1. Could you describe what makes the creative musical environment in Paris so unique?

I think this has to do with how different cultures mix here. Every big city in the West is muticultural, but Paris has a special way to integrate those different cultures. Last time Paul McCandless was here, we went to a great chinese restaurant in small Chinatown of Paris, met a tunisian friend who brought us in 5mn walk to a genuine tunisian cafe where people smoke big waterpipes. Ethnic communties are closer to the other, they can share & communicate more easily. 2. Could you detail some of your musical influences?

They are very various : I grew up with traditional vietnamese & western classical music my parents were listening to; but the 1rst music which moved me was Deep Purple - I was 12. After Hard Rock I listened to Progressive Rock (King Crimson, Yes, etc...) then Fusion (Mahavishnu, Chick Corea). When decided to learn guitar seriously I went to my "real jazz" period - Coltrane, Miles, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett... When I started my own bands I came back to my own roots : Electric Rock & Vietnamese Music. Gtr players : I love Bill Frisell, Scofield, Jeff Beck, Hendrix... But these days my main influence is all sorts of traditional music : vietnamese of course, indian (Chaurasia, U Srinivas - do you know this incredible guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya ?), african (Gnawa music, Salif Keita...) Turkish (Kudsi Erguner). At least I must say that Art Lande was a big influence on me. While playing & working with him I understood the spirit of Jazz, which I would define as a secret balance between freedom & control, emotion & intelligence.

3. How is "jazz" defined in France? Is there a prevalent conservatism about the music like there is here in the US?

Jazz in France is pretty open I think. There's no conservatism à la Marsalis because Jazz is not "our" music - we didn't create it, so what can we "conserve"? - at least Django Reinhardt !. That means we have to create our own ways to do it. Of course, as always, there's several stylistic chapels : pre-bop, bebop, modern, fusion, avant garde, world, etc... But whoever wants it will cross the borders.

4. Where is your music headed, or what would you like to achieve through music?

These days my music is very related to the fascination I have for some traditional music. It inspires my compositions & my approach to gtr. I have worked on preexisting melodies & rythms, now I'm trying to write my own "traditional" compositions. Music is also a beautiful way of bringing people together : such different people can meet & converse & create a unique thing upon this diversity. With music like "Tales from Vietnam" I can bring people to the beauty of the culture of Vietnam. At the same time I construct & enrich my own identity. Going back to the very old to create the very new : I always dreamt of doing "unknown" music, music which had never been heard before.

Interview for Bert Saunders, Denver Post, Colorado, USA 16/01/2002