Tri Yann — Cassette

Intro

Tri Yann sounds like a rowdy medieval banquet crashed by a 1970s rock band. Their music is a dense thicket of sound where the piercing, nasal cry of the bombarde meets the steady chug of an electric bass. It is fundamentally communal music, built on three-part vocal harmonies that invite the listener to join the chorus, whether they are singing about wolves, weasels, or the prisons of Nantes.

What makes them distinctive is their refusal to choose between historical accuracy and theatrical spectacle. While they use archaic instruments like the cromorne and psaltery, they play them with a stadium-rock energy. Their sound is defined by a specific 'Breton swing' - a rhythmic lilt that is both ancient and driving, often punctuated by bagpipes and flutes that spiral over tight, guitar-driven arrangements.

Start with 'La Découverte ou l'Ignorance' to hear the moment they perfected the folk-rock fusion, or dive into a live recording to capture the infectious, costume-clad energy that made them a French institution for over fifty years. It is the perfect gateway for anyone who loves Celtic music but wants more muscle and narrative flair.

Tri Yann (Breton pronunciation: [ˈtriː ˈjãnː]) is a French band who play medieval folk rock music drawing on traditional Breton folk ballads. It was formed in 1971 in Nantes. The band was founded in 1969 by Jean Chocun, Jean-Paul Corbineau and Jean-Louis Jossic – all of whom remained members – hence the suggested name of Tri Yann an Naoned (Breton for "Three Johns of Nantes"), Jean and Yann being respectively the French and Breton versions of the name John. They presented their final concerts in September 2021, a celebration of their 50th anniversary as a group, which was delayed by the worldwide corona virus pandemic. In December 2022, co-founder Jean-Paul Corbineau died following a long struggle with leukemia. As the best known "Celtic" band in France, Tri Yann are one of the longest-standing Breton music groups surviving from the folk rock revival of the 1970s (following the revival of the bagadoù and Alan Stivell's work). The group are famous for the outlandish costumes worn on stage. Among their best-known songs are La Jument de Michao (including the chorus "J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette" i.e. "I hear the wolf, the fox and the weasel") and Dans les prisons de Nantes ("In the prisons of Nantes"). Live performances usually include the Breton national anthem Bro Gozh ma Zadoù ("The Land of My Fathers") which has the same tune to the Welsh National Anthem. Tri Yann sang the role of Uther Pendragon in Alan Simon's rock opera Excalibur, as well as Louis XII of France in Simon's rock opera Anne de Bretagne.

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