 |
  |
Album review
Enrico Macias
Going Back to his Roots
Paris
24/01/2003 -
After calling a seven-year halt to his songwriting activities, Enrico has jumped back in the saddle once more, teaming up with his son, producer Jean-Claude Ghrenassia (who masterminded the electronic reworking of his father's classics, Enrico Expérience). Enrico has now added eleven new songs to his repertoire and re-discovered his passion for Arab/Andalusian sounds. RFI/Musique meets up with Monsieur Macias, beaming, happy and fulfilled, although still smarting from the cancellation of his tour in Algeria.
The French press has given your new album a very enthusiastic reception. In fact, there have been nothing but rave reviews since its release…
It's funny, I'm very modest when it comes to my own work, but this is my son's work so the pride I feel is pride in him really. He did an excellent job, you know, he's completely brilliant at what he does! So all I can say is I'm a thousand times happier about having made such an album with my son than if I'd done it alone! I didn't want to work with him to begin with, you know, because Jean-Claude's a jazzman and I felt he didn't have the same musical sensibilities as me. But at that stage I still hadn't realised the extent of what he'd achieved, on an album like Enrico Expérience, for instance. Now I've woken up to the fact that my son has a certain standing in this profession; he's recognised for his work. I think I was starting to lose a bit of my own standing because people felt I wasn't being true to myself any more, that there was something less authentic about the Enrico who'd come across on my last album.
Well, I have to say I'm delighted my son introduced me to a new circle of songwriters. And I have to say I'm really happy about the way we worked on the album together. Jean-Claude invited me round to work in his new studio, which I'd never been to before. It didn't look like a studio at all though, it felt like walking into an office and I remember my first reaction was "Oh, were you thinking of doing demo tapes? We don't have time, you know, we have to go straight into the studio." And my son turned round and said, "This is it! You're in the studio!" It's unbelievable the way young people work these days!
But it was a good way of working. It took me back to the early days of my own career, in fact. When I first started out I didn't have a conductor or anything. I didn't even know the rudiments of music! My idea was to have this basic outfit – just three guitars, percussion, double bass and me on my guitar. I used to go round and listen to shows at different cabarets and when I heard a guitarist I liked I went straight up to him and asked him to come along to the Pathé-Marconi studio. We'd get together and choose a couple of chords and get straight down to recording really – there wasn't any orchestra conductor to write arrangements or anything. And it worked, we sold millions of records working like that! Later on in my career I obviously structured things a bit more. I hired conductors and arrangers and for the next forty years I made records the same way everyone else did, that's to say in a studio with glass screens, sound-proof cabins and sheets of arrangements...
But this time round with my son we worked in a totally different way. I recorded my guitar parts sitting nice and relaxed on a sofa. And then Jean-Claude, who was sitting on a sofa opposite me, would signal me not to make any noise for a couple of minutes and bam! he'd pick up his bass and record his part. It felt like we were hanging out together, having a jam session really. And I think that's why the album sounds so wonderful, because everything was completely natural and spontaneous. Nothing was forced in any way.
I hear you've made a lot of progress on guitar lately…
Well, everything I play is improvised – and when it comes to the guitar you never stop learning and progressing! But, you know, the other day I sat down and listened to the recordings I made with my father-in-law when I was 15 and I don't think they sound all that different really. I think it's simply the case that working with my son on this album allowed me to find my feet again.
Talking of finding your feet again, it's been a long time since you touched base with a recording studio. You released your last album seven years ago – although it has to be said you've kept busy in the meantime with a series of tribute shows to the legendary maalouf star Cheikh Raymond…Well, you've just put your finger on what really makes me tick – and that's precisely what my son picked up on too! That's where my new album draws its strength from really, from Arab/Andalusian music. When I recorded my first songs I stuck very closely within this tradition and I think that proves my point that people only really love the authentic stuff, the music that come from my roots. Without wishing to sound any note of false modesty here I think it's a good job I stood back from things a bit and called a halt to my songwriting for seven years. And let me tell you I think it'll be quite a while before I come up with an album as good as this one!
On your new album you make pointed reference to the fact that the tour you were meant to do in Algeria as a tribute to Cheikh Raymond was cancelled at the last minute. And then Arab campaigners called for the cancellation of a concert in Roubaix...
Yes, they stopped me going to Algeria and wanted to stop me performing in Roubaix too – and all because I'm Jewish! Don't I have the right to sing the music of my roots? I don't know how I was expected to have the heart to carry on writing songs after everything I've been through.
But luckily my son stepped in to save me. He understood the suffering I was going through. He took the initiative to introduce a new circle of songwriters to me and this time round I've written songs I think more than live up to the hits I had at the start of my career.
Enrico, you've been singing for peace and campaigning for reconciliation between people of different faiths for years now. Don't you ever get discouraged when you see so little sign of peace in the world around you?
Yes, I sing for peace, but I'm fully aware that peace doesn't exist in the world as it is right now. But I can sing for peace knowing that it's something that may not happen in my own lifetime, because I don't want my children, my grandchildren or my great-grandchildren to turn round and ask why we stood by and did nothing!
The Andalusia I'm singing about on my new album did exist. Before the Catholic Queen Isabella came along Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side by side in peace and it's my belief that if that Andalusia existed once it can exist again! My eyes are always fixed on the future and my conscience is at peace because I know I'm doing something. And that's what keeps me going when I feel like giving up and throwing in the towel, that's what gives me strength to get up and start believing again. There's nothing worse in life than losing hope, you know!
Oranges amères (Tréma). Enrico Macias will be performing at the Olympia in Paris (1 - 9 March) and then sets off on tour.
Bertrand Dicale
Translation : Julie Street
08/03/2011 -
27/10/1999 -
