IRRESISTABLE MUSIC FROM QUEBEC WITH GENTICORUM AT THE RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Date: 26 May 2006
Written By: Yeoh Jun-Lin

They are only three men but one could be fooled into thinking that it is a much bigger band. Between them, they use the wooden flute, fiddle, guitar, jew’s harp, bass, feet and a rich three part vocal harmony.

The band is GENTICORUM and they come from Quebec, Canada.

They are Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand, Pascal Gemme  and Yann Falquet and they started playing together in 2000.

Folk music in Canada is experiencing a great resurgence of popularity. In the 1980’s, songs with French lyrics, fiddle or accordion tunes belonged to the older generation. Now, young musicians are finding their niche in playing lively reels and energetic tunes in old world traditions.

Quebecois traditional melody originated from Normandy, France. These ballads were then taken up by the Irish immigrants who injected their own foot-stomping jigs and reels into it.

GENTICORUM are going to come over to Sarawak with tongue-in-cheek stories in their songs – they are sung in French but the trio is very good in giving the synopsis of the humour to expect before they actually perform it. They take great pleasure hunting for crooked songs that are seldom heard or sung.

July 7th – 9th are the dates to pencil into your diaries. The Rainforest World Music Festival will run from about 1.30 pm to midnight every day. The daytime workshops are held in the heat of the afternoons but in the last 2 years, the numbers attending these informal up-close-and-personal sessions have swelled to such an extent that only the largest of the longhouses at the Sarawak Cultural Village where the festival will be held, are used.

The night shows are just as protocol-free. People arrive with mats and portable chairs. Rain or not, the show goes on. Food, drinks and merchandise are available at the tents set up to house the booths.

Tickets are priced at RM60 and RM30 for children aged 3 – 12 years. They are available at the Visitor Information Centres in Kuching, Miri and Sibu. Or check the website www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com for packages or travel agents or outlets and updates on the festival. More enquiries can be made by calling the Sarawak Tourism Board at 082-423600.

The festival is run by the Sarawak Tourism Board with support from the Ministry of Tourism.

Most of the bands are flown in by Malaysia Airlines who has been the OfficialAirlines  since the festival began. fROOTS magazine which is a household name in the world music scene is also supporting the festival by being the Media Sponsor. The official telco for the festival is DIGI and supporting sponsors are Heineken and Water Genesis.

GENTICORUM is simply lovable in their gentle humour and wonderful music. They were recently awarded “Best Ensemble” at the Canadian Folk Awards and were also nominated for the JUNO which is the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys.

They will be performing together with many other bands like Nahawa Doumbia from Mali, Hotel Palindrone from Austria, Egschiglen from Mongolia and more.

The Rainforest World Music Festival has just won the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) gold award 2006 in the Heritage and Culture category. PATA, the leading US-based travel industry, will be officially presenting  31 gold awards at the 55th annual conference in Pattaya, Thailand from 23rd – 27th April this year.

Yeoh Jun-Lin
Artistic Director
Rainforest World Music Festival