LE VENT DU NORD (The North Wind) from Quebec is a breath of startlingly fresh air. A brief but perfectly accurate description might be: 8 musical instruments, 4 voices in harmony, 2 generations of musicians and a master of dance: Benoit Bourque, formerly of Matapat (diatonic accordion, bones, mandolin, jaw harp, step dance, vocals), Nicolas Boulerice (hurdy gurdy, piano, piano-accordion, bodhrán, vocals), Olivier Demers (fiddle, guitar, vocals, foot tapping), and Simon Beaudry (guitar, voice) are Le Vent du Nord. 

This just in: Le Vent Du Nord 2005 Canada Folk Award Recipient!  Founded in 2002, the group released its first CD, Maudite moisson! in 2003 which won the 2004 JUNO award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year/group. On stage as well as on its albums, the band members are generously prolific with tasty bits of information describing the origins of a tune or a song. With a happy disposition and wild energy, Le Vent du Nord has conquered audiences of all ages from multiple cultures.

• www.leventdunord.com