Why make a tribute to John Cage ?

I began playing Cage’s Music in the 1970’ and continued in the States, there was John with his luminous smile.

Later, I received a European grant for composers and choreographers. We were eight of us and Dominique Boivin was one of the choreographers. We worked together both morning and evening, did performances and went mushroom hunting on the weekends. John was the cook. He taught me so much about music, about sound, about human beings…

Later, he dedicated Ryoanji for double bass and ensemble to me, which I played under the enlightened eyes of Merce Cunningham and Tiny Duchamp.

Cage, his outlook, his philosophy and his music conveyed the very sense of « being » : responsible, open-minded, creative and loving. « Let sounds be what they are », meaning the sense of freedom to be oneself. For me, he remains one of the major figures of the 20th and 21st centuries, a musician and poet so profoundly humble and human, brimming with laughter, routing out the humdrum, and industrious disrupter.

The duet with Dominique Boivin, which closes the concert, is a new 15’ work in memory of those extraordinary moments spent together.

Hey John, you gave me so much ! J.L.

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