Jean Duval

From Glengarryceltic

Jean Duval was born in 1961 in St-Leonard a suburb of Montreal. His mother was from St-Polycarpe and his father from Gracefield, Quebec. Neither of his parents was a musician but his father often told him about the dances that took place when he was young. This kindled Jean’s first interest in fiddle music.

At the age of nine he began playing the recorder and he played Renaissance and Baroque music on this instrument until 1980 when he was studying at CEPEG level. At this point he took up the wooden transverse flute and the tin whistle and his primary focus moved from classical to Celtic music. This change was partly influence by groups such as Bard.

In 1982 he toured Ireland, Scotland and Brittany, gaining an understanding of the people and culture of these areas. Back in Montreal he played with a group called Keridwen and participated regularly in music sessions and ceilidhs.

In 1983 he moved with his wife and family to Peveril, a small community in Quebec near Glengarry, and met Mrs. Viola MacCuaig and was very impressed with her piano playing. He became a member of the Lochiel Strings a local traditional fiddle group with members from eastern Glengarry County and the border area of Quebec.

His “Fiddlemaker’s Reel” is dedicated to Jean Marie Lacombe a member of the Lochiel Strings who builds violins. “The Yapper’s Reel” was composed for David Papazion, a Toronto fiddler, who acquired the nickname “Yapper” in the Maritimes.