Douglastown CD Awarded the 2014 Mnémo Prize

We are honoured here at the Gaspé fiddle blog to announce the the CD Laura Risk and I co-produced in collaboration with Luc Chaput and the Douglastown Community Centre has been awarded the 2014 Prix Mnémo.

This prize recognizing an outstanding contribution in the domain of documentation and research into Quebec's musical heritage. Here is a link to the official announcement (in French). Here is my quick English translation of Pierre Chartrand's original text. Pierre has been really supportive of our initiatives in Gaspé and he does lots of great work on the French side of things throughout the province including helping with the Centre Mnémo and publishing a seasonal newsletter.

Le Centre Mnémo is pleased to announce that the award for the 16th annual Mnémo Prize goes to the Douglastown Community Centre, Luc Chaput, Laura Risk and Glenn Patterson (both musicians and ethnomusicologists). 

This 16th annual Mnémo Prize will be officially awarded on Saturday, December 20, 2014 during the Veillée du Plateau (square dance evening), in collaboration with the Society for the Promotion of Traditional Québécois Dance (SPDTQ).

The Mnémo Prize aims to reward and showcase a production judged remarkable in the field of documentation or research relating to dance, music, song or traditional storytelling of North American francophones.

This CD is the culmination of extensive research on the musical life of this Gaspesian community.

Laura Risk and Glenn Patterson first digitized and catalogued more than 70 hours of recordings and made the selection of 46 tracks that are found on the compilation CD. This remarkable work involved locating recordings scattered around Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick.

The disc is accompanied by a 52-page bilingual booklet in English and French including photos and a musical transcription of Joe Drody's Jig. The notes are from Laura Risk, Glenn Patterson, as well as Luc Chaput. Luc Chaput, in collaboration with Linda Drody, conducted interviews with many people in the community to collect their recollections on several aspects of community life. We can say that the compilation represents a synthesis of all this work. 

The Jury for the Mnémo Prize wishes to point out the excellence of the work carried out for the production of this CD and booklet, and the importance of this sort of publication for showcasing Quebec's regional heritage.

There will be a prize ceremony in Montreal half-way through the monthly square dance (Veillée du Plateau) on Saturday, December 20th in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood. There will be a great square dance band and French caller if anyone wants to join in the dancing. Each dance is taught before it is done with the music. We will also have a few tables set up for the Gaspesian crowd and any family members they wish to bring along. You don't have to dance, you are welcome even if you just want to come an meet up with friends and enjoy the music and festivities. Admission is free for all from the community; just let them know you or your family is from Gaspé. It is shaping up to be a nice get-together. After the prize, Laura, myself, and Brian Morris will join the house band and play for a square set (the Dip and Dive). The address is 2275 Boul. Saint-Joseph East (that is in the Plateau between de Lorimier and Iberville – it is NOT the Saint-Joseph in Lachine). Here are all the details:

Address: 2275 Boulevard Saint-Joseph East (between de Lorimier and Iberville), Montreal.
Date: Saturday, December 20th, 2014.
Start Time: 7:30 pm
Prize Time: 9:30 pm (be there at 9:15 if you just want to come for the prize)
Admission: Free for people from Gaspé and their families
Attire: Please bring along a pair of indoor shoes as it is a dance hall.
Service: Bar. Laura and I will bring along a celebration cake as well.

Here is the event website

Luc is coming all the way from Douglastown and I'm flying back from St. John's just to be there for this.

Hope to see you there!