Yoann Loustalot, trumpeter, kindly agreed to continue this series of the famous Proust Questionnaires, slightly revisited by Couleurs Jazz…
An original way to take the first steps into the world of these remarkable jazz musicians, artists of our century.
What do you consider the height of musical misery?
When mediocrity is coupled with vulgarity (sometimes on stage) and mistaken for genius or innovation. This phenomenon is often blindly promoted and validated by many people within the industry. I think very few of them have a truly discerning vision of music. It is unfortunate, but in the end I do not attach much importance to it.
Where would you like to live?
At home—but with the sea in front of me, mountains behind me, countryside and a river on one side, and a jazz club on the other.
What is your ideal of earthly happiness?
My ideal would certainly be an end to wars and all forms of hatred. I would also like the ultra-rich to share their wealth and become benefactors in every field. And to be able to walk the Earth without thinking, “This place too is polluted, ruined, broken, corrupted.”
Which wrong notes do you forgive most easily?
My own. Otherwise, I think I would have given up music a long time ago!
Who is your favorite classical musician?
It is not really my field of expertise, but for example: Jordi Savall, Alfred Deller, János Starker, Pierre Fournier, Atsushi Sakai.
Who are your favorite heroines or divas in real life?
Mady Mesplé, Jeanne Added, Abbey Lincoln, and my daughters.
Your favorite painter?
Basquiat, Gerda Wegener, Picasso.
Your favorite jazz musician?
That is difficult to answer because I do not really have favorites; it changes throughout my life. There are many musicians I admire or have admired. They are part of my journey, my story, and my sound. At the moment, I listen a lot to Craig Taborn, Arve Henriksen, Jon Hassell, Joachim Kühn, Don Cherry… Yet I always return to my first musical heroes whenever I feel lost: Miles, Chet, and Ellington.
Your favorite trumpeters?
Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Enrico Rava, Tom Harrell, Arve Henriksen, Tony Fruscella, Art Farmer, Booker Little, Don Cherry, Lester Bowie, Geoffroy Tamisier, Matthieu Michel, Verneri Pohjola, Avishai Cohen, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tomasz Stańko, Paolo Fresu, Dave Douglas, Ralph Alessi.
Your favorite quality in a man?
The ability to get back up and come back from adversity.
Your favorite quality in a woman?
The same answer!
Your favorite virtue?
Telling the truth—or knowing how to conceal it when it serves a greater good.
Your favorite occupation?
Playing music! Fishing as well, although I have had less time for it in recent years. And cooking.
Who would you have liked to be?
Honestly? Myself. On the good days, that suits me just fine! So myself—but only on the good days. If I had to choose someone else, perhaps David Bowie, just for a few hours, to discover his creative process.
The principal trait of your character?
Perseverance. I never give up.
What do you appreciate most in your friends?
Their loyalty, even when we have not seen each other for a long time. Their generosity, the sharing of stories, perspectives, music, and laughter.
Your main fault?
I find it difficult to throw things away or part with useless objects. I also have a tendency toward compulsive behavior.
Your dream of happiness?
I do not really dream of happiness—I feel as though I am already swimming in it. I am not struggling, I have a wonderful family, amazing daughters, great friends, I play the music I love, and I make a decent living from it.
Your greatest misfortune?
I do not know…
What would you like to be?
Sometimes a little less prone to procrastination.
Your favorite color?
The color of the sea, because it is constantly changing.
Your favorite flower?
Daisies.
Your favorite bird?
The blackbird.
Your favorite prose writers?
Luis Sepúlveda, James Baldwin, Charles Bukowski, Émile Zola, Victor Hugo, Céline, Gianfranco Calligarich.
Your favorite poets?
Rimbaud, Paul Éluard, Verlaine, Victor Hugo.
Your heroes in real life?
Perhaps my grandparents and their generation, who are no longer with us today, but who lived through dark times such as World War II and managed to rebuild their lives afterward.
Your heroes in history?
Certainly those who have worked—and continue to work—for human rights, for the planet, and against social inequality: Martin Luther King Jr., Greta Thunberg, Paul Watson, Coluche, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks…
Your favorite names?
Pen names!
What do you hate above all else?
Hypocrisy, power, and religion.
The reform you admire most?
The one that would put politicians on the minimum wage and ban the accumulation of retirement benefits. The one that would require politicians to spend a few months working on roads, rooftops, or construction sites, so they could experience what eight hours of exhausting manual labor feels like under the blazing sun or in freezing cold weather.
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The ability to fly.
How would you like to die?
Without realizing it.
Your definition of jazz?
For me, jazz is a music that must remain creative, as it has always been. Its number one defining quality is improvisation—whether by a soloist or by a group, regardless of the style of jazz.
Jazz is connected to its history and to the parallel evolutions of its many currents and traditions. I believe I can recognize it when I hear it, although sometimes it becomes so creative and evolved that it can no longer be linked to any specific style.
Your present state of mind?
Very positive and motivated. Sometimes that surprises even me, considering the deterioration of the cultural, economic, social, and global context.
And finally, your motto?
Everything passes.
Your Signature Tune?
Peaceful Wood
©Photo Cover: Yoann Loustalot
RECENT COMMENTS