Account by Sabin Jacques

This video was recorded by the Carrefour mondial de l’accordéon on 16 January 2019 in Montmagny, Quebec.

Sitting in front of a piano with an accordion placed on top, Sabin Jacques shares an anecdote about his time at the Carrefour mondial de l’accordéon.

Transcript:

Off-camera voice: Could you share memorable moment from the festival?

Sabin Jacques: A memorable moment? Yes! Maybe I should tell you about my performance with Gabriel Labbé at the Alfred Montmarquette tribute concert. Mario Loiselle was in the show, playing piano. Of course, Gabriel Labbé was playing harmonica. Richard Forest was on fiddle for that show. And there was also Jocelyn Bérubé. You know, he’s more of a storyteller than a caller. Jocelyn was there to tell stories between the tunes by Montmarquette, and he provided an introduction to each number. He really set the tone for each song. When the time came to play a waltz… well, he created and even more interesting atmosphere. And when the time came for a reel, he explained… he expressed everything that needed to be said about the show. There was also another… another good musician playing with us. It was Benoît Bourque, who now plays accordion with La Bottine Souriante. At the time, Benoît had been hired to play percussion.

So Benoît was playing the bones, and he danced around during the concert. So at one point there was a scene where Benoît, while he danced around, played the part of a barber giving a shave someone sitting in a chair. So Benoît danced a gig while he gave a shave, but the person in the chair was me, with my accordion.

And well, of course, he had things all planned out. At the time it was a type of blade you sharpened on a leather belt. That’s what the barber used at the time, he rubbed it on his leather belt and he shaved the musician—that was me—but he had taken care not to sharpen it, but to make it very dull so it didn’t cut. But of course, by rubbing it on his leather belt…

Naturally, that sharpened it once again. So at certain point, he’s there and he circles the chair. He’s giving me a shave and it’s very funny because I’m completely covered with shaving cream. I’m playing and Benoît is circling the chair while he does a little dance. We finished the number without him cutting me. But after the show, he came up to see me and said: “I don’t understand why the blade is all sharp now. I don’t know why.” Finally, he came back with the answer. “Of course, when I rub it on my leather belt, I sharpen it again.” So before each show, he made sure to dull the blade. [Sabin Jacques laughs.] To make sure he wouldn’t cut me. Well, that’s my memory of the festival.