Photo: Emma Shindo

A 2009 graduate of the Université de Montréal with a bachelor's degree in jazz double bass, Cédric Dind-Lavoie is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer and accomplished artist. He divides his time between the stage and the studio, between arranging pop music and creating soundtracks for multidisciplinary projects. Since his early twenties, he has had the opportunity to play with artists from various backgrounds such as Nathalie Cora, Dobacaracol and Juan Sebastian Larobina, to name a few. His love of West African cultures has led him to accompany Prince Diabaté, Balla Tounkara, Lilison Di Kinara and, on a more permanent basis, Alpha Thiam, Kabakuwo and the group Bolo Kan at major festivals. 

Archives is the new project of Cédric Dind-Lavoie, a show that marries folklore archives with ambient and introspective music. For the occasion, the musician reappropriates old treasures found through passionate research, a selection of songs and instrumental tunes from the 40's and 50's drawn from the collections of folklorists Simonne Voyer, Roger Matton and Luc Lacourcière. He then accompanies them, mainly on the piano, enriching them with a modern and intimate musical setting. He is also supported on stage by the fiddler Alexis Chartrand who brings a strong anchoring in the traditional codes. The two of them finally form a trio with the archive station that plays these relics of the past in real time. This scenic addition allows the listener to enter even more into communion with these tradition bearers.  As if the two musicians had been able to slip through the cracks of time to meet these voices, their stories to accompany them.

"Dind-Lavoie’s treatment of these archives is deeply respectful as he takes care to preserve the fidelity and authenticity of the recordings while still managing to be bold and self-assured in augmenting them with tasteful embellishments.
 - Brian Housman, Stationary Travels

"Maybe the people who first made this music are lost to history. But their ghosts live on right here. It’s music, but it’s also an act of love and remembrance. - Chris Nickson, Rootsworld magazine