Tito Paris: The sound of the sea beating the rocks is one of the oldest songs of the world.
We love your music and we are looking forwards to seeing you at A to JazZ Festival! You are one of the great names of Cape Verdean music. Can you tell me please more about your own style and other famous musicians that make such kind of music…
I make mainly fusion with cape verdian roots, also mornas and coladeras but always hinting other genres.
Other musicians that work like me are Paulino Vieira, the great producer and musicians with whom I learned so much and one of the responsibles for the cape verdian music that we hear nowadays.
I found out that your music is described as “Call this the slice of the spice from the islands of sunshine and you are not too far off the mark.“ Can you, by your own to give a metaphor of your music?
An old rock, that’s why I have this huskie voice. Side by side this rock I listened to the sound of the sea beating the rocks, one of the oldest songs of the world.
You were born into music.Your father was a musician, playing banjo and bass, your grandmother was a singer and your grandfather played the violin. How long can you stay without listening to or making musicJ? What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
Without playing a few hours, without listening not even a minute!
Nat King Cole, Bana (great cape verdian musician) and Cesária Évora
Do you have children and what they do for living?
I have four boys. 1 is a producer (Odair Paris), 1 is learning pastry (Vitor Paris), 1 is Aristides and he is in school still, and the youngest, with 9, Hugo Paris is in school but already play violin.
Who is your favorite jazz musician? In your opinion, what is the single most difficult challenge jazz musicians face today? Do you have a message for young jazz musicians?
Chick Corea and Horace Silver (who has Cape Verdian originins and amongst others played with Stan Getz
Never give Up. Even if Jazz is a language for small audiences we need that the young musicians keep spreading the word.
You are experienced and successful musician with 8 albums. What is the first song you ever wrote?
Regresso, a song recorded by Cesária Évora on her first album.
What are your future plans? Do you think about experimenting with different styles?
Music is always a challenge, I’m always travelling and meeting new artists so I never close myself to new experiences
Do you know some of the other musicians that will perform at the festival (Javier Massó „Caramelo“, Richard Bona & Mandekan Cubano, Israel Suárez „Piraña“, etc.) and have you performed with someone of them?
Richard Bona for sure, I’m a fan, I would like to work with one of this days. I never played with this other musicians.
What’s the last album you bought?
Strangely enough the last album from Richard Bona, Bonafied, before I knew we were going to play in the same festival.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “jamboree”?
Music!
Tito Paris – Dança ma mi criola
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