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My musical interests are all over the map. From Jazz (from bebop on) to Renaissance and Baroque music by way of Bach, Stravinsky, and Bartok.
I played the recorder and various wind instruments (krumhorn, oboe,...) in a Renaissance ensemble when I was in high school and college (see MP3 samples below).
I now play mostly Jazz. I have always been interested in Jazz because I have always been intrigued by the intellectual challenge of improvising music in real time.
| Renaissance Music |
The band I played with in high school and college (1975 to 1983) was called Ensemble de Musique Ancienne de Bury, and composed of 12 amateur musicians, many of whom are now professional musician: Jean-Jacques Dubayle (band leader, recorders, krumhorns, harpsichord), Philippe Baudin (recorders), Antoine Courtecuisse (recorders), Regis Garde (recorders), Patrick Henry (violin), Thierry Lacaze (percussions, flute), Yann LeCun (recorders, krumhorns), Jerome Loncelle (percussions), Sebastien Marc (recorders), Christophe Mazeau (recorders, oboe), Alain Vergnon (violin), Sylvie Vergnon (cello), and several others at various times.
in the late 70's our band hooked up with Francine Lancelot-Coursange, a dancer who pioneered the study of Renaissance Dances in France. We soon formed a dance group and started performing at various Renaissance festivals and local concert halls. Much of what we know about Renaissance dances comes from Orchesographie, a book written by a French monk who called himself Thoineau-Arbeau.
To my knowledge we were the first group of its kind. Having a dance group taught us how to play the music: how fast to play it, and where to put the accents. We realized that most professional renaissance ensembles of the time were playing those pieces much to slow. They were also sometimes playing them on very quiet instruments like the luth. This was non-sense: instruments must be loud to be heard in a dance hall (or outside).
I had been playing Breton (French Celtic) folk music at dance events at the time and knew that dance floors need powerful instruments. (the traditional instruments for Breton folk music, Bombarde and Biniou-coz, are some of the loudest I know).
| Renaissance and Baroque Concert in MP3 |
These are a few pieces recorded in public in Montmorency, France in 1981. This was a joint concert between Ensemble de Bury and a Renaissance choir called Ensemble Tielmann Susato. This set does not contain too much of our Renaissance dances repertoire except a few court dances.
| Synthetic Renaissance Dances |
These are a few dances and chansons that I played with my Yamaha WX-11 MIDI Wind Controler piped into a Korg 05/RW synth box. This was sequenced using the "Bars and Pipes" software on an Amiga 4000 computer (remember those?).
| Ballet des Coqs | mp3 [564KB] | midi |
| Basse Dance (P. Attaingnant) | mp3 [912KB] | midi |
| Basse Dance (T. Susato) | mp3 [1396KB] | midi |
| Il etait une Fillette (T. Susato) | mp3 [1012KB] | midi |
| Hoboeckentanz (T. Susato) | mp3 [688KB] | midi |
| Ronde 1 (T. Susato) | mp3 [636KB] | midi |
| Ronde 2 (T. Susato) | mp3 [672KB] | midi |
| Ronde 3 (T. Susato) | mp3 [516KB] | midi |
| Playing Jazz |
I have always wanted to play improvised music since I was a kid, but the only instrument I had learned at a young age was the recorder, the oboe, and various similar wind instrument. Those are totally unsuitable for serious Jazz improvisation.
By the time I finally decided to learn the saxophone, Yamaha came out with the ultra-cool WX-11 MIDI Wind controler. At last, I could teach myself to play the music I always wanted to play. I now play a Yamaha WX-5 MIDI Wind Controler fed into a Yamaha physical modeling synthesizer or a Korg 05R/W.
I play mostly with my friend Donnie Henderson at the guitar. We play bebop and hardbop stuff, fusion, and freewheeling improvisations.
My brother Bertrand is also an amateur Jazz player. He plays the bass in a band.
The MIDI Wind Controler became the missing link between my musical tastes (Jazz), skills (woodwinds), and my long time interest in electronic and computer music. When I was a teenager in the late 70s I built several analog synthesizers and sequencers, and modified my cousin's EMS Synthi-A (a really cool analog synth back then). Much of the recreational programming I did on various computers were music related. I even wrote a program that automatically composed 2-voice "contrepoint" for a college project.
| My Favorite Things (in Jazz) |
French people are generally known for their contempt of every product of the American culture (or lack thereof ;-), but there are two notable exceptions (nope, one of them is not Jerry Lewis): Jazz music, and Tex Avery cartoons.
"Who is Tex Avery?" you may ask. Well, ask your local Frenchie, or have a look at this story.
Jazz is America's best contribution to the World's culture, and the one true American art form. In my view, the true heroes of American culture are Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and their friends, but much of the public this side of the pond only has vague notions of who they are.
I listen to a lot of Jazz, either from my extensive CD collection or from WKCR (89.9FM) and WBGO (88.3FM) radios in the New York area.
My favorite Jazz recordings of all times are John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", and Miles Davies's "Kind of Blue". Here are some of my Jazz heros:
- John Coltrane
- Miles Davis
- Charlie Parker
- Thelonious Monk
- Bud Powell
- McCoy Tyner
- Herbie Hancock
- Francois Janneau
- Dizzy Gillespie
I also like many other Jazz musicians: Wayne Shorter, Don Cherry, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Django Reinhardt, John McLaughlin, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Joe Zawinul, and many others.....
Living not-too-far from New York City allows me to go to Jazz clubs once in a while (though not as much as I would like). I generally go to the Iridium, Sweet Basil, or the Village Vanguard.
My favorite artists on the New York scene these days are:
- Greg Osby (alto sax)
- Jason Moran (piano)
- Stefon Harris (vibraphone)
- Kenny Barron (piano)
