1. In my new CD « Bakida » my idea was to synthesize a lot of the influences that built my actual musical personality. «Tales from VN» & «Maghreb» are rather projects where I learned those specific traditions, trying to understand them with the deepest sincerity, & showing what I could say, or play, or write in reaction to these meetings. So that was an adaptation & an arrangement process of a pre-existing culture. All those melodies & rhythms had been there since a long time, & I didn’t tried to change them - I change the way they appear, the harmonic context, I add voices, new rhythms, etc... This time, with « Bakida », my idea was to write my own music inspired by all the musical traditions that I love & which have shaped who I am today. Those traditions can be hard rock, blues, classical western music, music from Vietnam, Maghreb, Black Africa, Turkey, Spain, Scandinavia...

2. Each guest is a different story. Some live in France, some others don’t. I mostly didn’t meet them on tour; I mostly discovered them 1rst on CD. I saw Renaud 1rst on a concert with the National Jazz Orchestra directed by Claude Barthélémy. I was knocked out by his oriental virtuosity & his « singing » quality. Then 3 years after I called him to play with Mino Cinelu on my « Three Trios » CD. I called Tino in Madrid because I was looking for someone who could sub for Mino Cinelu, & who could play drums as well as percussion. I had never met Tino before calling him ! Carles Benavente, from Barcelona, is a great friend of Tino’s, & I played with him in Vince Mendoza ’s « Jazzpana » in 1993. I first met Karim Ziad (just arrived in France) in 1991 on CD sessions for algerian composer Safy Boutella. Then we meet again in 1998, when we started « Maghreb & Friends ». I met Hao Nhien Pham in Paris in 1995 when I was looking for open-minded vietnamese traditional musicians to create « Tales from Vietnam ». I met Paolo Fresu when Aldo Romano invited us in club in Paris in 1994.

I had never played with Kudsi Erguner before; I was just a big fan of his. He lives in Paris & plays also with Bojan Z, pianist in « Maghreb & Friends ». Now he is signed also on ACT, it was easy to invite him. I was a fan of Oslo’s native Jon Balke before meeting him. I discovered him on his « Magnetic North » great CD. Then whe got both invited in a swedish radio project in 1997. Since then, we palyed several times together. I had never played with Chris Potter before; I was also a big fan. We met sometimes in festivals where he played with Dave Douglas. Illya Amar is the son of Dominique Borker, my wife, who composed « Heaven » on this CD.

3. I have 11 gtrs - 1 acoustic, 2 electroacoustic, 2 jazz, 1 vietnamese, 2 electric, 1 fretless,

2 el. basses. I could have more, but I’m not a gtr collector. I use my main electric « James Trussart » on stage since 1988. Sometimes I bring my fretless or my Parker Fly electroacoustic on stage. The rest I use only in studio. My first gtr was not mine - it was the instrument of the gtr player I was playing with at that time (15 ?). We were rehearsing in my appartment, where the gtr player of my band leave his instrument. He didn’t practice ! The first gtr I bought was a Gibson SG.

4. I have a dream which should come true in april, if everything goes well. I’m gonna play my music for the 1rst time in Vietnam, for the 1rst Hanoi Jazz Festival. I’d like to meet & play with the best musicians in the world, some I don’t even know yet ! Let’s drop some names : Joey Baron, Jon Hassel, Hariprasad Chaurasia... but I’m sure there’s a genius hidden in some unknown village of a very far country...

interview for Axel Shock, Kulturnews, Berlin, 26/01/00