| | testo italiano | | ||||||
|
[ conversazioni ]
Trevor Watts, a free jazz king always in search of new musical realms to discover di Claudio Bonomi |
||||||
Do you agree with the idea that jazz does not have to have an American accent to be original and innovative? I agree, but without where the music came from we
wouldn’t be where we are today, so I don’t like
Europeans being anti American in trying to build up their own egos. Why
can’t we just get on with what we do, and if it has an
American accent to it or not doesn’t matter. Some Europeans
can get very strong feelings against music that has an American accent,
if they think their music does not have it. In a way it seems to be
covering up some kind of inferiority complex. Doesn’t matter
what it is, if it sounds good it is good. We’re all
influenced by something as we’re not in isolation and music
doesn’t belong to an individual.
Would you say you are still learning at this stage in your career? Very much so, and so therefore it’s exciting and
still a struggle to some extent. But it’s great to get the
feeling of having just that bit more knowledge than you used to have.
|
I
am in it for lifelong learning and never lose my optimism about music,
although I am surprised sometimes at some critics and promoters
choices, but in the end it doesn’t really matter, as for me
it’s the study of music that feeds my soul.
What's you opinion about jazz and electronics? Many musicians have experimented this marriage and have developed a pioneering integration of jazz, electronics, spontaneous music. Are you interested in this sort of approach? The thing is about electronics, jazz and spontaneous music.
Well it's pretty logical that this has happened. But like everything
else, it isn't that radical when you think that everything comes out of
everything else. I mean the early seeds of things like that I could
claim to be in groups such as Amalgam, because if you hear the way
Keith Rowe deals with the sounds within that music, and this is 1979,
take Ongoing Situation for instance, well the
principles are there. And also you've got Jimi Hendrix in Rock taking
the stuff out. So all you're talking about is new refinements brought
on by new technology. So, like everything else, it's not the
ingredients that matter in themselves, rather like cooking, it's how
you put them together. Some food has all the best ingredients, but not
always the best results, as that relies on the cook.
Finally could you anticipate new projects or recordings? Any new reissues in the pipeline? Just released is a Trevor Watts Drum Orchestra recording from
1989 called Drum Energy on the Hi4HeadRecs label
HFHCD 006. This is “live” in London. Then Nick Dart of Hi4Head is releasing a duo recording from
1999 of an improvisational piece of music by a yet another duo of Peter
Knight (Violin) and myself on saxes. This will be under the title of Reunion
Peter is a famous “Folk” violinist, and is best
known for his involvement with Folk/Rock group Steeleye Span. But Pete
is featured also in the Drum Orchestra and some of my Moire Music
recordings. Finally there’s a recording from 1985 that FMR
records are going to issue and it is of my original 10 piece Moire
group. This recording was originally issued on ARC, my own label, as a
vinyl. And as well as Peter Knight features such as Veryan Weston
(Piano), Lol Coxhill (Sop sax) and some good duos from African
percussionist Nana Tsiboe and Liam Genockey. Regarding projects. With the demise of the duo with Jamie I am
now at a stage of wondering “where to next?”. So
that’s quite exciting. New realms to be discovered. In the
meantime I work at the music every day.
|
|||||
| Translation of introduction by Marco Bertoli | ||||||
| [1] [2] (3) | ||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
|