Gregannian Chant is a trio of very experienced dance musicians, Greg Brown (fiddle, concertina), Ann Downey (bass, banjo) and Ian Clark (guitar).
Greg Brown is a multi-instrumentalist, with “pro”ficiency on fiddle, concertina, accordion, banjo, guitar, for starters. Greg has played for many dances, mainly contra, for over two decades and plays with great drive, expression, and improvisational skills.
Ann Downey grew up singing along in the backseat with harmonizing parents during long cross-country moving trips. A multi-instrumentalist on guitar, banjo and bass, she has played, toured and recorded with local Ottawa folk / roots groups Finest Kind, Sneezy Waters, Tony Turner, Pat Moore's Vinyl Frontier, The Toasted Westerns as well as the Old Sod Band, Ottawa's first contra dance band. When not performing, sewing and gardening, Ann teaches clawhammer banjo at Alcorn Music Studios.
Ian Clark has played for many dances over 3 decades, including Scottish Country dances, English Country dances, contra dances, and Cape Breton Ceilidhs. Ian joined The Old Sod Band, Ottawa’s seminal contra dance band in 1994, at least 5 years after Ann! Ian also plays in diverse genres such as rockabilly and swing, and he brings flavours from all his diverse influences to his dance band playing.