My Interests — Music

My personal musical route

When I was a young boy, an aunt of my father had a piece of furniture that fascinated me. It was a piano. Every time we visited her — unfortunately too rarely for me — I would spend hours striking the keyboard.

I bought my first clarinet at the age of 15. A friend taught me where to put my fingers on the holes and I began trying to play New Orleans Jazz.

Later, I began to study music and still later another friend — a pianist — taught me the rudiments of harmony and I bought a very old piano (dating from 1914!) for continuing the study of harmony by myself.

A few years later, I bought my first soprano sax and began to imitate Sidney Bechet. I was the chief of a small New Orleans Jazz Band called “The Hot Rabbits” and we used to play at the student parties.

I still play the soprano sax. But in the meantime, in the seventies, I’ve become a fan of Baroque Music, particularly French Baroque Music between 1700 and 1725. I’ve tried to play it — I even bought a baroque one key flute in ebony with ivory rings —, but, at my great regret I can’t. And yet, I’ve studied the books of Arnold Dolmetsch, Robert Donnington, Hotteterre Le Romain, Johann Joachim Quantz, Betty Bang Mather, and others (See Bibliography), but in vain: I only can play New Orleans Jazz!

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French Baroque Music and Jazz

I still remain a lover of Baroque Music, particularly the French one. I have my personal theory about it. If you read thoroughly Betty Bang Mather, you’ll soon understand that French Baroque Music is characterized by unequal notes, exactly the same thing as in Jazz Music of the first times, up till Classical Swing Jazz and Bebop, where the 8th notes are one long one short, as if in a 6/8 or a 12/8 movement. You only have to add some syncopes to this way of playing French Baroque Music and you obtain Jazz!

That shouldn’t astonish us, because New Orleans (the cradle of Jazz) was founded long ago by French people, impregnated with their national popular music, i.e. Baroque Music of the 18th century.

I still continue to play music. Besides my clarinet, I have now — among other instruments — a soprano and an alto sax, and a synthetizer I find very amusing too.

About one year ago, I’ve begun to compose jazz music on the computer (with NoteWorthy Composer). It’s a very exciting occupation. Unfortunately, for the moment, I haven’t time enough to do it regularly. Nevertheless, if you like Jazz, listen to one of my compositions by clicking here. Not yet implemented.

Sorry! This page is still under construction.

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