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Enrico Macias as popular as ever!
Back to the music of his youth
Paris
09/05/2006 -
"Making music is an artisanal process with me these days," muses Enrico Macias, "It's a real labour of love. I'm under no pressure to make albums any more." No pressure perhaps, but Enrico's latest release follows barely three years after his last album, Oranges amères. Musically speaking, his new album La Vie populaire mines much the same vein as his last, featuring understated arrangements led by acoustic guitars, mandoles and mandolins with a touch of 'musette' accordion and silky brass thrown in for good measure. "I've come to realise that when it comes down to it I'm quite capable of performing my songs on my own, accompanying myself on guitar. Working with a minimum number of musicians leaves much more room – and gives great added value – to the music, the melodies and the singer. When you've got a big orchestra behind you and you're swallowed up in their sound, it's a very different business." This euphemism is Enrico's way of evoking his career as a mainstream French 'variété' singer in the '80s and '90s, a period when he admits he completely lost his way. "I got to a point where inspiration deserted me," he says, "I had all these international tours on the go at the time, so I was excited and worked up about that. But I'd pretty much lost sight of my bearings by then. I'd lost my love of music."
Luckily for Enrico, an opportune invitation to appear at the Printemps de Bourges came along in 1999. He decided to devote his set at the festival to reviving songs by his father-in-law, the legendary Cheikh Raymond Leyris (whom Enrico dubbed "Tonton", "uncle"). "That really triggered something off in my head," Enrico recalls, "I was able to be totally free with myself and show my real musical roots - something which I hadn't been able to do at all at the beginning of my career." Enrico got together an orchestra of young virtuosos, all versed in Arab-Andalusian tradition, for what he believed would be a special one-off performance. But the orchestra, conducted by Taoufik Bestandji (whose grandfather had been Cheikh Raymond's own first-in-command) ended up accompanying him on an extensive three-year tour.
Bitter Oranges lead to sweet smell of success
When Enrico returned from his travels, his son, Jean-Claude Ghrenassia, introduced him to a new group of songwriters and composers and persuaded him to get back into the studio without setting himself a playlist or a deadline. The result was Oranges amères, released in 2003, which went on to become one of the best-selling albums of Enrico's career. Even better than commercial success, Oranges amères finally brought its author widespread critical recognition. Enrico was showered with rave reviews everywhere from the French intellectual press to glossy women's magazines. And Oranges amères brought Enrico even more than rave reviews. "I got my passion for music back," he declares, "I got an urge to start playing backstage in the dressing-room with guitarists again and I picked up the guitar at home again, too …"
The aroma of Oranges amères (bitter oranges) literally swept Enrico back to the world of his youth, when he spent his days in Constantine picking out Arab-Andalusian melodies on his guitar. (This in itself was an innovative move as in those days the local music scene was dominated by the traditional Arab lute known as the 'ud). "Before Oranges amères, the inspiration for all my hits had come from this classical style of music," Enrico says, "In the days when I used to accompany Tonton Raymond on guitar, I was just performing, I wasn't creating anything myself. Then, when I went on to launch a career as a 'variété' singer, I had to create a whole new repertoire for myself. It was at that point that I started writing my own music. But if I'd never been exiled from my homeland, I'd never have dreamt of becoming a 'variété' singer – although I admit I did skive off from traditional Arab-Andalusian music every now and then to play jazz and flamenco and I'd sing a bit of Aznavour or Dalida to amuse myself. But my sole aim in life was always to learn Tonton Raymond's music."Arab-Andalusian sounds alive and well
The exile Enrico is referring to goes a lot deeper than the official "repatriation" story of the time. He and his wife, Suzy (Cheikh Raymond's daughter) were forced to leave a country where their people had lived for centuries before the arrival of Islam. Their departure was all the crueller as Raymond Leyris was publicly gunned down in the street – a sign to the Jews of Constantine that it was high time they left the land of their ancestors. "When Tonton Raymond died," remembers Enrico, "I fully believed Arab-Andalusian music had died with him. There'd never been a singer like him before and I thought there'd never be one again. But now I think 'never say never'! Maybe one day someone will come along and prove me wrong."
Meanwhile, Enrico Macias has played his own role in assuring the future of Arab-Andalusian sounds. The extensive tour he performed with his maalouf orchestra (made up of Jewish, Muslim, French and Algerian musicians) has revived interest in the genre – and all the more so as, during three entire years of concerts, he systematically refused to mix his own songs in with his set. "Most people were there to see another Enrico Macias," he says modestly, "They'd come to hear Arab-Andalusian music. But don't get me wrong. I'd never bite the hand that feeds me. I'm also a 'variété' singer and proud of the fact!"
Fans who wish to see Enrico Macias, the 'variété' star, are now in luck. Macias is currently on tour and preparing a series of concerts at L'Olympia, the legendary Paris music-hall this autumn. But, true to his rediscovered passion, each concert now includes a few minutes of Macias singing the music of his youth - in Arabic, of course. Looks as if the smell of bitter oranges is with him still.Enrico Macias La Vie populaire (AZ/Universal) 2006
Bertrand Dicale
Translation : Julie Street
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