Yves Lambert Trio

biography

After 26 years as a member of La Bottine souriante, and having created the Bébert Orchestra in 2004, Yves Lambert, with his partners Olivier Rondeau and Tommy Gauthier, has since 2010 presented a trio with a new sound that offers unusual brilliance and a distinctive personality. The Yves Lambert Trio with Olivier Rondeau and Tommy Gauthier shows with verve how traditional local music continually reinvents itself in the modern context.

“We play as a trio, but sound like a big orchestra,” says Yves Lambert (vocals, accordions, harmonica, jaw harp, and percussion).

“The challenge of playing on stage as a trio is to complement each other rhythmically and harmonically,” says Tommy Gauthier (violin, mandolin, guitar, vocals, and feet).

For Olivier Rondeau (acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, and vocals), “Forming a trio opened up our creativity; playing different roles influenced our arrangements, and not having a bass meant I had to experiment and find new sounds with my guitars.” 

The Lambert Rondeau Gauthier Trio offers a live performance that’s on par with their new album, which is the result of significant research, experimenting and mixing ideas. But above all, it’s a team effort. By revisiting traditional music, this brilliant trio delivers new ideas in unexpected forms while carefully preserving the soul of the music.

Music lovers curious to take a listen will discover the work of master craftsmen who make traditional music accessible to the wider public. The YVES LAMBERT TRIO strikes a balance between festiveness, political involvement, musicality, and the spirit of traditional music. In the current context, this music is essential to the survival of a culture, but the trio is not just recalling memories; rather, they are making a place for contemporary writers and composers who affirm the Quebec identity and claim a passionate, open and creative “Quebecness.” That’s why the YVES LAMBERT TRIO is so successful in winning over people who may be reluctant to embrace traditional music—they take the musical road less travelled.