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"Ulysses is a reference for me," says Greek cellist Dimos Goudaroulis. "Paris was like my Trojan War: difficult, exhausting, but I met many wonderful people, made life-long friends." Goudaroulis' war began in 1988, when he won a French government scholarship to the Ecole Normale de Musique at the age of 18. It started him on his wanderings. Now, because of Greek military conscription laws, he can't return to his homeland for another 10 years. His own exile will be as long as Ulysses'. A self-confessed "emotional guy," Goudaroulis' eyes tear up when he speaks about not being able to attend family weddings and funerals. At his bleakest moments, music was always his consolation. "Music is a privilege. I'm grateful to be a musician. If you play with your heart it can only bring love. I know that sounds corny but I'm not afraid to say it because I know how true it is. Love for people, love for life." His first love was baroque music but he'd always been interested in jazz. "Baroque was all about the oral transmission of knowledge, about improvization, only they called it 'embellishment' or 'ornamentation.' I instinctively felt the connection between baroque and jazz. But in Greece there was no outlet for jazz. All I could do was just listen to Mingus' records. He was an incredible influence upon me. For a long time I'd try out his bass lines on the cello. Then I started realizing that the cello has its own amazing voice and idiomatic way of playing, and I started listening to that. Because there were no jazz references with the cello, I was forced to create my own language of sound." In Paris he started hanging out with jazz musicians for the first time. "It was Pierre Blanchard who launched me into the scene when I joined his outfit, Gulfstring, in 1989. Before I knew what hit me, we were playing alongside Jackie McLean and Max Roach. I was hooked by the emotions I was encountering." Two years later he formed his own trio with two expats, bass-ace Wayne Dockery, and drummer Bob De Meo, and they were later joined by Horace Parlan on piano. "I'm very grateful to those guys. I owe them so much. They are like family." Yet despite the friends and rich musical experiences, he knew he had to leave Paris. "The sadness of the people, the weather, the cliques that control the music, all that began to get me down. I knew I had to go to fulfill myself but leaving Paris was hard, man. I'm so happy I had the strength to leave." Goudaroulis had already made two appearances at the International Cello Encounter in Rio, where he met a girl. He decided to try living in Brazil, leaving Paris for good in 1996. He has no regrets. "In Brazil there's real people, life, real sentiments, sun! Moving to Brazil helped me so much with my own compositions. It wasn't so much the direct musical influences of Brazil, but the fact that the culture of music is so rich and strong. There's no racism, religions are all equal, and so music is equal too." Goudaroulis began an extensive recording career, concentrating on contemporary and baroque music and being invited to festivals around the world. On May 4, he will perform the world premier of two solo pieces written for him at the prestigious Rencontres Internationales de Violoncelle in Beauvais. But he hasn't let go of jazz. For the last two years he's been a part of a trio comprising two other questing musicians, John Betsch on drums and Michael Felderbaum on guitar, and the trio will perform at the Marais club, 7 Lézards, May 7-8. Dimos Goudaroulis trio, 10pm, May 7-8, 7 Lézards, 10, rue des Rosiers, 4e, Metro St-Paul, tel: 01.48.87.08.97, 70F. |
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