Chennai is a different planet: Sylvain Rifflet

French composer Sylvain Rifflet, who has been spearheading the new crop of contemporary jazz musicians, was in Chennai for the first time in his career, for a concert — a collaborative effort of Alliance Française of Madras and Phoenix MarketCity.

The well-known saxophonist has won many awards like the Victoire du Jazz and Django d’Or to his credit, and rubbed shoulders with  renowned European musicians including Louis Sclavis, Aldo Romano, and Michel Portal during his musical journey.

Talking about his early tryst with the jazz music, he says, “I was raised in a family of musicians. I studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and have had the chance to play with my bands and great musicians across the world. However, this is my first time in India.”

When probed what he finds unique about Chennai, he says, “It’s amazing to see how crowded the city is, but at the same time it also looks relaxed! Lots of people are driving past, and there is a plethora of sounds everywhere. The smell of the place is different and fantastic. This place feels like a different planet.”

Sylvain feels music is a way to get acquainted with different sets of people — “Music is a universal language. It’s the best way to meet people and to avoid conflicts. It also makes you remember that we are all human beings sharing the same planet. But it is also the way to learn from our differences!”

Having studied in the conservatory, the French composer has considerable knowledge of music in India. “I have studied a bit of the tradition of the music in India. For us, Europeans, Indian music is the most advanced in terms of tradition, with incredible musicians with very high skills in rhythm,” he elaborates.

He has also composed music for films like Dernier Maquis, and says there is a need for different sensibilities in approaching album music and film music. “When you write for albums, you try to create images, and you try to express things with the music. On the other hand, in films, you have to make sure that your music fits the images you’re given to write on. It’s different, but it is always a matter of painting a picture,” he says.

When the world is rapidly adopting electronic music as the replacement to instruments, Sylvain feels that machines can never substitute human-produced sounds. “Machines are fantastic for making music but music needs human inspirations to touch the ears and hearts of the audience,” he asserts.