Prélude aux 12 hommes (Théâtre de Quat’Sous, Montreal, November 9, 2015) : Gilles Bélanger and special guest Daniel Lavoie

In tiny and totally charming Montreal's Théâtre de Quat’Sous (a perfect venue for an intimate show) Gilles Bélanger, the composer behind the legendary "Douze hommes rapaillés" project, invites one of the 12 "hommes" (participants of that project) every evening over the course of two weeks this November for a conversation about the "Douze hommes", music, songwriting and personal paths in the music business. I saw the show on November 9 when Daniel Lavoie visited the stage.

Daniel Lavoie sings Gaston Miron : a note from the audence

A photo from Douze hommes rapaillés, most likely taken in the Parc de la Francophonie in Quebec City on July 11, 2011. The original source of the photo is unknown. Immediate source: http://www.daniellavoie.ru/dl/index.php/en/creativework/concerts/440--2011

A few years ago  I had a chance to see one of a handful of live performances of the legendary Douze hommes rapaillés, the one that took place in in the Parc de la Francophonie in Quebec City on July 11, 2011. (For the details, see my earlier post). The 12 extraordinary French-Canadian singer/songwriters/poets/political activists and just plain handsome men were creating an enormous energy on that open air stage and beyond. But this post is about Daniel Lavoie.

Douze hommes rapaillés : an outsider's view. (Quebec City, July 11, 2011 Festival d'été de Québec)

Photo credit: Agence Spectra

One goes to a lot of shows during lifetime, but some stay in memory in every detail, years later, as if you saw them yesterday. Douze hommes rapaillés at the Québec City Summer Festival in 2011 became one of those shows for me, although, curiously enough I was by no means the target audience for it (not being French-Canadian).