San Fran Voice

Bruno Pelletier-Bacquaert is a San Francisco jazz guitarist who writes and performs his own work in addition to teaching courses and seminars to budding musical students.  SFV was honored to have his insight about music here shared with us in this interview.

Your experience in music is so multi-faceted; writing, performing, teaching – is there a component of your work as a musician which is your favorite to enjoy? 

The 3 sides are really tied together for me and I can’t really say that I prefer one over the others.  With that said, performing is probably the most immediately gratifying. There is something exhilarating about improvisation: the creative aspect of course, but also the idea of being spontaneous, in the moment.

Composing is a continuation of that creative aspect, but now we have more time and more choices: we can experiment, try something out, erase it, try another idea, etc… We can reflect on how we piece things together without the constraints of immediacy. Composition allows us to explore and (hopefully) confirm our individuality. Furthermore, if you are a Jazz musician, improvising on your own chord progression or from your own melody is probably the ultimate in self-expression!

Finally, teaching helps me understand what I do. First of all, I only teach Jazz and Improvisation, which means that I’m in a position where I only teach what I do and what I like. I teach guitar of course, but I also present workshops, clinics and various seminars. Each one will focus on a different side of what I do: group playing and interaction, Music Theory, Improvisation, etc…verbalizing what I do allows me to get better at it and can
at times give me a fresh perspective.

There is another aspect of teaching that we Jazz musicians need to be aware of: Jazz is not always an easy art form to appreciate, and we need to educate our audience. It can be seen as our responsibility even. Let’s face it: when we perform somewhere, the people coming to see us play will be primarily friends and family, a few other musicians, and then my students– and they are often the most appreciative and the most enthusiastic. Students can be very critical, but they also come out to hear us for inspiration. I find it very rewarding to think that as a teacher one can be a very positive role-model.

What can you tell us about your “French singer-songwriters project”? 

Having grown up in France, I was exposed to the songs of Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens among others. Their music is a big part of my cultural heritage. When I got into Jazz, I realized that a lot of those French songs were harmonically and melodically rich enough to be treated as Jazz Standards, and it really was an obvious step for me to think of them as great material for improvisation. I have a group here in SF that focuses on that repertoire. The challenge is to be creative and “current” in how we treat those songs.

Do you have a favorite SF venue for hearing music played live?

I like small and intimate venues, like “Simple Pleasures” or “The Make-Out Room”. The truth is that I don’t go out as much as I used to… it seems that most of my favorite places have either closed down or changed a lot– I’m thinking of “Bruno’s” in the Mission for instance…

For playing?

“Cafe Bastille” or “The Last Laugh Cafe”: musicians are treated well there.

How does San Francisco inspire your creative work?

Honestly, it doesn’t anymore… I suppose it did though, because being here allowed me to meet a few great musicians. Living in SF also makes it possible for me to make a living from my art. I know I couldn’t do what I do if I lived in a smaller or less artistically inclined community.

Which spots in the city can you be found in when you’re just out and about? 

I live in the lower part of Noe Valley (near 28th Street & Church). I like that it is a quiet and rather unpretentious neighborhood. It is still close to the Mission District where I lived for years. I also teach in the Inner Sunset, so I’m often around there too. I like “The Other Avenues Coop”, a natural Health Food store out there– a smaller alternative to Rainbow Grocery.

What advice do you have for musicians who are just getting started out here?

Go out to hear live music as much as possible. Meet other musicians. Be friendly, outgoing, humble– and don’t be turned off by the fact that some of the people you will meet might be just the opposite of that.