Hint of a smile for two drummers

Glancing through the score of “Attraction” for the first time, we hit upon the term “hint of a smile”, an indication given by the composer, Jean-Pierre Drouet, to play the piece with the hint of a smile – a smile of complicity with the public.

The inflection applies not only to the note. Codes in musical composition tell one how the music should sound and how it should be played, but refer also to body language and intention.

This, for us, is “musical theatre”.

This discovery was what brought us together and led us to further explore music along these lines. Today, we both agree on the arms needed to defend this form of musical theatre before any type of public.

This is how we would like to live the music on stage.

We are perhaps something like “musical academy but self-taught” musicians (with all due respect to our teachers) and, in our own way, have based our own traditional music on our musical heritage.

We would like this music of ours to be improbable, twisted, shaky as though one were to say to us “What on earth is this? What’s it all about?” and that it be a real tour de force. Then, of course, it must be able to hold its own on stage.

After all, our pieces are only pretexts to catch fleeting moments and reveal presence, presence of a kind at once mysterious and down-to-earth, a presence that turns out to be the major event, whether one likes it or not, of this type of musical theatre.

 OK, I’m on … Over to you, come on in

A xylophone, a side drum, two hats, two pairs of braces worn over concert shirts and four patent leather shoes.

Two mates, stylish but a shade out of touch, in high spirits but slightly panic-stricken, latch onto their music as Jacques Tati’s postman hangs onto his bike, taking hair-raising and uncontrollable bends like two automats reacting a fraction late to the whims of an old long-playing record. For ten minutes, the machine revs up, stutters, changes subject and finally lands them down on Mauricio Kagel’s irresistible, interminable and jolly glissando: “Rutscher”.

Their slogan:

“ Go ahead… roll on! ”

A cube... Words

Face to face, two protagonists indulge in a sparring match of onomatopoeia and try to tell us that “music hath charms to soothe the savage breast” and that “His muscles give a clear gesture”.

Seated around a wooden cube which separates them and serves as a sounding table, they offer us, in turn, an abstract speech, a traditional ritual, a dance of chairs and gestures.

 Attraction by Jean-Pierre Drouet 

Why act as though the listener had no eyes to see?

Since there can be no music without gesture, body language deserves a bit more respect than is generally shown it by musicians. Jean-Pierre Drouet has grabbed hold of some manuscript paper to compose a piece full of fun and discovery: “Attraction”.

Seated on two tub chairs on wheels with expressive fringes, two percussionists, their Iranian zarb slung over their shoulders, break into the umpteenth version of a duet that brought them success in bygone days. It all starts off very seriously until they begin to play musical tricks, using verbal and body language. They begin by declaiming a few sentences of an abstract speech, then break into a ditty, sketch out a short tap dance number which finally wears them out before their final boisterous coda.

 The Intrusion by Jean-Pierre Drouet

“The Intrusion” by Jean-Pierre Drouet is a piece commissioned by the Ars Nova instrumental ensemble on the occasion of the Poitiers “court-toujours” festival in June 2007.

It stages two characters who perform a virtuoso, fluid and interweaving piece of music inspired by the Balinese community way of playing.

Little by little, the two players fall out of step, scratch their backs to relieve an itch, come face to face, ring each other’s bells, confront each other to the point of downright opposition as a letter is read out.

A conflict has arisen.

It is the intruder, personified by a Chinese tam-tam that has caused their mutual isolation and placed them face to face with their own limits. In vain they try to communicate through the intruder, explore it, give it a shaking, stifle it, try to eliminate it, and end up finding this letter that turns out to be the source of their discord, squeezed in a resonant tube, a sort of appendix to the intruder. It is against this prism of sound that our two musicians, now quietened down and astonished, resume their reading as they move towards each other again and strike up a stirring musical march enriched by this new sound.

 Sébastien Clément

 

Sébastien Clément grew up in an eclectic musical environment listening to all kinds of styles: traditional, jazz, popular songs and contemporary music. He discovered “gut-stirring” drums with Ramon Lopez, voice and mouth resonance with Anne Garcenot and, above all, for many years, the zarb and “musical theatre” with François Bedel, Gaston Sylvestre and, occasionally, Jean-Pierre Drouet. He won a lst prize in percussion instruments and a lst prize in chamber music, with the unanimous acclaim of the jury, at the Rueil-Malmaison C.N.R. (Regional Music Conservatoire).

An active member of the teaching team at the Marcoussis Ecole des Arts, teaching percussion instruments, Cuban music, musical training, preparation for school certificate examinations, he has been associated in many multi-disciplinary shows commissioned by the Town Council.

He has shared his enthusiasm for song-writing with Wally Bohr and Stéfano Genovese, notably adapting Argentinean tango classics into French with original arrangements.

He has also explored the repertoire of Renaissance and Medieval music in his work with the Guilhem Ademar Ensemble.

As player, improviser and composer, he participates in many creative projects blending music, theatre, dance and circus:

“Toycine et Cotiney”, Etosha Co.
“Les Horaces et les Curiaces” by B. Brecht directed by N : Strancar at the C.N.S.A.D.P.
“Matchs” including Match by M. Kagel and Volte by S: Guignard, Eclats Co.
“La Caravane Suspendue” by G: Clarté, Cirque Cinéma Itinérant, Les Frères Kazamaroffs Co.
« Bouille et les Taréfoufous », Etosha Co.
« Le Cirque du Tambour, Opus 2 » by R. Auzet at the Sylvia Montfort Theatre
« Envols de Petits Riens » I.Olivier, B. Genty and the Metamorphose Co.
“Education” by B: Charmatz, Rennes “Theatre Directors” festival
“2 francs pour un bonbon c’est pas assez pour un gâteau » by X. Valerstein with the X Co.

Discography

“Voyage au centre de la Terre” by Jules Verne, narrated by J-C Dreyfus and M. Aumont: music: A. Serre-Milan, adaptation and direction : O. Cohen, production : Naîve

 Sylvain Lemêtre

 Specifications sheet

Stage measurements

« Ch’uis ça-y-est… » : opening 2m depth 2m
« Un cube… » : opening 2m depth 5m
« Attraction » : opening 3m depth 6m
« Intrusion » : opening 8m depth 6m

PA system ( grande salle et plein air )

2 cellules (DPA) HF

For a small bass drum placed under the xylophone
And a big wooden cube

To see clearly

Spot lights

Envie de parler de nous ?

• Bio
• Photos
• Logo

Practical questions

Unloading of equipment (costumes and instruments) to be close to where the show takes place.

Minimum assembly time : 30 minutes
Minimum disassembly time : 15 minutes

Refreshments for the artists

 PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Agenda
• Conditions financières
Merci de nous contacter par mail ou par téléphone.

Sylvain Lemêtre : 06 07 79 46 30
Sébastien Clément : 06 10 24 47 60
E-mail : legersourire@gmail.com

Administratif :
La Lune
5, rue Alfred Dubois
91460 Marcoussis

 Remerciements

Merci à Alexandre BRACHET, Karim MOREAU, Nicolas Menet et toute l’équipe d’ « UPIAN » pour la conception et la réalisation de ce site.

Merci à l’association « COMME VOUS EMOI » Thérèse BERARD et Frédéric BENAZA pour leur accueil et leur soutient constant.

Merci à la ville de Marcoussis ses élus, son équipe culturelle, son Ecole des Arts et plus particulièrement Christine ROSSO, Marion CANTINEAU, Eric YEUILLAZ, Bastien MERCUZOT, Jean-Louis GALY pour leur accueil et leur soutient permanent.
Merci à ARS NOVA Ensemble Instrumental pour leur fidèle soutient et leur humanité.

Merci à Jean-Pierre DROUET d’être si présent et attentionné.

Merci à Valérie BRAL d’administrer notre duo avec l’association « LA LUNE ».

Merci à Pauline LABBE DE MONTAIS pour son aide en communication et ses photos.
Merci à William ALIX pour ses photos de « l’intrusion ».

Merci à toute l’équipe qui à réalisé la vidéo  Agathe CURY: réalisation et montage ; Gilles FRANCOIS et Benjamin BUSNEL : image ; Sylvain THEVENARD : prise de son.

Merci à Jérôme DESCHAMP pour ses plans de feux. Merci à Dominique KUGLER et Aïcha LEGENDRE pour leurs précieuses aides rédactionnelles.