The Basque-Irish connection. The Navarrese who sing to Northern Ireland from Bayonne

This article was translated by John R. Bopp

About a year ago we (once again) broke our rules and wrote about a Navarrese group named. Puro Relajo (Pure Relaxation).  This Basque group is dedicated to playing Ibero-American music with a special focus on Mexican music.

We broke our rule because they had recorded two videos in which they played Lete and Laboa with a mariachi touch that seemed very original to us, and, we’ll admit, beautiful.  It seems a lot of people agreed with us, because that blog entry was a real hit.

Now we’re backsliding again.  We just found out that they’re preparing a new album (which will be launched in a month’s time) full of popular (not pop) music, as well as original songs and one “unclassifiable” that is what has caused us to write this entry.

Our Navarrese musicians have crossed the Pyrenees up to Bayonne, along with the Elorz Valley Choir from Noain, to record a remake  of a traditional Irish that French singer Renaud made remade, calling it “Ballade Nord-Irlandaise”.

It’s sung in French, but subtitled in Basque and in Spanish.  When you hear it, you’ll recognize the melody as part of our cultural heritage.

The result amazed us, and we couldn’t resist sharing it here.  By the way, we found it on a Northern Basque Country website, Cote Basque.net

PPuro Relajo. Ballade nord-irlandaise

Nor can we resist including one of the songs that we collected in the earlier entry, for two reasons: first, because this Lete song fascinates us, and second, because it goes perfectly with the trip our Navarrese musicians have made to the Land of the Basques on the other side of the Pyrenees.

‘Xalbadorren heriotzean’ de ‘Puro Relajo’

 

Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country