Barzaz in concert at Celtic Connections in Glasgow

Youenn LANGE (vocals) – Jean-Michel VEILLON (flute) – Gilles LE BIGOT (guitar) – Alain GENTY (fretless bass) -David ‘Hopi’ HOPKINS (percussion)

In 1988, the iconic singer Yann-Fañch Kemener (vocals), Jean-Michel Veillon (wooden flutes) and Gilles Le Bigot (guitars) created Barzaz Trio. The following year, they were joined by Alain Genty (fretless bass) and David “Hopi” Hopkins (percussion) to record a first album “Ec’honder” where the hypnotic singing of Yann-Fañch, set against ethereal musical frameworks, made a revolutionary, lasting and indelible impression on music in Brittany.
The second album “An Den Kozh Dall”, released in 1992, was widely acclaimed by critics and established the unique personality of the band, making it a reference and inspiration for many future Breton groups. The themes of this album completed those of the first one : the passage of time and the history of Brittany.
Barzaz performed multiple concerts from 1989 to 1994, in Brittany, elsewhere in France and across Europe. In 1995, they separated, the individual musicians going off to work in other artistic projects. To celebrate the 25 years since its formation, Barzaz reformed in 2013, beginning a new and creative period for the band, but lost Yann-Fañch when he passed away in 2019.

In June 2022, the musicians of Barzaz invited the young singer Youenn Lange to perform a double tribute concert in honour of Yann-Fañch, and from this fortuitous collaboration and the clearly magical musical chemistry between Youenn and the other musicians, has begun the new Barzaz adventure!