Laurent Maur interview

Laurent Maur joins me on episode 75.

Laurent is a jazz chromatic player from France. He first started learning diatonic before moving on to the chromatic to pursue his love of jazz music. He had some lessons with the French classical chromatic player, Claude Garden, helping to advance his technique. Laurent played with a few different bands, touring and recording albums with them before releasing two albums under his own name, and two with the Youpi Quartet. Laurent teamed up with the flute player from this quartet to release his most recent album, of duets with flute. 

Laurent makes use of different harmonicas beyond the chromatic and occasional diatonic, playing the recently released Suzuki bass and chord harmonicas as well as being one of the leading exponents of the DM48 midi chromatic harmonica.

Links:

Laurent’s website:
https://www.laurentmaur.com/

JJ Milteau Method for Diatonic and Chromatic Harmonica tuition book:
https://www.melbay.com/Products/20588BCD/method-for-diatonic-and-chromatic-harmonica.aspx

Suzuki SSCH-56: Compact Chord & S-48B (Bass):
http://www.suzukimusic.co.uk/products/harmonica/orchestral.html

Children’s show: The true Story of the Tchepperpou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghtZ7VOmcus

Midi controller foot pedal:
https://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/softstep/

Videos:

La Cambiada with Orlando Pole:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJEKPe64BH8&list=PL027E88A8BFFE8871

Duo with Emilie Calme in Sunside Jazz Club, Paris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t63za4K1Kw

Tuition video on using the Dorian scale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A4_M-LNy30

Roland Mobile Cube amp:
https://www.roland.com/au/products/mobile_cube/

Children’s show teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghtZ7VOmcus

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com  or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Chapters

• 1:33 Laurent is a jazz chromatic player, originally from Paris, now living in Burgundy, France
• 2:37 First influence of jazz harmonica was through the Toots Thielemans and Bill Evans album, Affinity, given to him by a maths teacher
• 3:32 Bought first harmonica age 17 with Sugar Blue the first blues player he loved
• 4:22 JJ Milteau Diatonic and Chromatic Method book was first instructional material he used to learn diatonic
• 5:13 Started listening to the other diatonic players: with Sugar Blue and Big Walter his favourites
• 5:28 Blues scene in France was mainly in Paris, but he met two harmonica players in his town, including Dutch chromatic player Tim Welvaars
• 6:40 Spent a lot of time transcribing and essentials needed to learn jazz
• 7:44 Decision to switch over to focus on chromatic harmonica age 24
• 8:24 Blues is more accessible than jazz due to simpler chord structures
• 9:11 Busked and was in several bands playing diatonic from age 19 to 24
• 9:26 Switched to playing chromatic to learn jazz music
• 10:16 Learning curve the chromatic from being a diatonic player
• 10:42 Went to a jazz school in Paris
• 11:36 Practised a lot to make rapid progress and was living on the breadline as a musician
• 13:15 Moved from Paris to Bordeaux where he was able to perform more with jazz chromatic well received by jazz musicians
• 14:58 Playing in different types of bands in Bordeaux helped develop skills
• 15:32 Went to Trossingen in 2000 or 2001, winning the solo harmonica and jazz harmonica competitions
• 15:58 First recording was with the Francis Lockwood trio, harmonica with strings, after playing in a big band
• 17:10 Sent the album to Toots and JJ MIlteau and received encouraging responses back from both
• 18:03 After attending another jazz school, started playing with Orlando Pole in an Afro Venezuelan Latin jazz quintet
• 20:16 Playing with other bands, including Clem Cardenas and Yves Carbonne
• 21:47 Plays some Gypsy Jazz with Mayo Hubert and approach to playing this on chromatic
• 22:59 French player Vincent Bucher plays a lot with African musicians
• 23:28 Spent some years in China and Korea after financial crash of 2008
• 25:07 Popularity of people playing harmonica in China
• 25:46 Spent time in Korea and problematic pollution in Beijing
• 26:23 Played with a great Italian pianist in China and corporate gigs
• 27:46 Laurent played at a Jazz club in Beijing where he found his confidence and voice to play the music he wanted to play
• 29:03 Returned from the east and started releasing albums under his own name and with Youpi quartet
• 29:45 The Last Dance album, recorded live
• 30:23 Second live album: Chef Larry, with both albums including some French songs
• 31:40 How Laurent developed his fast playing
• 32:17 Had lessons with classical chromatic player Claude Garden, teaching him to use the pure sound with air, without lips or throat use
• 33:35 Recoded two albums with the Youpi Quartet
• 35:08 Great interaction between chromatic and flute
• 35:19 Latest album from Laurent is a duo with Emilie on flute: Fantaisie Improbable Pour Flutes et Harmonicas
• 35:38 Uses DM48 on this album
• 36:12 Also plays the Suzuki SSCH-56 (Compact Chord) and S-48B bass harmonica on the album
• 37:48 Plays harmonetta now
• 38:01 More on the DM48, with Laurent playing synthesised sounds, rather than instrument emulators
• 41:07 Has released some tuition videos on YouTube
• 41:34 Next album to be released recorded in Greece
• 43:42 10 minute question
• 45:45 How did he split his practise regime when practising 8 hours per day
• 46:39 Switching from 12 hole to 16 hole chromatic, which was a challenge
• 47:44 Advantages of 16 hole over 12 include playing octaves, making it sound like another instrument
• 49:30 Chromatic of choice is Suzuki Fabulous, also the Sirius
• 49:54 Still plays a little diatonic
• 50:09 Has a show for children where he plays some diatonic
• 51:02 Only plays C chromatics
• 51:22 Embouchre: mostly puckers but working on tongue switching
• 52:10 Amp used is a Roland Mobile Cube
• 54:03 Set-up when performing with DM48
• 54:29 Mic of choice is wireless Shure
• 54:59 Effects and Ableton Live
• 55:26 Future plans
• 56:21 Wants to explore DM48 using a foot pedal