Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
2 appearances
Musician who invented a style blending classical and jazz, known for swing interpretations of Bach with the Playbach trio, worldwide best-selling albums.
On the island
Eight records
it reminds me the the time when I just started to play piano
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, third movementFavourite
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
I would like to wake up with the third movement of the third Brandenburg concerto by Bach
Choir of Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford, Academy of Ancient Music
I love this music, especially this, A Child Is Born
one of the best piece which really I fell in love thirty years ago is the Django by the modern jazz quartet
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:10Do you come from a musical family?
No, no, not at all.
Presenter asks
0:28When did you decide that music was to be your profession?
Uh I decided I was thirteen years old because I had a big difficulty in music and I have to get over it and if not to leave it, you know. There was for me just two d directions and I chose the first one because I loved the music at that time and I wanted to play piano very well and that was a very hard and difficult that was a shopping place as impossible to play too hard, you know.
Presenter asks
0:57You went to the Conservatoire at Paris? What did you study apart from piano?
Nothing else. Just study piano uh with Ivanat.
Presenter asks
1:07When you left the Conservatoire, was there work for you?
No, it's just a question of manning, actually.
The keepsakes
The book
And that book will help a lot because then when you read this book you you can't understand why this man doesn't die uh instantly after all the the adventurous thing that happens to him. So I like to have this w to give me hope to get out of this island as quickly as possible.
The luxury
I think I'm quite uh at ease to do it and uh I will be pleased to spend my time in uh exercising my fingers for a change.
Presenter asks
2:37How long did [your army service in Algeria] go on?
Well … twenty-eight months. This of course was right away from music. Yes, completely right away because uh no possibility of a piano.
Presenter asks
3:17When did you begin to play [Bach] in your own fashion?
Well, I tried to play a few bars since two or three years before fifty nine. How do you describe this fashion of yours of of playing [Bach]? Well, it is very, very, very simple, in fact. I play [Bach] improvising, as [Bach] himself did with other composers in his time.
Presenter asks
0:51Are you a practical man?
I'm very practical in terms of uh natural instinct uh things. The only problem I will probably face is that uh I don't like to stay alone too long. … I will certainly try to survive, this will be my main interest.
Presenter asks
4:03Was it a musical family you came from? Were your mother and father musical?
My mother used to play violin and my father used to sing in choirs, but uh they were not especially musical … they've noticed that I was a bit gifty in this instrument because after three months playing piano I was exactly the playing the same things that my sister was uh playing for four years.
Presenter asks
4:54Can you explain your gift? When you first sat at a piano, did you understand everything about it?
The first time I've seen a piano and I sat on the piano. … I must say that nearly instantly I understood all what was going on and I was at ease to to put my hand on in the piano.
Presenter asks
7:24Is there something mystical about your gift? Can you explain it?
If you believe in reincarnation, I would say that uh that could be uh also uh a good explanation. … I've been very gifty to to play the instrument and also very gifted to speak German. I nearly never learned to speak German and I speak nearly fluently. … I can't explain that uh with the natural explanation.
Presenter asks
13:51Do you think Bach would play at Ronnie Scott's club if he were alive today?
Certainly. Because he was interested in any kind of new instruments development and quality. … He would have been the first one to know about synthesizers. He would have been the first one to to be in the chart.
Presenter asks
26:52Why did you choose the Beatles as your last disc?
The continuation of the classical music is the Beatles for me. … the music must be popular. The music is something which is something simple that you don't need to learn or to practise to understand.
“I left the conservatory because I saw that it was ridiculous to go until the end and to be with twenty people having the same prize, the same degree, you know. Twenty prize winners. Each year. This is ridiculous. After three years, it's sixty people waiting for a job, you know.”
“I travel a lot. I was in Cuba one year after I've been in Turkey, I've been in Israel, I've been with a lot of funny stories who makes life happy.”
“I play [Bach] improvising, as [Bach] himself did with other composers in his time.”
“we just met for the first record, in the recording session and I always keep the same musician because for me they are the best one.”
“I really found this music simple, easy.”
“I just started improvising in the style of Bach.”
“I nearly never practice the piano, you won't believe. But I've already got the knowledge in my hands.”
“The continuation of the classical music is the Beatles for me.”