{"id":176,"date":"2011-12-01T07:32:38","date_gmt":"2011-12-01T07:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/apsaramusic.com\/?p=176"},"modified":"2023-04-30T21:26:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T21:26:20","slug":"les-sessions-cubaines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apsaramusic.com\/?p=176","title":{"rendered":"LES SESSIONS CUBAINES: THE POWER TO ENCHANT"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Magenta blossoms, Havana, August 2010. (Flickr\/zrm35)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes the spirit of an instrument, melody, or voice completely catches hold of you. The flamenco term “duende” describes it best: when the music’s sound is so authentic that it reaches out and possesses the listener.<\/p>\n

This happened to me yesterday, when I cooked dinner and listened to Les Sessions Cubaines<\/a><\/em> (The Cuban Sessions<\/em>) by Montreal singer-songwriter Phil\u00e9mon Bergeron-Langlois. I stopped frequently while peeling potatoes and almost forgot to add salt.<\/p>\n

The album, released in May 2010, is this week’s feature<\/a> on Bandcamp by reviewer Andrew Dubber. He deftly identifies the power behind Bergeron-Langlois’ music:<\/p>\n

…Whether you understand French is irrelevant, as the emotional heft of this album transcends barriers of language. Yet this is not at all a sentimental record. This is simply emotion, raw and unrefined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the album’s name suggests it was recorded in Cuba, at no less than EGREM Studios of Buena Vista Social Club<\/em> fame. Watching this video of Bergeron-Langlois’ recording “Vaincre l’automne” (“Overcoming the Autumn”) in Havana brings the “duende” of the music home.<\/p>\n

“Vaincre l’automne”<\/strong><\/p>\n