Bran

ran was founded in Prague in 1999, when an expatriate Breton singer met some local Czech musicians. Its name is the Breton for ‘raven’, the harbinger bird of the ancient Celtic lore. This particular bird has carried Breton music all the way to Central Europe and brought back some fresh east wind to its native Brittany.

Singing in Breton as well as in French, Bran continues in this tradition of musical cross-pollination. The different backgrounds of each of the band’s members contribute to its original sound. In addition to the traditional Breton dance tunes and marine songs, the band’s repertoire contains some original numbers from the players themselves.

Bran has come up with a new record titled Beaj vat!, Breton for bon voyage. In its broad reach, the record includes not only Breton folk songs in the idiosyncratic vein with which the band has made a name for itself on the Czech scene, but also original instrumental pieces and, for the first time, Czech lyrics.

Robert Fischmann – vocal, flute, piano, whistles
Vojtěch Jindra – acoustic guitar
Tomáš Görtler – accordion, backing vocal
Petr Mikeš – bass guitar
Víťa Patočka – drums