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Ava Group, corsican polyphony

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Their friendship started one night in 2002 around a table when they mixed their voices to sing about life before, after and now : AVA, their group was born.
Do we really need to further introduce these singers and musicians !
Best friends in life, some of them have been present on the Island scene for over 20 years.
This explains why they perfectly master voices harmony and tunes during their concerts.
Old polyphonies, creations of the group and covers of old corsican songs still living in people memory are equally part of their art.
With their innate corsican soul in body and heart, during a deeply emotional and passionate concert, they are able to bring us to the roots of the corsican identity, the history of a people and its land.
Avà chante cela, Avà chante la vie. This history is an eternal tale of love, death or religion. Ava sings all this, Ava sings life.
Ava sings traditional music with instruments respecting both various trends and the original spirit.
Their music is a mixture of guitars, saz, violin, charangos, flutes, cetera, cajon or double bass provoking an amazing hang drum.
During their recital, Ava group singers put the human being in the core of their musical venture.
Attending an Ava concert brings you more than pleasure ; it’s a special and deep rooted pleasure, as if Corsica was right there in front of you : now boarding !
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BERNARD PAOLINI

Bernard was born in september 1956 in Ghisoni (Corsica France) As a young boy he was deeply affected by the corsican music cherished by his grand father who was practicing the accordion in his corsican village, being himself an old corsican serenades specialist.
Bernard was brought up on these traditional tunes that marked and influenced him deeply.
Then he left Corsica and this wonderful childhood to follow his parents. First stop in Britany then Paris, France.. Leaving the island was heart rending !
He has been living in the Nice area since 1981
In 1995 he entered the Vence Academy (classical songs) then created the Ava Group with a few friends in 2003. In this group he sings in the seconda or terza range and plays various instruments such as the guitar, charango, riverbula, saz or more modern Hand Drum.
At the same time, for 5 years, he did some teaching of the corsican language in Antibes, then in the Cultural Center of Vence from 2008 to 2012.
His other passion is painting his favorite island Corsica.
As a father of two musician boys, he wants to communicate his own passion for the corsican culture to them.
Contact - E-mail : bernard.paolini@orange.fr / Tel : 06 88 37 83 86


GILLES BORRELLI

Gilles was born in French Algeria in 1960, with italian great grand fathers from Toscany ; he started studying musical theory when he was 7 years old and violin at 8. He got the Virtuosity Award from the Yères Conservatory in France, then reached the age of 16 and hesitated between going on with his studies or pursuing an instrumentalist career. From his 24th year onwards, he leads at the same time a professional life as an engineer in electronics and actively practises his musical skills as a classical violin player (quartet, chamber or symphony orchestra) ; he has a passion for the Andes music and Argentina tango ; his bride Monique is a professional lyrical singer (soprano colorature : Reine de la Nuit from Mozart, Poupée Olympia from Hoffmann…) Their musical paths met. Gilles recently joined the AVA Group, when he met Bernard during a concert organized for the Andes VIRACOCHA Group in Tourrettes sur Loup in summer 2013. When Gilles is practising violin and Pan flute, Bernard is quite close playing charango.


HENRI BRIGADA

Henri is from South West of France, born from french-Italian parents, brought up in the countryside like the chickens fed from Gers cereals. His youth was spent fishing, hunting and running after a rugby ball.
He discovered his musical skill for singing lately and realized his taste for corsican songs in 2005 when he met the Ava Group during one of their concerts in Vence. He is deeply connected to human values and traditions, which he finds in the corsican culture.
As a real hedonist he loves spending nice moments with friends around a table and singing with them Since this encounter, he spends his life singing corsican and occitan polyphonies and goes on fishing and hunting (important part of his nature !)
He particularly enjoys sacred polyphony. With his deep and warm voice (Bassu) he can hold the song as a rugbyman during the scrum !
contact - henri.brigada0725@orange.fr


YVES MARTIN

Yves was born in 1949 in Normandy France, an area famous for its cider ! But without the twist of destiny, nothing could have predestined him for corsican songs !
After numerous years taking care of his family, he started being interested in songs in 1992 at first within the Valbonne Sophia-Antipolis choir conducted by A.J. Vernet, then thanks to the emblematic Corrou de Berra he discovered traditional singing which led him to his passion for polyphonies.
Thanks to his daugther Peggy who offered him an audiotape of the corsican group I Muvrini IN 1995, he was definitely charmed by the beautiful corsican polyphonies with their interconnected voices, which led thim to discover the cultural treasure of the Island.
He joined many voice courses with polyphony experts.
From 2006, he underwent intense training at the Corbara convent and at Pigna, the traditional corsican music temple managed by Jacky Micaëlli and Jean-Etienne Langiani.
Terza is his preferred range of voice. At the same time, he educated himself to music theory and studied musical writing in Barla Academy of Nice with Mr. Jean Bouchon ; this led him to write his own compositions.
Great lover of traditional and renaissance dance, he has participated in various shows with the Mascaradesca Group. Today he is a talented terza and secunda voice in Ava Group.

JEAN-MICHEL LUCIANI

Jean-Michel was born in 1954 in Paris. His origins in Corsica being a grand father hunting wild sheep (mouflon) in Zonza village quite close to Porto Vecchio Gulf, famous for its harbour and boats ready to setting sails.
He has a passion for sailing and aeronautics He was a professional skipper for many years, experiencing 19 transatlantic races, his own way to starway to heaven ! As a sensitive person brought up by a painter mother, he developed a a good hear for music.
After a few years playing conventional piano music, and playing bugle in the Military School in Saint Mandrier, he finally selected the guitar, instrument of his youth which favours his love for melody. This instrument will never leaves with him. He can play famous contemporay guitar composers such as Mac Laughlin, Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Eric Clapton, Rony Jordan etc., with his famous cedar made Takamine EN62 C. He likes to cover the songs rearranging them in his own way.
He played in many different groups specialised in jazz, gypsy jazz, the brazilian bossa nova, country or gospel american music.
The story goes that Georges Moustaki gave him his own famous guitar a Framus with 12 strings.
His happy encounter with Ava Group enables him to keep alive his corsican origins and practice vocal music with his « bassu » voice and bass guitar (same register) Today he shares his time singing and playing guitar and participating in humanitarian missions as a pilot. He is also a gread lover of cellphone (look at his hand when he sings !)
Contact - E-mail : jm.luciani@orange.fr / Tel : 06 07 63 07 70


EXCEPTIONAL AVA CONCERTS

Summers in French Riviera since 2007

Théoule sur Mer : Pierre Cardin Palace in 2006

Antibes : Congress Palace in 2006

Ile sur la Sorgue : World Music Festival in 2008

Nice : Asiatic Arts Museum in 2009

Maussac : World Music Festival in 2010

Saint Honnorat Monastery in 2011

Nice : Regional Music Academy in 2012

Montauroux : Guitar Festival in 2013

Belgium : Arts Festival in 2015

Liège : Provincial Museum in 2015

Nice : Classic Music in 2015




Testimone

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Avà in quattru

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Bramma di tè

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Nund'a fà

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AVÀ KORSOÏ



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