CHENNAI: If you’re a jazz lover, you’d probably fall in love with anyone who says Miles Davis’ is his inspiration and Stan Getz his influence. Saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Sylvain Rifflet uses the field of American repetitive and minimalist music to develop a writing that’s all about improvisation, repetition, rupture, and sometimes even trance! He is in the city with his band for his first concert in the country. Talking about his performance today, he says, “We are mixing both jazz and my influences from pop to repetitive music. It’s a rhythmic and melodic, which includes a lot of improvisation.” Sylvain tours for concerts every week, mostly within Europe and his hometown France. According to Sylvain, the jazz scene in France is very active.
“There are tonnes of young musicians who are inspiring and challenging as they bring forth new ideas constantly. That’s what is so great about jazz! It’s in constant motion taking influences from all the other music and from all types of arts. My upcoming album is a composed and improvised convert for sax and string ensemble, inspired by Stan Getz’s Focus.”
The album will be released on Verve, the popular jazz label soon. Spearheading the young generation of jazz musicians from the first decade of the 21st Century, he has collaborated with contemporary jazz musicians including Verneri Pohjola, Airelle Besson, Thomas de Pourquery, Alban Darche, Jocelyn Mienniel, Pascal Schumacher and Rembrandt Freirichs. Working on his music at least two hours each day and carrying his saxophone everywhere he goes, Sylvain is thankful to Miles Davis’. “My life took the jazzy turn when I was 12. I heard Miles’ album ‘58 sessions’ and remember feeling the freedom of the saxophonist’s improvising!