Moncef’s Musical Journey
by Ollie Bivins (All About Jazz, L.A., April 2006)

Considered one of Europe's finest jazz musicians, pianist Moncef Genoud's playing style recalls the tastefulness of Tommy Flanagan and the delicate lyricism of Bill Evans. With 10 albums on European store shelves, his first domestic release, Aqua, consists of seven originals and three covers. On a recent visit to the Southern California for four days of performances, Genoud gave area residents insight into his fluid approach.

Born in Tunisia and sightless at birth, a two-year-old Genoud was flown to Switzerland for an unsuccessful operation to receive treatment. Shortly after his arrival he was adopted by a Swiss family. Speaking with a thick French accent, the 44-year-old Genoud relates how his adoptive father introduced him to jazz at the age of five by "having me listen to some Negro spirituals and old jazz. He was also a fan of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. Later he introduced me to the music of Coleman Hawkins." Describing why he was immediately drawn to jazz, Genoud says that, "First, it's the rhythm, which is so important in the music. Even when I was a kid I never got bored with jazz. Secondly, jazz teaches you to create. It's music based on improvisation. In jazz, anything goes. At the very beginning, when I started to play the piano, I did my classical class but eat after practicing classical music after one hour, I would get bored and would always switch to jazz."

It has often been said that the blind have a keener auditory sense than people with sight. Genoud agrees, "That's a fact. If I can't see, certainly my hearing is more acute. I have a certain facility to recreate any piece by ear. If you can't see, it's an obligation to have good ears." A professional musician since 1983, his influences on piano consist of seven past and present giants of the music. Genoud names Art Tatum, who "had the best control of the piano - incredible technique, and a very original way of approaching melodies." Oscar Peterson was "the continuation of Art Tatum. A bit more modern with his use of chords and harmonies - technically very impressive and emotional music." For Genoud, Chick Corea's playing style was "more intellectual. I was always attracted to his Latin rhythms." Genoud is also an admirer of Herbie Hancock, who he refers to as "one of the best living piano players because he always knows where to place chords, when to reharmonize and to switch harmonies and melodies, and how to make jazz sound really original." With Bill Evans, Genoud reveals how he "would create incredible melodic lines. I was really attracted to those melodies because you could always remember the melody the first time you heard it." Fellow recording artist Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert is a Genoud favorite. "I like the way he approaches standards, how he creates things with his trio," confesses Genoud. But Genoud is particularly enthused about the playing style of Brad Mehldau. "He is my second favorite living piano player. This guy is a heavy guy rhythmically. He can play completely independently with his two hands. His way of treating harmonies is completely original. Also, he makes melodic lines but with four different voicings at the same time."

Currently teaching jazz improvisation at the Music Conservatory in Geneva, Switzerland, Genoud's own playing style is characterized by plenty of improvisation. "I love to play things that I hear at the moment," he comments. "I try to always respect the melody of a song like 'Summertime' and ‘Moment’s Notice' on my album Aqua. But afterwards, I like to go out. If you improvise, it makes more interesting music."

Regarding the differences in the way jazz is played in Europe and America, Genoud believes that the European style is marked more by a willingness to take chances. "When people in America play jazz, they like to approach it in the tradition. They like to respect the tradition - bebop things, for example. In Europe, jazz is more open -more open to classical music like Ravel and all those guys. And it's more open rhythmically, more flexible. It's open regarding other things being added to the music." He elaborates further, "In Europe, jazz is based more on colors, on climax that you can create on a tune. That's very important. In America, jazz is more based on the energy, the rhythm, and the swing." And this willingness to be open to more influences perhaps explains European musicians affinity for free jazz. Genoud believes that, "Avant-garde jazz is comparable to avant-garde classical music like Bartók. A lot of European jazz piano players are influenced by people like Bartók, Scriabin, and all the Russian guys, and that music mostly creates the color of European jazz."

Enthused about his domestic debut release, Aqua, Genoud discloses how his Savoy Jazz recording has given him the opportunity to work with some of America's top jazz musicians. "For 15 years, I wanted to play with Michael Brecker. He's a great player and human being. His way of approaching the music is unbelievable. And Bill Stewart is one of my favorite drummers. He has a special way of treating the rhythms and colors of his drum kit. I really love his cymbal sounds, how he tunes his drum kit. Bassist Scott Colley fits completely with how I play the piano. He has incredible ears. He understands immediately where I want to go. And Dee Dee Bridgewater is a tremendous singer. She's really emotional when she sings the ballad 'Lush Life' on the album."

Collaborating with Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, Genoud just completed a documentary film, Return to Gorée, which retraces the slave route from Africa to America. Gorée is an island off the western coast of Africa that was key in the transatlantic slave trade. Genoud states how he and N'Dour "started our journey in Atlanta by meeting a gospel choir. We met the rhythm section in New Orleans: Idris Muhammad on drums and James Cammack on bass (both members of Ahmad Jamal's trio). We arranged the repertoire of Youssou with this rhythm section. After, we went to New York and added singer Pyeng Threadgill and Swiss harmonica player Grégoire Maret, who is now with the Pat Metheny Group. We did a concert in New York, and the recording session in the studio and concert were filmed. Afterwards, we went to Luxembourg and played with the Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel and a trumpet player. We then went to Dakar, Senegal and did two final concerts on Gorée Island with all the musicians, including the gospel choir." The film will be released later this year.

Over the past 10 years, Genoud has performed in Australia, Japan, India, Europe, Canada and the U.S. Indeed, along with its renowned precision clocks and sumptuous chocolates, the world class jazz of pianist Moncef Genoud can added to the list among Switzerland's finest exports.