Interview with Anne Paceo: The purpose of life is to find ways of being happy … Video

Jazz interview with jazz drummer Anne Paceo. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.Space: – First let’s start with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music? What got you interested in picking up the drums? What teacher or teachers helped you progress to the level of playing you have today? What made you choose the drums?

Anne Paceo: – My parents used to live in Ivory Coast when I was a kid, I was there with them till I was 3 years old. Near by the house percussionists used to play all day long… In the family we said that my passion from rhythm comes from there.  When I was 10 years old my parents asked me if I wanted to played music. I told them “ I want to play drums, and only drums…  When I started drums I directly began to play with music… I loved to play with Nirvana, Rage against the machine, or French rock bands’s tunes. Music was the place where I was the happiest….

When I was studying at the French national conservatory of Paris I met Dré Pallemaerts, and I can say that this person changed my life. We had drum lessons every week, he told us a lot about spirituality, concentration, and how to sing every note you play, to be deeply in the music.  Because when you sing what you play you cannot play things that you don’t hear !

JBN.S: – How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?  

AP: – I think I’m tuning the drums lower and lower, I love fat snare drums, big kick… I think that playing really soft and relax helps to improve the sound.

JBN.S: – What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?

AP: – When I practice I always start with snare drums rudiments, and then I practice very slow exercices of independence with the metronome at 30 beats by minute… I also love to play among recordings… it can be jazz, or hip hop, or electro-music, to always be connected with music.

JBN.S: – Which harmonies and harmonic patterns do you prefer now?

AP: – These days I listen to a lot of pop, rock, electro music, and music from all the over the world… I really like modal music and simple songs that stays in your head.

JBN.S: – What do you love most about your new album 2018: <Fables Of Shwedagon>, how it was formed and what you are working on today.

AP: – This album is very special for me because Fables of shwedagon is my first live album. It has been recorded at one of the biggest jazz festival in France, Jazz sous les Pommiers. This adventure started 8 years ago, when I played in Myanmar for the first time.  There I had the chance to jam with Myanmar musicians and I felt in love with Myanmar music and with the country, people, spirit… Life  bring me back there every year since. Every time I went there to play with bands I used to also play and rehearse with the musician of this orchestra and I came back home with new ideas, tunes, melodies… and started to write the repertoire. Then I think that it could be nice to mix a jazz quintet and hsaing waing ( Myanmar orchestra). With the jazz team I chose musicians who are really open minded, who love a lot of different kind music.

I think this album has something magical, because something really strong happened during the concerts. A lot of people from the audience told me that they cried and that they were very touched. And on stage we had this strong feeling that we were at the good place at the good moment.

JBN.S: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

AP: – I think music is about soul, it’s very important to understand what you play, and what the other play but you have to transform it and play it in your own way, with your heart.

JBN.S: – Which collaboration have been the most important experiences for you?

AP: – The first one was with Christian Escoudé. He is a French guitar legend, has recorded a duo with Charlie Haden, played with Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard or Bill Evans. Christian asked me to play in his band when I was 19 years old, and we’ve played regularly during 6 years. He was the first to have confidence in me. I remember my first concert with him, in south of france. Marcel Azzola ( Jacques Brel accordeon’s player) was playing in the band and I was very impressed, it was my first professional concert. Christian asked me to begin the concert alone with a drum solo…

JBN.S: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

AP: – I think jazz is not only about standards, it’s a part of it. Jazz has always been a melting, melting of people from different cultures, melting of different music. For me jazz is a way of expression, it’s about freedom, and play with what is in your soul at one moment. So for me jazz is in constant evolution. I think it’s very important that some musician perpetuate jazz tradition and continue to play standards, and every jazz musician should know a lot of it. But I also think that it’s important to continue the melting with other music.  Also at beginning standards where coming from Broadway music hall, I think our legends played it because it was beautiful melodies. I think we can interest young musicians by playing standards from today, coming from other music…

JBN.S: – John Coltrane said that music was his spirit. How do you understand the spirit and the meaning of life?

AP: – Hum… deep and complicate question ! I think the purpose of life is to find ways of being happy… And yes maybe music is a way to share our soul with others… I have the feeling that when I play I’m completely myself, for me music is better than words.

JBN.S: – What are your expectations of the future? What brings you fear or anxiety?

AP: – I hope to be able to play during my all life, to continue to play with musicians I love, to travel, to see the world, to be inspired, to write more music,  and to meet people that inspire me humanly and musically.

JBN.S: – If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

AP: – I would put more music that comes from the heart on big medias, tv, radios… I must admit that sometime I’m depressed with global music….

JBN.S: – What’s the next musical frontier for you?

AP: – For me there is no frontier in music, that’s why it’s so beautiful… but I’d love to go deeply in west African music, indian music… And right now I’m preparing my 6^th album which will be released in January 2019… It will be a mix of tunes with lyrics, jazz improvisation, electro sounds…

JBN.S: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

AP: – I listen a lot of different types of music, India, West African, Pop, electro….Not so much jazz I must admit 🙂

JBN.S: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?

AP: – I would like to know the old Paris  around year 1920… I would have love to meet French artists such has Jacques Prevert, André Breton, Maurice Ravel…

JBN.S: – I have been asking you so far, now may I have a question from yourself…

AP: – Yes ! What is the album that inspired you the most?

JBN.S: – Thank you for answers. There are a lot of albums, it’s just impossible to separate one …

Interview by Simon Sargsyan