A rubber tube trombon story...
When I was seven years old, I discovered a fantastic instrument which was to be mine for the forthcoming years. In the little valley of the "Blourde", the country side little river I was living by. It was wonderful to scream like Tarzan and to hear the so-produced echo. But my child voice was not strong enough for my ambituous wishes. So one day, I took off the rubber -tube that was devoted to water the flowers, and tried to blow inside.
The first tests were not very significant, but after a little practice I was able with my little lung to produce so many incredible sounds that the peasants around really
began to understand that i was kind of a "special case".
"Faut bien faire quequ'chose" means "any way you got to do something !" and that was what they began to say about my passion for music.
During a particulary hot and funky show of our band "TSCHACK!" many years later, I had an accident with the real trombon I was trying to play. As we were dancing, M Gadou and me, on the stage, I just walked on the poor intrument, and definitely broke it.
Great inventions are often made out of mistakes. Back home I found a piece of rubber-tube, I cut it, and put it on the part of the trombon that contains the horn. On the other side, I put the mouth. I tried the new instrument.
It was wonderful, really powerful, and out-of-tune in so lovely way ! The new intrument was really beautiful as well.
Playing trombone before this experience was too hard for me, I knew it, playing the rubber tube trombon was like an evidence,
and a way to come back to essential music.
(text previously published on album "Vivants", 1998)