Originally from an Auvergnat family, Michel Esbelin began studying the cabrette in 1982. From the 1990s onwards, he collaborated and recorded with numerous musicians (Daniel Denécheau, Didier Pauvert, Claude Quintard) as well as with groups like Les Costauds de la Lune, Flor de Zinc, or the Trio des Barreaux Verts.

Tiennet Simonnin grew up in a family where the traditional music and dances of Auvergne held a significant place. He started playing the chromatic accordion in 1988. A few years later, he became passionate about the origins and history of the bal musette.
When Michel and Tiennet met in 2008, during an Auvergnat music jam session in Paris, the human and musical connection was immediate.

Soon, the idea of playing together for dancing emerged, with the desire to pay special attention to the repertoire of Parisian songs (café-concert, music-hall) that were instrumentally interpreted by Auvergnats in Parisian dance nights. In 2019, they recorded an album dedicated to the café-concert repertoire: “Le Lilas Blanc.”

Artists:
Michel Esbelin: cabrette
Tiennet Simonnin: chromatic accordion