Bernard Lavilliers sees no difference between music and travel. The celebrated French singer, whose 45 year career saw him release albums encompassing various styles including North African, reggae and samba, said he needs to be constantly moving in order to create new sounds.
“It is definitely important for me as I like to play with different rhythms,” he explained from Morocco’s Mawazine Festival. “I love travelling far and wide and to meet people and study their culture and music with precision. There was a time I spent in Brazil being a truck driver, I used to spend hours listening to Brazilian music and learning as much as I can.”
The 67-year-old's travels also took him to Lebanon where he recorded his 2009 album Samedi soir à Beyrouth, a release full of the country's folk stylings.
Whether considering branching out to incorporating Gulf music elements, Lavilliers is a hesitant. “I cannot sing like an Arab because they have a special technique that I definitely cannot emulate,” he said. “But I would love to study it more. I generally love music from the Arabic world because it does sound original. For example I love the Cairo Orchestra because they approach their pieces in a very specific and interesting colour.”
Whether an oud would feature in any future releases, Lavilliers stated his fans were not ready for his mediocre take on the instrument. “I got it as a gift from a friend and I have been trying to play it but it is difficult and I need to work a lot on it,” he said. “I may play an oud solo alone in the North Pole but not on stage.”
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