With its contagious joie de vivre and its vibrant music, this band of six musicians has created an original and dazzling repertoire that reflects the colourful influences of Montreal’s cultural mosaic. Conceived in the hallways of the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal on a sunny day in 1999, Sagapool – previously known as Manouche – recently celebrated its ninth year with the release of its third album, Épisode Trois. Guitar, double bass, accordion, percussions, banjo, glockenspiel, Rhodes, violin, clarinet and piano all shine in the hands of these multi-talented instrumentalists. With its diversified cultural background, the group defies simple categorization and performs its own blend of joyful and very cinematographic music. With Épisode Trois, Sagapool lets its music travel without borders and preserves the free spirit and exuberance of its first loves – gypsy music, gypsy swing and klezmer, while adding ska, latin and folk rythms. Sagapool’s new album was warmly received by the public and the critics alike. Shortly after its release, Montreal newspaper Ici named it Album of the Week It also placed #1 on CIBL World chart for 7 consecutive weeks, #6 on !Earshot Jazz chart and reached the Top 10 list of Montreal CD sales. Since 1999, Sagapool has played over 300 times in Canada, with 4 major performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. The band sold more than 8000 copies of its first two albums. In 2006, the album St-Urbain Café was nominated at ADISQ (Quebec Junos) for best instrumental album. That same year, the group won the Roseq-Radarts award given by music promoters of Quebec. In 2007, Sagapool performed for the first time in the United States at Bliss Fest, in Michigan. WINNERS : Instrumental group of the year at 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards! WINNERS : CBC/GALAXIE RISING STAR 2008! 2009 SXSW Selection
