Mushy Widmaier, "One on One with Karijazz" continued....

KariJazz: Did either your studies or a favorite artist played an important part in your artistic identity at the time of your first recording?

Mushy: I come from a classical background and my piano skills come from there. I studied music with Lina Mathon Blanchet and Gerald Merceron. Lina and my mother gave me the taste for Haitian folklore. Gerald and my Father taught me Contemporary and World Music. As I said earlier a lot of musicians influenced me during the time of Kote ou recording I can't name one in particular but guys like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Egberto gismonti, Bela Bartok, Henri Dutilleux, Pat metheny group, Woody Shaw, Alban Berg, Michel Legrand, Milton Nascimento , Wheater Report ect…to name a few that had influenced my work.

KariJazz: How was the reception from the public? Why a project of such a caliber was not followed by many more?

Mushy: The reception was great and even more than we expected. On the first Signature release party we sold for the first time in Haiti more than 500 albums in one afternoon, it felt great as to say to ourselves that we got it. We should be able to play that kind of music. But, back in the early eighties, living in Haiti and to make it happen internationally was another ball game. Beside talents, it takes more than music to make it on the international jazz market.

KariJazz: More than twenty years later, you released another Jazz album entitled "My World". Why such a long eclipse between the two projects?

Mushy: First because of lack of financial gain on the previous albums and second I have been involved during that long period with other projects and many other artist like Emeline Michel - Jean Michel Daudier – Hansy peters – Master DJi – Toto Bissainthe – Bernard Lavilliers – and I was not up to spend my own money again for the production of a new album, because production costs when you want to do it right.

KariJazz: Was there any challenge to come back to a jazzier album.

Mushy: Not at all because, as many people might think, playing popular or folk music moves you away from jazz, is a total illusion. Jazz is more than a style it is a concept that can be applied to any kind of music genres. We never stop playing jazz and to keep your chops you better play everyday otherwise it leaves you.

KariJazz: The movement of Kreyòl Jazz has been around for relatively two decades now. What could explain such indifference toward this type of music which is probably the path to a real Haitian musical expression?

Mushy: By stating "Haitian musical expression"the question implies a certain restriction of Kreyòl Jazz to Haitians. I think now more than ever we have to think globally without forgetting our identity. Of course we play Kreyòl Jazz but others do it too. The word Kreyòl means mix of culture resulting from a number of distinct ethnic groups in various countries including (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, Haiti, all south and Central America, Louisiana, Cap Verde, Mauritania, Seychelles etc…to name a few). Jazz is primarily an American musical form from the 20th century born in African American communities from a confluence of West African pedigree (as the use of Blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythm, syncopation, and the swung note) and European music traditions. The Jazz movement known as Kreyòl Jazz movement is a subgenre that needs to be accepted like swing, bebop, Latin Jazz, Afro Cuban jazz , Brazilian jazz , jazz rock, fusion and, acid jazz etc… . In order for this to happen, we need to develop a network together as a team across the planet to promote this genre and make it as notorious as the others. We have to accept the fact that in that subgenre our individual identity should not be restraint. To the contrary it should spread out while being one of our own musical expressions. Just being part of our "Opera".

KariJazz: The quartet you play with actually has been around for almost two years. Jean Caze, Dony Felix and Harvel Nakundi and you seem to have put together a pretty good team. Nothing has been recorded yet; any new project in perspective?

Mushy: Yes indeed I am working on several projects two for myself and one for Zekle and those guys are definitely an integral part of it. They are excellent musicians, young but so talented. Jean Caze won the second place at the Thelonious Monk contest, Harvel Nakundi only 20 years old but so much maturity, experience and ardor. Dony Felix is the "Force tranquille" of the group with a solid backbone and so much musicality. He is an advocate of Miles' credo "less is more". And let's not forget Jowee Omicil whom joins forces when his schedule permits.

KariJazz: How much does public reception or judgment of your work impinge on what you will attempt on your next project?

Mushy: It is difficult to choose what your next project will be. We are a product of our environment. The public has its word to say and it influences our decisions on such or such compositions to put on an album, Certainly a commercial (big word that does not say it at all) approach would bring more easy, popular, public oriented compositions. But no one, and I think no one, can say for sure that one type of music works better than other. Music appreciation being too subjective to one another, my choice is always guided by many factors, what they would like to hear what I would like to present and what the market is expecting out there. I try to please everyone.

KariJazz: Do you have a musician or musicians you would like to play with?

Mushy: Hey! Yes! So many and in different genres; Kreyol jazz musicians like Bemol Telfort, Buyu Ambroise, Eddy Bourjolly – and all the young Kreyòl jazz cats out there…. International Jazz artists like Richard Bona – Brandford Marsalis, Kenny Garret, Wayne shorter, Claus Ogerman just to name a few Contemporary classical artists that I would like to meet are Henri Dutilleux, Krzysztof Penderecki and Claudio Santoro to name a few.

KariJazz: During your now long career, what project(s) could be considered being your best? Do you have one or more favorite ones?

Mushy: It is very hard to choose what your best work is. I do not have a favorite one in particular but several. I would say "San Mele", "My world", Emeline Michel's "Pa gen Manti nan sa", Coda from Toto Bissainthe, The Herby Widmaier's album "En Plein Coeur" - the Carole Demesmin's " La Rouze" and "IF" from Bernard Lavilliers and certainly some others that I cannot remember on the spot.

KariJazz: We have noticed the omnipresence of synthesizer sounds in your music. Although this procedure allows cutting cost and emphasizes on the talent of the composer; in certain cases, it can be detrimental to an original jazz expression? We have seen artists ventured into these paths and sailed away from this Jazz expression that can travel through space and time. Where do you see yourself within five to ten years?

Mushy: Let us define from your question the following words. Original = from the origins - the roots – the starting point of Jazz Expression = communication of emotion thru music painting or any art form. Synthesizer /Sound synthesis= made by a device call synthesizer that generates sound by creating waveforms electronically like subtractive or FM synthesis or from store samples of musical instruments(wave table synthesis) You said in the question detrimental to an original expression.

How the use of an instrument can alter the communication of emotion as to detriment the original emotion expressed! Let's say that the medium used being an instrument has to be mastered by its player in other to fully serve the purpose of transgressing emotions. So would it be an acoustic or an electronic instrument, it will all depend on the player's ability to express his emotion. And it takes some knowledge of the real instruments to play their samples.

Indeed musicians have come in and out of that electronic sound. Guys like Chick Corea, Herby Hancock, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter have been using and still use the synthesizer in a quest of making the small formation sounds like an orchestra or to look for different sound, texture, expression in contrast to stativity and monotony. Last year Chick came out with a return to forever album and a series of concerts not out of reminiscence but out of novelties. By the way, I was at his concert at the Adrienne Arsht Center with john Mc Laughlin, Christian Mc Bride, Bryan Blade and Kenny Garret and we are talking about March 2009 and it was a blast, superb, outstanding performance of roots Jazz Fusion. On the other hand, every Path Metheny group album is a challenge for any musician (you have to be multi instrumentalist) to play live since the quest is to sound fuller, like a big orchestra with a reduced number of musicians.

What about the guitarists? Are their choices between Stratocasters and Alvarez Spanish guitar considered as a fight between acoustical versus electronic? The residuals noises, the brutal attack almost awkward of Wayne Shorter are to be taken or leaving it but are nevertheless the essence of that tenor saxophonist's singular sound. It seems that this quest for the so called pure sound used by purists is so dramatic that they have a tendency to forget about the fundamental essence and purpose of music. The discussion between playing acoustic and/or electric reminds me of the scorn that some narrow minded classical musicians show whenever you start talking to them about Jazz. How the purist would qualify the music of John Cage-Xenakis-Varese? Isn't silence an integral part of music too? Take John Cage compositions of "chance music" called 4'33" not a note played during the duration of a three-movement-piece except for the environmental noise (car passing by, people talking etc…).

On another scale, let us consider the evolution of acoustic and instruments through the ages. Before the tempered piano, before the violin, before the synthesizer other instruments were used like piano forte - viole de gambe and Onde Martenot respectively. Were they more acoustic, more original than others? I don't think so. They are just part of the evolution of instruments thru the ages. The musicians of the 20th and 21st century are lucky to have such a vast palette of instruments, myriad of timbres, sounds and forms available to their expression.

Personally I will use any instrument when it suits my needs. I will opt for any available form to express the content without any prejudice of acoustic versus electronic. I will use anything that makes music an act of knowledge. Music is life...

KariJazz: We know your interest in world and contemporary music as well. As KariJazz is more focused on jazz, have you ever considered going more acoustic in your jazz project?

Mushy: My interest has been in all genres of music: world, jazz contemporary, classical, folk, acoustic or electronic, Chance music or Concrete music. Name it I will use it without prejudice. Music can be played and done by all means. Finally Alpi why did you come back again to the acoustic versus anything else? Tell me why, this quest for acoustic instrumentation? It makes me come to the conclusion that you should qualify the word Jazz in the question by inserting straight ahead "Karijazz is more focused on straight ahead jazz" but this will disturb a little bit the "Kreyòl Jazz etiquette" finally.

KariJazz: The reason I am coming back to acoustic is because I have always been puzzled by the fact that prominent jazz players like Wayne, Herbie or Chick for instance have come back to the acoustic sound after years of electric experimentation. And yet, they deliver outstanding performances and record exquisite acoustic albums. I am thinking specifically of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints Live" (2002). It is an exceptional album that is not a straight ahead jazz per se. You mentioned ECM earlier. I like their jazz section and if you look at all major jazz works that were done for this label, they were accomplished by European jazz artists who chose the acoustic form to express their emotions. Among them are: Tomasz Tsanko, Bobo Stenson, Miroslav Vitous, Jan Garbarek, Anders Jormin, Manu Katché to cite a few. I am under the impression that acoustic instrumentation represents a kind of culmination toward the ultimate level of musical expression. I might be wrong. I want also to emphasize that I did not say "original expression" but original jazz expression. I was referring to the genre not to the personal expression of the musician. What you said about all types of music was very revealing. Thanks for your time…

Mushy: Anytime. Thanks to you and continue to support Kreyòl Jazz and the musicians not only the local but the global network. We are nothing without your support. We are counting on Karijazz. Keep up the good work. God Bless you!

KariJazz: We are doing our best…and we will be talking about that global network… Thanks again. Readers who wish to know more about the music of this very talented musician can visit his website at www.mushywidmaier.com.

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Alphonse Piard, Jr.
Monday, April 6, 2009