The Musician Insight

L. Park: In your new album, you completely deconstruct the jazz genre in tracks like Era #P and Dance of the Triplets. What is your process as a musician and composer in redefining a genre that is often confined into certain conventions? 

Élie Martin-Charrière: So I think my favorite drummers are already people who either created new conventions or kicked some out of their playing. And I’m really inspired by people like Paul Motian, Tony Williams, Justin Brown, Marcus Gilmore, people who really developed and created new conventions, new vocabulary for the drumming.
So I think this is my main source of inspiration and my way to approach drumming is like a different drumming. The flute is one of the most distinctive classical instruments found in jazz.

L.Park: How do you and Christelle Raquillet incorporate it into your compositions?

Élie Martin-Charrière: I think I’ve always thought of a melody and its accompaniment. And I think the flute is one of the strongest instruments I know to have a very strong melody and a high voice, holding pressure voice. Flute is very easy for me to incorporate into my music because it’s made for it.

L.Park: In the track Fragile, we can hear influences from Avishai Cohen. How do you integrate your various musical influences while staying true to your own artistic identity?

Élie Martin-Charrière: Yeah, it’s a fun conversion, I mean influence. I didn’t think of this.
I listened to Avishai Cohen when I was younger. This is more like, well it’s not far, but Vijay Iyer is an American piano player. And he did an arrangement of I think Human Nature from Michael Jackson, like crazy odd matters everywhere. And I think this was my main inspiration, like something that sounds really odd everywhere. We don’t know how to dance on it. But it’s actually easy going. You let yourself be carried away by the flow and it’s just easy. You don’t try to count, you don’t try to understand. You just let it go.

L.Park: You’ve collaborated with many artists including Robinson Khoury, Noé Clerc, and Thomas Bramerie. How do you navigate these collaborations to find common ground that respects both your artistic visions?

Élie Martin-Charrière: I think my role in every band is a different one. My role in Robinson’s band was completely different than my role in Noé Clerc’s band. We were five with Robinson and three with Noé. My role, my post is really different. And in my band it’s even more different because I have the legitimacy to do anything that I want. Then it’s good taste, bad taste and bad ideas or good ones. I always try to serve the music and be in alignment with what I want to hear and play in different contexts. While you’re on tour, how do you prepare your drums? First of all, I try to see what I’m going to use. Because many times they don’t have what I would need to play. Tonight I found some bongos, I put them on the side and I just had fun playing them. There was one cymbal stand missing from what I need, what I use. And there was a little tom also that was not available. So I found a second snare drum that I completely detuned and had fun with it. So I just find what’s there and have fun.

L.Park: How do you manage technical difficulties while performing?

Élie Martin-Charrière: I don’t. Sometimes you’re struggling because I don’t know the drum set. Sometimes it’s not really something that works for me. I have to play anyway. But sometimes I’m just struggling. And technically speaking I’m out of control.
What makes a good performance for you? When we’re just enjoying playing, having fun. Everything going in the direction of fun, music, togetherness.

L.Park: This isn’t your first concert at Le Petit Duc. In your opinion, what makes it so special?

Élie Martin-Charrière: First of all, the team. Of course, the warmth of the team. It’s filmed, the quality of the video is beautiful. The sound is beautiful. The venue, even if it’s small, it’s very dark curtains. You’re in your world and the crowd is really warm. It’s like a small venue but with the body of a big one. That’s intriguing and very powerful.

L.Park: What’s one of the greatest memories as a performer?

Élie Martin-Charrière: As a performer, I think every time I’m pushing my limits and collective limits of a band. We’re going somewhere we don’t know. We keep going and discovering all together. I think that’s what I like the most.

L.Park: When it comes to improvisation, how would you describe your process?

Élie Martin-Charrière: I like to respond to people. I know I can be a big source of creativity. It’s hard for me to choose this but I want to choose to answer to what’s being said on stage. If someone plays something, I can respond to this. This is my way to enter into communication.

L.Park: The voice is your second instrument. What are the differences in your writing process compared to when you write for another one?

Élie Martin-Charrière: Since I sing everything that I want to see as a theme, as a melody, it’s possible that I’m able to sing everything that I’m writing. But some melodies are more for my voice than others. The songs at the beginning of the concert are Stevie Wonder‘s songs. It’s a song. But like some others, one called Gun Harba, I wrote lyrics after playing this for years.
So it’s new. Now there are lyrics and I’m enjoying singing it. But it was not like a song at the beginning.

L.Park: If you have one album that you would like to recommend to people, what would it be and why?

Élie Martin-Charrière: Just, I think, because it’s very strong right now in my head, Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead. Just this one. Some people don’t agree with the first track. I’m not bothered by it. But the rest is just masterpieces. 

Photo source: http://www.lepetitduc.net