The music of trumpeter Erik Truffaz (pronounced true-FAUX) is brimming with a style some jazz aficionados would never label as jazz, at least in the traditional sense and especially by most American standards. But for those who perceive jazz not only as an art form but as a philosophy, they will most likely deem Truffaz's approach to the genre as both original and compelling.
I first discovered the native of France, whose music is well-known overseas yet slowly catching on in the U.S., through his work "Reviste," a 2001 album on Blue Note Records that fuses arrangements of some of the world's most accomplished DJs with his trademark flavor containing, but not limited to, subtle and clean lines and esoteric tones.
At the turn of the new millennium, Truffaz enlisted the talents of top-notch European players for "Mantis" (2001, Blue Note Records) and his latest recording "The Walk of the Giant Turtle" (2003, Blue Note Records) to create two entirely different atmospheres in comparison to "Reviste" while continuing to interject his distinct brand of playing.
Wy: As a kid, were there specific choices you made that helped shape your life as a professional musician?
Truffaz: My father plays the saxophone. I saw him on stage when I was 5 years old and I felt it would be great to play with him. My father played ball music. When I was a teen-ager, I realized that I would enjoy life as a musician and to work with my imagination. In fact I hate waking up early in the morning and I hate the idea of making the same work day after day. So I felt that becoming a professional musician could be a good solution to flee an ordinary everyday life.
You have this mid- to low-range register on the trumpet, and I'm wondering if your register and tone evolved into what it is now once you knew what kind of music you wanted to make?
I just try to find myself through my sound and what I hear inside of me is this register. To be honest, I hate trumpet solos in salsa music.
Your tone and style evokes a very mysterious and sensual ambiance. Do you play differently when playing other kinds of jazz, like straight ahead. Do you even play straight ahead?
I have my voice with the trumpet as you have your voice when you speak, and I try to speak with appropriate words in any conversation, so I try to remain myself whatever the context. I don't play straight ahead jazz, it means nothing for me, it is a classical approach. Nevertheless I love listening to the legends like Chet (Baker), Miles (Davis), (Charles) Mingus, (Louis) Armstrong, but I can't imagine myself playing in their style.
Because you have such a distinct style, have you ever thought about scoring a film?
Actually I have already scored two French films and I am preparing a new one for January 2004. In fact, my band and I love to create certain atmospheres with our music, and it seems to work very well with movies.
As a native of France, do you feel the jazz scene in Europe is on a different path than that of America?
I think nowadays most of the interesting jazz music comes from Europe. In the land of jazz, you can still find wonderful musical concepts with Bugge Wesseltoft or Nils Peter Molvear who are both great musicians from Norway.
Massive Attack and Radiohead come from England. The European electronic/ rock scene is also really good.
Your songs don't always have that standard head-solo-head-end format. You'll create a grooving harmonic structure, and then you'll just come in at certain places with these esoteric blurts and lines. Many of your songs feel improvised from the start. Do you listen to the guys in your band run through a tune once and then figure out where you want to put your sounds? Or is it more or less structured than that?
For the new album, the music is really structured. We composed it all together with the band. In April 2002, we made a long jam. I had recorded all the sessions so we had the opportunity to choose the best moment afterward. During one year, we developed the best moments (about three days a month of rehearsal). Then we tested the raw material on stage during seven concerts before recording.
You're very good at placing sounds in a song at specific times. Do you practice this aspect of your playing or is it more of a natural skill?
My way is to try to place sounds at the right moment. I feel like I am still playing even when I don't. To me, music is the apology of silence and my instrument is the band, not the trumpet.
You also have these very subtle lines which are really clean and fast. Is it hard to remain fairly quiet when playing so many notes since you are playing a breath-based instrument and not something like the guitar?
Trumpet is an instrument that is quite hard to play. Playing fast is not that difficult, it just depends on what you have in your head.
I love the band you put together for the 'Mantis' album. Is this the kind of band that likes seeing the music on paper or does this group just like going into the studio and playing the songs?
For "Mantis," I had prepared all the compositions. We rehearsed just once and played live 10 times before recording. So if I want a good interaction between the musicians with less time of rehearsal, I need to be clear and precise with the concept. I keep saying to the musicians, "I don't know what I want, but I really know what I don't want."
I use the analogy that band leaders are like directors because they oftentimes give their players direction related to the kind of concepts they want on an album and the way they want to present their music. If you had to describe the kind of director you are, would you say you're pretty relaxed and or are you highly structured?
Yes, I am relaxed and I let the guys have some freedom. The thing is to choose the good ones. I also think that the less we speak, the more we play is the best method. I am not highly structured. I know that most of the time, the best moments come from nowhere and it's possible to reach nowhere just because you try to go somewhere.
Some musicians talk about first takes and the kind of emotion and truth that exists on a first take because it's an almost instinctual feeling. Do you find this statement to be true for you? If so, how do you take those bits and pieces on a first take and apply them to future takes?
Generally we keep the first take. In order to answer your question, I prefer doing one take with the good ideas, afterward it's only rehearsals. I try to keep the maximum of emotions of the first take for every session.
On the last track of 'Reviste,' there are electronica sounds that remind me of buoys floating in the ocean: totally random patterns. But once the groove starts, the listener discovers they aren't really random at all, they fit neatly into the rhythm of the song. How did this idea develop? How would you describe the writing and playing process for 'Reviste' since you were working with DJs?
For "Reviste," I asked diverse musicians with whom I already had the opportunity to play with to participate. I love the last track of "Reviste," it's a remix by Mobile in Motion. These two guys are amongst the most creative musicians in Europe. Last week, I did a session with a DJ and musicians. It was for a radio show and everything was improvised. In order to achieve a good result, a DJ has to be really reactive and aware to be adaptable.
How often are you in the shed (practicing)? Are you into any American jazz artists? If so, who? What other kind of musical genres are you into?
I practice every day when I'm not on tour. I try to obtain an extension of my voice on trumpet and I also work some ethnic sounds. I enjoy a lot of American musicians. I used to play with Billy Heart and Kirk Lightsey. They are excellent. Joe Lovano, Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis and Jon Hassell are also very good musicians. However I think that the music they play is impregnated with an American experience of life. Mine would be more the result of a European tradition. I like pop music and many other artists like Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, Tom Waits or Peter Gabriel. I also appreciate the work of improvisation, really present in world music as Anouar Brahem or Jon Hassell could do.
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