When I lived in Quebec, I used to go visit Henri Landry (1923-2001), a wonderful fiddler living in Pontbriand (near Thetford-Mines). He was a spirited player whose brisk, rock-steady tempos reflected his long career as a dance musician. Henri played fiddle for community dances and house parties for most of his life. After a long career as a truck driver in the mines, he spent an incredibly joyful retirement playing fiddle at local galas, contests, and house parties. He and his wife Fernande were immensely hospitable and kind, and they hosted many the memorable party, where good food and music and company filled the house to overflowing.

In addition to playing the standard local repertory, Henri had a repertory of tunes which he learned as a young boy from left-handed fiddler Thomas Pomerleau, a poor, reclusive and eccentric old man who lived in a tiny hut  abutting the Pomerleau family farm. Although Thomas Pomerleau was known locally as “Quêteux” (beggar) Pomerleau and lived a marginal, hand-to-mouth existence, his fiddle playing was in demand at local weddings and dances.

Thomas Pomerleau’s repertory included a number of truly beautiful and very singular  tunes. Henri only recorded one of them and never played them in public settings like galas and contests–my sense is that he felt that they were just  too “out of the box.” But whenever I’d visit Henri, I’d ask for these tunes, and he was always happy to share them. We had our own Thomas Pomerleau Secret Society.

I  learned this particular march in the early 1980s one afternoon when I went to watch a competition organized by the local chapter of the provincial fiddling association in the Thetford Mines region. Henri waved hello as I entered the school building and beckoned me over with a broad, crinkly-eyed smile, reporting that he’d just remembered an old Pomerleau march. Say no more! We immediately wandered off to the basement to find a quiet place for a TPSS meeting. I learned the march on the spot and have been playing it “out” ever since. It delights me that this once-obscure, lovely old tune has become a standard session tune and is making the rounds not only in Quebec, but in the States and parts of Europe. I hope you enjoy it too!

La Marche Pomerleau (mp3)[wpdm_file id=376]

La Marche Pomerleau (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=377]