin on the hurdy, and Molard on Celtic winds. Musically, much od DAB's early solo music can be likened to symphonic Celtic music, with less clichés than many of his other fellow Breton bards. One could almost liken him to some kind of early Mike Olfield (Omma-Ridge era), but with more integrity and less commercial drive. Recorded and released in 77 by the Hexagone record label, the front cover presents a very prog fantasy artwork that fits rather well with the music inside it.

Of course, this debut album may not be representative of his later works, but there is plenty of celtic folk, both in musical themes(with some ullean pipes, the ever-present jigs, etc..) and in the story/concept's inspiration (the lost city of Ys), so a lot of it can sound slightly cliché, but not repulsive. Indeed, much of the space is left open to AR Bras' excellent guitars (especially acoustic), some dreamy Widemann keyboards, and most importantly we get to avoid the usual kitschy narratives that usually come with this type of epic mythical subject. So to understand the plot (well reading the track titles already gives you a good hint), DAB included a famous Breton poet's explanation on the inner gatefold, but it doesn't give you a story line per se, either. All the better really! Easily my fave DAB work, Douar Nevez should be one of the first and best Celtic prog folk album to have in his shelves.