– A word about Greek jazz musicians you know.
I came to Athens in 2010. I met and played with George Kontrafouris. I was impressed, he is such an amazing musician, and it was great to play with him again. This time, I met Yiotis Samaras, an old friend of George. Yiotis is a great musician. What a pleasure to play with these two fellows, always ready to respond and take you further in your solo! And I played also with Vassilis, the young drummer of Baby Trio: very promising, with excellent technique and a lots of energy…
– What are your plans for the next month ?
Many concerts with various groups and the Volunteered Slaves, and of course the recording of my next album
– What led you to jazz?
My father was an amateur trumpet player and big fan of jazz. My aunt was a pianist and singer. They had great influence on me. They were taking me to concerts very often. And then I contracted the jazz virus !…
– which jazz musicians, influenced you and why?
Many musicians have influenced me.:John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Monk, Parker … But I had the chance very early in my career to share the stage with big names like Steve Grossman, and Wynton Marsalis, with whom I played many times in Marciac festival and Johnny Griffin, with whom I played for 10 years. Everything about him influenced me a lot: his generosity, his enthusiasm, his humor and of course his sound.
– What do you think is your biggest achievement and success as a musician?
Difficult to answer. I am professional musician for 20 years now – I’m very proud of the 4 albums that I recorded as a leader – the last “The Intruder” with Billy Hart, Paco Sery, Cyril Atef and Vincent Artaud was released in 2010. But I think my greatest achievement is that I could play and work with great musicians.
Interview by Patricia Graire – April 2011 –