About Ar re Yaouank

Ar Re Yaouank was a french band from Brittany, formed in 1986 by two brothers, Fred and Jean-Charles Guichen. Their original line-up of diatonic accordeon and guitar was soon joined by the bombarde and the biniou of Gaël Nicol and David Pasquet's bombard. Stéphane De Vito joined the band on bass in 1990. The band's name means "young people" or "the young ones" in Breton. Noted for their energetic performances, they brought a refreshing modernity to traditional Breton music. They were to a large extent responsible for the early nineties revival of traditional music in Brittany. They split in 1996; at the time their line-up was: - Fred Guichen (accordion) - Jean-Charles Guichen (guitar) - Gaël Nicol (bombarde and bagpipe) - David Pasquet (bombarde) - Stéphane De Vito (bass). Fred and Jean-Charles are currently members of Guichen Quartet; David Pasquet went on to form his own band, the David Pasquet Group. Gaël Nicol has since collaborated with multiple bands, perhaps most notably with Bleizi Ruz and with DIWALL.