Gabiers de l’Odet, Les

Les Gabiers de l’Odet are a Maritime Song Group from Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany.

1999: this is the year when some Gaberian friends decide to combine their voices to create a maritime song group in Ergué-Gabéric. To lead the crew, which is quickly gaining importance, they took Captain Thony, a leader of the heart essential to the manoeuvre. Musicians came to complete the ensemble: the Gabiers de l’Odet were born!

Since that date, the repertoire with 3 or 4 voices has expanded to be able to ensure longer and longer performances; traditional French or foreign sea songs, songs to turn, to hoist, songs to dance, without forgetting the creations, allow sailors singers and musicians to share good moments with you, in good humour.

The Gabiers de l’Odet are regularly present at festivals such as Cornwall, Paimpol, Filets Bleus, the large gatherings in Brest or Douarnenez, but you will also meet them at many ports for the summer holidays, in concert all year round in the region or outside the borders of Brittany.

The Gabiers de l’Odet regularly support a number of charities and associations.

If you like the songs of sailors in polyphony, music, festive atmospheres; the Gabiers de l’Odet are waiting for you to share a musical evening and present their 4 CDs recorded to date

[From 2018] : “Les Gabiers de l’Odet, 20 years of sailors’ songs”

Ergué-Gabéric. Since their beginnings, the guys of the polyphonic choir have built a rich repertoire. In 20 years, they have recorded four records and given more than 350 concerts.

The adventure of the Gabiers de l’Odet began 20 years ago when a few friends decided to get together to sing. “We all liked singing but we only sang in the shower,” says Gérard Caer, secretary of the association. We contacted “La Maison pour Tous” at the time and we had the happy meeting of Tony Blancher who has always remained our choir conductor. She is the only woman on board. ”

Many enthusiasts of sailors’ songs then grafted themselves on. All are Bretons except one, who came from Haute-Garonne 12 years ago, Marco Missio, whose southern accent contrasts with the harsh Breton speech: “I am their exotic touch! ”

The association was born two years after their arrival at the MPT. It was then that they acquired a few musicians. “Originally, we only had a guitar and an accordion,” recalls Jean Fanch Saget, the president. Today we have an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a bass, two accordions, a flute and a carjon”. [A kind of drum/box]”

The choir has 27 members, but it has seen the number of its singers rise to 42. “It was too much, the organisers could no longer manage” says Jean Franch Saget. Today, their repertoire, in perpetual evolution, includes sea songs, but also work songs, songs to dance, river songs and especially creations of a local composer, Roger Briard.

Working as professionals, they have, in 20 years, recorded four albums and given 350 concerts in Brittany, but also in Germany and England. This men’s choir sings in bass, baritone and tenor polyphony. A harmoniser, François Lamanda, from Morlaix, divides each of the songs into three voices.

“We don’t stay frozen on the song tin the manner of ancestral sailors, we like to renew our repertoire but bawdy songs are forbidden to us by our choir director. Fortunately, she is there to discipline us,” jokes Jean Fanch Saget.

The Gabiers de l’Odet give 20 concerts a year and support many charitable associations, including the SNSM.” [the French Lifeboat Service]

[Ouest-France 17/09/2018]