MARC CECCOTTI is best known for his work with Edhels. Even though he appears to be the primary force of that band, he has still found it necessary to work strictly solo. His musical life began at the Monaco Academy of Music. Through connections there, Edhels was formed in the early '80's. After around ten years of life with the band, he decided it was time to break out on his own. (words by H.T. Riekels)
I got in touch with him for an overview of his career.
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First of all, please give
us an update on Edhels.
There is
not a possible update anymore, the Edhels ship disappeared in the faraway ocean
mist surroundings of the year 2001 either twenty years after its set afloat.
The
Universal (live) album was the real last album of the band, it remains a
pleasant experience but its imposing crew could only survive with the
consequent support of a serious Label , in spite of the obvious interest of the
public, of the musical magazines and music reviewers and even of several
distributors none label didn't never know how to propose a serious
offer…. after all these years and a lot of effort so badly rewarded the
incentive missed to a lot of us and to remain in the same metaphor the ship has
been deserted...
To start with; please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and
reflections on.......
M.A.S.C. from 1993
M.A.S.C is my
first solo album, most compositions that are in this album didn't splice in
characteristics required for the Edhels band that is the reason for which I had
recorded several of them aiming to make a solo album. I sent it to the Musea
label that produced the band at the time but it didn't interest them, the
pretext was that the albums solo didn't have the favor of their customers...I
have been very disappointed because they
produced some solo artists at the same time,so I put my tapes in a drawer and I
worked on other musics.Some months later I had the opportunity to make listen
to Moroni from Mellow Records and he
decided to produce this album spontaneously . Fifteen years after, I still receive sometimes some compliments
about M.A.S.C.
Le Train Fantôme from
1994
Le Train fantome is a spectacle
conceived and achieved by my friend the
excellent painter Philippe Breton. He imagined and wrote a history told on the
scene of a theater by more of 130 pictures painted by himself, only the
pictures appeared on stage, descended by hangers, either they arrived on
arranged rails of every side of the stage, one synopsis acting as guide was
distributed to every spectator what helped them to follow history told by the
pictures and the music for that Philippe had asked me to compose. The spectacle
lasted a few more of one hour.We played it in the national theater of Saint
Etienne in France during three days and we made heaped room during the three
days.We hoped that some investors he demonstrates to present this unique
spectacle in other cities but it was really complicated and expensive to transport all this material
and also immediately the first evening some spectators had bought pictures of
the spectacle and had not wanted anymore to let leave them on a tour.It had
been necessary that Philippe recreates the spectacle every day while repainting
new pictures, what would have inevitably provoked a systematic modification of
the history.It remains only the music of this incredible spectacle because
since this time the 130 pictures have all been sold and each now has its own
history.
The
Dream Side Project N° 1
from 1999
- I
remember that some of my friends artists, sculptors, painters, designer had to
organize an evening to present their works in their shop at Monte Carlo, they
asked me if I could prepare some musics to create a way of ambiance with their
works, I was installed on a metallic catwalk way and had very little place, I
had therefore write and recorded some arrangements on a revox that acted me as
playback and I intervened lead with a guitar or a keyboard.Thereafter several
people asked me where they could find the musics that they had heard at the
time of this evening, So I took these tracks
and I worked again on them to achieve The Dream Side Project N° 1.
An Enigmatic
Wave Of Empathy from 2001
After
having understood that the new adventure just begun with the Universal album
had already no future, I composed several tracks in forecastings of a next
album to motivate the band and myself once again while choosing a way more oriented toward the
experimental. However I think than unconsciously I understood that the
adventure with the band had arrived to its term so my compositions took again
another way that I would qualify of new way of movie music , a strong movie
music and not only support of pictures, a music of movie without movie.
Certainly conceited but necessary so that I accept to be alone on board. From this strange alchemy "An
Enigmatic Wave Of Empathy" is born.
There is here a small mistake in your list, the album that
follows is " SALTIMBANQUES” from 2003 - some can believe that
it is about an album of Edhels but it is an inauspicious (confusion -
commercial)... It is my fifth solo
album, even though I invited two ex members of the band to play on two or three
tracks.Some tracks of this album were written for a long time (the themes of
the tracks 2 / 4 and 9 have been written in the 70’s) they would have may
be played by Edhels but it is not the case.
I am very proud to have gotten the Best song Guitar
instrumental 2006 (Golden Kayak award) with the track " Paradoxical
intentions " on the famous independent artists company USA.
Nice Rendez-Vous
from 2005
When I
have write " Nice rendez-vous
" I had just crossed a period of multiple changes in my life, important
changes and other miners and also it is a period or after several years I had
restarted to play in public places as restaurants or private evenings in
private places, some with playback - machines, some with other musicians.I
think that it reflects this transient period with some tracks a few jazzy,some
a few bluesy, some acoustic oriented and some innovating and more experimental.
Still
At Large from 2007
Still at large is probably the
synthesis of the previous albums and the previous musical adventures, it is
incontestably in the opinion of a lot of listeners and myself too a strong and
prominent album in my discography, he proves a certain maturity and a shape of
stability in the style nevertheless in the same time he elaborates some bridges
toward other universes and demonstrate a will always presented of musical
adventures and non conformism.
Sometimes
Around Saturn from 2008
I wanted for a long time to write a new concept
album but I didn't want to fall in the fairy tale usual of the prog bands, many
bands already made it and makes well and with Edhels we had by a certain manner
crossed this time, of another hand I had several times considered to write some
musics about Saturn and its multiple moons. The information about these moons
are very few so it has permitted me to write a musical history all in evasive
questions, I could say “suspended questions” as if they floated in
air...the answers will arrive later as the light of some novas that reaches us
of years after their emission J .I
think that Sometimes Around Saturn is certainly one of my best albums at this
day, may be even the best... Edhels inclusive albums.I adored this period of
composition and recordings that was like a musical river that flooded this
period of my life, a lot of spontaneity, of ideas, of pleasure. This album lets
the door opened on a whole future...real or imaginary...? The art - work photo
of the front cover achieved by my daughter Lauren is also a big satisfaction.
What
are you currently up to now and what is your plans
for this and next year ?
- I began to work on a new album during 2009 but for
various reasons I have to interrupt my work of compositions and recordings
during some months, I begin rightly since some days the continuation of this
new adventure.It is not indeed about a concept album but there is a way of
thread driver...for that will know to see it...this album should appear
certainly before the end of 2010.
How would
you describe your music and whose bands/artists are
you most influenced by ?
I would define it like a music in perpetual research,
a way of perm alchemy mixing some materials acquired and some daring less known
matters. I have indisputably undergoes the influence of thousands of composers
and musicians of classic, jazz, blues,rock, Contemporary music etc...To give
some names is not of a big utility it would require several pages because there
is also an alchemy...one doesn't go without the other... On the other hand I am
not sure to know all influences that arrived until me.
How is
your current label situation and what is your
experiences with the music industry ?
Since several years I don't depend on any official
label it is not always easy but the liberty of creation is total and for me it
remained an essential condition, the development on Internet of several sites
that have mediator's role in the distribution as itunes, Reverbnation,
IACmusic, Amazon etc...permits to have a direct accés to the listeners and
customers, they can listen to the excerpts, to make themselves an opinion, to
buy a track or 2 or 3 or the complete album even with cover. With regard to the
labels I can tell to have a certain experience.In the 80's with Edhels we had signed a contract with
A&M at the time that was probably the biggest company in the industry of
the disk, they had Supertramp,Police,Brian adams and all Numbers 1 at this
moment... it was enthusiastic...We were
the only French band to sign with an American label and it was the number 1...
they convened us in Paris where they had their French office because 1 track of
our demo had attracted their attention, They asked the director of the Europe
section to come in Paris, he arrived from Amsterdam in some hours,, the
following day in the morning the big boss from Los angeles arrived in Paris
with his private jet to meet me, he proposed me an impressive list of producers and sound engineers while telling me that they could be there in
less than 24 hours...at this moment it became frightening...he listened to the
track again and said " ok! now it's necessary that you write the small
brothers of this track..some kind of clones of this track...you
understand...the business work like that !..." L ! We
recorded 3 tracks with them in a big studio..then there was an economic problem
wave in the world, A&MS have been touched, they closed the French office ,
in the same time they made me known that they didn't need the whole band...only
(me) the composer had the interest for them..then some times after A&M have
been sold and this history it is stopped there ! It demonstrates rather well
what we can think about labels. At this day only some people know that we were
the first French band to sign a contract
with the biggest US label in the 80's.
Is
music your main occupation or do you also have more
sane occupation ?
Music is a healthy
occupation. Contrary to the oil industry, the political hypocrisy or the
inconsistency of the traders...
Fortunately I have other occupations
and especially a family... it is a big occupation !
Just
to wrap this interview up; do you have any regrets in
your music career ?
To have no regrets
offer only two possibility , either: to be God, either: to be unconscious.But I
don't make a fixing while saying "if that..or if this.... !" It doesn't serve to anything, it is necessary
to go ahead.
Anything
you want to add to this
interview ?
Thank you to prog
Archives readers, I hope you'll love & buy massively my music ! I promise
that with my profits I would not construct oil basis in front of your beaches,
that I would not hire a trader to steal your pension , nor that I would make
the politics while saying that all problems result from the Martians or other
Aliens.I would use these profits to write & play more musics again and to
offer you some unpublished dreams. So go
proudly and without fear to buy my music to the following addresses:
Thank you to Marc for this interview. His PA profile is here and his homepage is here
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Marc Ceccotti (May 2010)
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