ANTHOLOGIE 77-86

Since my youth I have always been fascinated by musical intruments; I liked listening to music, but above all I felt attracted by making music. As an autodidact (I spent two years at a conservatoire where I tried in vain to understand the mysteries of the musical theory and I have nearly nothing retained of it) I had always desired to express my feelings by means of an instrument, following my deep impulse and my instinctive conceptions.

On radio I accidentally discovered the marvellous sonority of the pan-pipe which is called Nai in Rumania. It was a revelation, like a mighty appeal, and I started going in search of this instrument, unknown to me at that time.
With great difficulty and an implacable will I finally succeeded in finding my first real pan-pipe after meeting G. Zamfir, At that moment I started discovering the secret charm of this instrument as old as the world.
The 14th of August 1976 I proposed to Georges BERNES, an organist and friend of mine, a musical creation in which our two instruments could perform their evolutions in simple and free melodies. Thus we created on the 15th of August 1976 “Notre Offrande”, offertory of Assumption celebration.
The audience was charmed by our association. Then we decided to collaborate, and one year later, in 1977, we gave our first public concerts and made our first recording “Le Mystere de Noel”. Since then I have been stimulated by a strong conviction and supported by my public, and so I have given more and more concerts. I met other partners (Jean DAHAIS, Elisabeth VALLETTI, Ulrich MARXCORS,...) who were willing to follow me into the delicate sphere of improvisation and spontaneity, without making any concession to fashion, without any imitation, but always remaining faithful to myself and following the only special guide : the charming sound of the pan-pipe.
During ten years this universal guide had allowed me to meet people of all kinds, of different nationalities, religions, races, in modest or splendid places, but always united - at least for a moment - by the ancestral sound of some bamboo-pipes animated by human breath.

The present record contains some pieces selected from my ten recordings realized between 1977 and 1986.
This is to manifest my deep gratefulness to all those - known or unknown to me - having allowed me to realize this anthology.

J-C Mara

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