Steeve Laffont Quartet

CD + DVD Steeve Laffont Quartet Steeve Laffont

Steeve LAFFONT

Still the same old tune... Every time a new Manouche guitarist is presented, the introduction begins with ecstatic praise about his ability to play the guitar with such talent at such an early age. A young prodigy, as young as Mozart, self-taught and no complexes... Only the innocent have their hands full! History repeats itself, "I wonder why Nature so stubbornly and skilfully, yet so indifferently on a biological level, works so hard to make all your sons so like their father..." (Léo Ferré). Well, Steeve Laffont's father is indeed a gypsy but he isn't a musician. He merely noticed that from a very young age, his son was capable of reproducing any song or tune he heard by ear and it was perfect every time. Young Laffont had turned this exercise into his favourite pastime, so out of admiration for the guitar-playing tradition amongst his community, Mr Laffont, gave him... a keyboard, one of the "Earsplitters" sort with a built-in beatbox. This was back in 1981, in the early stages of that disastrous decade sacrificed in its entirety on the altar of disco music. Steve had had his sixth birthday on 10 November, and certainly wasn't unhappy about excelling on his ersatz instrument. But his uncle, Boy Bauer, had a completely different opinion on the matter, and was keen on bringing his nephew back onto the straight and narrow path of the real Manouche tradition. On the guitar offered by his cousin Mario Petriccioli, Bauer soon taught him the few rudiments he'd acquired, thanks to the tendency in the community to go for the standards of the man "whose name you don't say out loud". Not only did Steeve Laffont adopt the instrument like the she-wolf adopted Mowgli, he also rapidly became aware of the immense gaps in his mentor's knowledge of rhythm and harmony. With absolutely no idea of music theory, he gradually built up his own musical vocabulary, creating new versions of chords and fingerings according to the demands of the music he was playing; soon he was launching into more individual improvisations.