La Difference

Zylan was a nine-piece brass-rock, soul and psychedelic group formed in Halifax in 1971 by musicians with strong roots in northeastern New Brunswick. Led initially by singer Hélène Bolduc and trumpeter Dave Miller, the band combined a conventional rock rhythm section with keyboards, two lead vocalists and a three-piece horn section.

Bolduc and Miller had relocated from Newcastle, New Brunswick, to Halifax, where they assembled vocalist Réal Pelletier, guitarist Blaine Murphy, bassist Donald ‘Donnie’ Hann, keyboardist Peter Fraser, drummer Andy Davis, trumpeter George Wilson and saxophonist Harold Tsistinas. The resulting ensemble developed a large-scale sound that drew from soul, jazz-rock, psychedelic pop, hard rock and the contemporary brass-rock style associated with groups such as Lighthouse, Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Zylan recorded at Audio Atlantic in Halifax, one of the first major commercial recording facilities in the Maritimes. The sessions were produced, arranged and engineered by Al Feeney, with executive production by Vern Kennedy and Bob Stone, additional arrangements by Harold Tsistinas and Zylan, and assistance from Grant Kennedy.

The group made its Columbia debut in 1973 with ‘Darlin’’, written by Hélène Bolduc and Peter Fraser and backed with Floyd King’s ‘Back In Yesterday’. ‘Darlin’’ entered the RPM national Top 100 in August and had reached No. 83 by August 25, giving Zylan a modest national chart entry as well as regional exposure in Eastern Canada.

The single was followed by Rainbows, Dreams & Fantasies, an album of predominantly original material showcasing the full nine-member ensemble. Its ten songs moved between horn-driven rock, soul balladry, jazz-influenced arrangements, acoustic passages and harder guitar-led performances. Songwriting was shared among Bolduc, Pelletier, Fraser, Murphy, Hann and Tsistinas, with outside contributions from Floyd King, Edgar and Gordon Tweedy and a writer credited as Renaud.

Later in 1973, Columbia issued La Différence, a French-language re-recording and adaptation of the album. Rather than simply translating the original lyrics, Bolduc and Pelletier reshaped several songs, resulting in new titles, revised writing credits and, in some cases, shorter arrangements. The album placed Zylan within a remarkable moment in Acadian recording history, when Zylan, Patsy Gallant and Édith Butler each released French-language debut albums through Columbia.

Zylan’s momentum was undermined by internal and contractual difficulties. The original large ensemble appears to have fragmented around the time the albums were released, after which a reduced lineup continued briefly. Steve Annan replaced Blaine Murphy on guitar, Dave Skinner replaced Andy Davis on drums, and the horn section was eventually removed. The remaining sextet continued performing into 1974 before the musicians separated.

Several members remained important within Atlantic Canadian music. Donnie Hann became the original bassist of the Minglewood Band; Steve Annan later played with Newfoundland’s Wonderful Grand Band; Dave Skinner joined the Mason Chapman Band; Hélène Bolduc remained active as a singer and released a solo single on Solar Records; and Harold Tsistinas became a Halifax recording engineer.

Although Zylan’s recorded career consisted of only two corresponding albums and two singles, its history links the early Halifax studio scene, northeastern New Brunswick’s bilingual musical culture and the emergence of Acadian artists within Canada’s major-label industry. Rainbows, Dreams & Fantasies and La Différence now stand as rare documents of an ambitious Maritime group that attempted to bridge English-Canadian rock, francophone popular music and Acadian identity within the same body of work.

-Robert Williston