ARFI L'Effet Vapeur

ARFI (Association for the Research of Imaginary Folklore)
Jazz performance of "L'Effet Vapeur" at Playboy Club Harare Tues 28th Nov 00 organised by Alliance Francaise

by Fanny Gauthier

About ARFI personnly I really enjoyed it but the audience wasn't so happy as me... It was very contemporary and experimental. Also very visal with the drumer playing around with different toys... It was very funny
The first part was Jazz Impacto... you know them.

And them for ARFI half of the people left after few tracks (mainly some
french people...). Most of the audience was very surprised and some thought
that it wasn't "jazz". But well, the ones who stayed were really in the good
spirit... open minded, curious and take it like that, as a funny moment...
Some tried to understand but there was nothing to understand... (that's what I think).

Personnaly I was very happy with what happend because it was something new that people here are not used to listen, and that is excactly our aim :
bring in Zimbabwe new sorts of musics and arts. That mean that people can
like or not but they react.

The music wasn't really what we expected because the keyboard that they
brought from France had been broken during the transport (in the plane)!! So they had to do with an emergency keyboard that we borrowed to Jazz Impacto at the last moment!! That changed all their music which is based on
pre-recorded sound, that they transform with their sampler... But they are
musicians and they have been able to improvise... and anyway the audience
didn't know their music in advance.

For the venue, the PLayboy is really a good place and it was the only one
able to offer us enough space, a good stage and a nice and cool atmosphere.
I didn't want to do this show at the 7Arts which is so formal and where
people can't have a drink or smoke a cigarette... The usual jazz places as
Red Fox, 105, Mannenberg were to small. A lot of people really discovered
this place (ex Sandros), which has a new manager who is really nice and
professional.

But I'm sure that some people would have been intrested but they didn't come because of the venue. But for this ones, if they really like music and jazz they should have come anyway...

You will see in my last email that I'm starting a critics group : Big mOuth.
I hope you'll join us and you'll include our comments in your mailings. Your
initiative is really good and usefull so I hope that we will be able to
cooperate. By Fanny Gauthier

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