So, I’m not sure if we can call this a « talent, » but it is certainly one of my passions: music, and more specifically, instrumental music with a touch of jazz, and the Clarinet.
I can already hear my colleagues teasing me 😉 « The Christian Morin of Applium! » « The boss is good at blowing his own trumpet! » « A rabbit blowing into the bagpipe – that’s not common! » (You need the reference for this one).
But the fundamental question I am often asked is: Why the Clarinet ?
So, I can’t tell this story without going back to its origins.
To start with, for those who are unfamiliar, the Clarinet is a wind instrument from the woodwind family, characterized by its single-reed mouthpiece and almost cylindrical bore (unlike the oboe or saxophone, which have a conical bore). It is the instrument in its family with the widest range, spanning 3 octaves plus a minor sixth, for a total of 45 notes. From its bass version to the piccolo clarinet, it covers the entire range of a symphonic orchestra.
It was in middle school that my music teacher, « Laurent Labiausse, » a passionate and fascinating multi-instrumentalist, and above all a talented trumpet player, former co-director of the Société Philharmonique de Champagne, member and former president of the Brass Band de Champagne, who also collaborated with the Euphony Orchestra, ignited my passion for music and wind instruments. I started in a recorder ensemble (soprano, alto, bass), accompanied by xylophones, metallophones, chimes, and various percussion… first jitters and first performances in front of proud parents! Looking back, it actually sounded really good, and it was quite remarkable to see a musical ensemble made entirely of children (who were a little bit restless) obey the conductor’s baton! The revelation… it actually works.
One day, my dad came home with a strange leather case. Inside, my precious!
A Buffet Crampon B-flat Clarinet with 3 ebony bodies in relatively good condition. He handed me the case and said, « Look at what I found in a second-hand shop! It looks a bit like your recorder. You should be able to get a sound out of this torture device, right? » Intrigued, I assembled it quite intuitively, blew… and magic happened!
Thus, with a clarinet method under my arm, I started 4 years of music school, with intensive solfège and instrument practice. Time passed, studies came, another passion (this time, a sporty one) took over, the diploma, then my first job, SAP, and travel… and let’s face it, music school takes up a lot of time, it’s a budget, you have to make choices. Mine was made, I put the instrument in the closet and forgot about it.
It was on my 40th birthday that the Clarinet came out of the closet. My dear and loving wife, surely intrigued by the instrument I had tucked away but mostly, I think, curious to hear what it might sound like in my hands (to her great despair today when I practice high notes, she must sometimes think I’m training to make our cat cry, but hey, art is subjective!) had the idea of having it completely overhauled, unbeknownst to me, by a specialized luthier (it really needed it). Everything was arranged secretly with a friend from the village (also a clarinetist and a member of my current group « Les Clariflous ») for it to be presented to me on my birthday in front of all my friends. I had no choice, I had to start again !
Les Clariflous: Serious… but not too much !
I joined this group of amateur clarinetists, which we later named « Les Clariflous, » under the baton of Paule Bonnet (Clarinet teacher at the music school of Bois d’Oingt and gold medalist in Clarinet at the CNR in Lyon). This section consists of 12 clarinets (9 B-flat clarinets, 3 bass clarinets, and 1 occasional bombarde for Breton repertoires). At the same time, I took a year of individual lessons to catch up at the music school.
Our concerts are often an opportunity to mix seriousness with playfulness – I’d even say we’ve managed to make people laugh who were expecting a classical concert… and ended up discovering that our very varied repertoire includes a few surprises. (Some examples, among others: Les Cornichons, Blues on the Road, La Belle et le Blues, L’Hélicon, La Comparsita, La Vie Est Belle, La Danse Macabre, Disney Jazz like Chim Chim Cheree or You’ve Got a Friend in Me, Everybody Wants to be a Cat…)
We’re lucky to perform at various events throughout the year, whether in intimate concerts or small local festivals. Each performance is an adventure, a bit like trying to juggle with bananas: sometimes it works wonderfully, and sometimes… well, let’s just say it’s better to avoid the first rows!
I hope my story encourages you to discover or delve deeper into your own passions, whether artistic, sporty, or otherwise. And who knows, maybe one day, we’ll organize a « company concert » where everyone can showcase their talents… or make us laugh with their « wrong notes »! Well, see you soon on stage… or at the office !
Jérôme BASSELIN
PS : For the curious, some videos below to give you an idea of what it sounds like in an orchestra or simply in a quartet or quintet. And for an in-depth listen, I recommend: Tim Laughlin, Corrado Giuffredi, Nicola Giammarinaro, the Ewan Bleach Quartet, the Chris Barber Jazz Band, Acker Bilk, the Blitz Clarinet Ensemble (excellent Clarinet Octet directed by Tohru Kanayama), Yom, Nicolas Baldeyrou, Les Bons Becs (brilliant, funny, and quirky)…
