This was originally written for the UK music magazine, AVANT, in 2000. Pierre has been an inspiration to me over the years since I first discovered him. His playing and musicianship are impeccable. His drumming is very deep and organic, coming from a place most of us can only dream of. he truly is the klangfarben poet.

Pierre Favre’s Poetry in Motion

Swiss drummer Pierre Favre has been at the forefront of European jazz and contemporary classical music for over 40 years. Ever the innovator, he was there at the beginning of the free jazz movement in the late sixties with a quartet including Irene Schweizer, Peter Kowald, and Evan Parker. His work with the Paiste cymbal company at the same time lead to his expanding from the usual 4 drum, 4 cymbal kit of the day, to a panoply of drums, cymbals, and gongs. While the traditionalists balked at his explorations, he held fast to his vision of “singing drums and metals.”

Singing Drums - 1984

Pierre’s vision is one of percussion as a melodic voice, rather than just rhythmic variations. In 1984 he formed the percussion ensemble ‘Singing Drums’ and released their self titled recording on ECM. The group consisted of Pierre, Fredy Studer, and Paul Motian on drums, with Nana Vasconcelos on percussion. The music he composed for the ensemble demonstrates a perception far removed from the frenetic bashing of other percussion groups. Songs such as “Rain Forest” and “Metal Birds” successfully evoke a sense of story telling, with the instruments often used in a textural way to depict the sounds of the Brazilian wilds or a flock of chattering birds. When rhythm is the basis, as in “Carneval of the Four,” there is a playfulness to the music. “Of course, when I’m playing drums, I’m always singing.”

In 1994, he formed a new percussion ensemble with a twist, “This is the next answer to [the original] Singing Drums, replacing two percussionists by melodic instruments.” Originally called “Les Tambour de Temps” (The Drums of Time), the group features Pierre and young Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli, Italian soprano saxophonist Roberto Ottaviano, and French tuba and serpent player, Michel Godard. Later, Favre changed the group’s name to Singing Drums once again. “The word Tambour, in German, has a connotation of deep, dark drums. With two drummers and no bass, this group is special. I decided to concentrate on it and I think it was right, because the guys were very concerned about the group.”

The unique line up is showcased on their Intakt CD, “Souffles,” where the traditional instrumental roles are often changed. On “Cabeza y Calabazas” and “Red Socks Dance,” the horns frequently play the rhythmic line for the dancing percussion. Throughout the CD, and especially on the extended composition, “Erba Luce,” Favre and Niggli exhibit an amazing array of percussive ability. The two often sound like one in the syncopated rhythmic passages.

Selling music this different hasn’t been easy. ”We worked hard, sometimes cheaply, and now things are starting to move. We are playing a lot of important festivals. It's a long process to get these drums and things to really be interesting.  But we have great success with the group. People like it a lot.” As for calling the group Singing Drums again, “All the good names are taken.” he says with a laugh.

Pierre has taken to making Singing Drums the basis for various other musical endeavors, as the group is often expanded in concert. He has added a string trio for some gigs (“We played with just drums, no cymbals.”),  Dutch vocalist Greeta Bijma, and they have also worked together with the Korean percussion group Samul-Nori and the late cellist Tom Cora.

In 1995 he moved in the direction of forming a ‘Chamber Ensemble.’ The self titled ECM release from ‘Window Steps’ featured a line up of Pierre, with Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Roberto Ottaviano, David Darling on cello, and Steve Swallow on bass. The compositions for the percussion/horns/strings group showed an increasing depth and maturity.  Pieces like “Snow”, with its haunting ‘Nordic’ feel, and “Lea,” have more in common with contemporary classical music than jazz.

The culmination of these projects is the ‘Pierre Favre European Chamber Ensemble.’ The Singing Drums quartet is augmented with two cellos, viola, accordion, and French horn. “I feel it’s also time to go further with the writing. We have some concerts in May, and on September 7 we will play at the International Festival of Music in Lucerne. It is a project called ‘Ciel d’Orphée rendu a la Terre.’ It means ‘Orpheo’s Heaven given back to the Earth.’ The story is the myth of Orfeo and Eurydice. We will have 11 musicians, with 2 more percussionists added. 2 speakers situate the action with text and 3 dancers dance the story, but the ensemble also tells the story. My brother Roger Favre wrote the text and I wrote the music. I have to organize everything. So for this occasion I’m  manager, composer, drummer, etc.. I’m also trying to organize a video of it and plan on recording at the end of the year, probably for Intakt.”

Performance in the volcano Del Cuervo, Lanzarote

He is also involved in another all drum group featuring 4 of the best Swiss drummers: Pierre, Fredy Studer, Fritz Hauser, & Daniel Humair. Named ‘Four In Time,’ it was the idea of Swiss filmmaker Theo Stich, who assembled the musicians in Zurich in January of 1997 for a week of rehearsals and a concert. The self titled documentary film is a fascinating look at the four as they work through ideas and discuss their various approaches to percussion. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere, and we have fun. The music is not conceived, it is more improvised with a few ideas. With such people, it’s probably the best way to do it.” With their busy schedules, they have managed to only play a handful of gigs each year.

Solo performance has been an ongoing endeavor for Pierre since 1969, when  “Drum Conversation” was recorded. “I went on stage with it and that’s where the whole thing really started with that type of drumming, with the metals and all that.” 1997 saw the release of “Portrait” (Intakt), his first solo recording in 15 years. “I feel that it is quite a picture of me at the moment.” The drum set up has been expanded, even by Pierre’s standard. He has added various African, Latin, and ethnic drums to his kit. The result is most notable on tracks like “Les Jeux Sont Faits” and “Stampede,” where there is almost a ‘tribal’ sense to his percussive musings. “Actually, at the moment I have different sets. I don’t know why, but I’m always making new constructions. I love it. I run around my studio like a mad man, talking to myself and laughing when I find something.” Other tracks like “Yellow” and “Solar Wheel” are hypnotic with whirling and scraped metal sounds layered on top of each other. “Solo work is a fantastic ground for experimentation. I had a surprising reaction to Portrait. I really didn’t expect so much.”

At 62 years of age he has yet to slow down. A future project is a commission for the orchestra from Basel, Switzerland. “It will be about 20 minutes and will be played in December 1999. I just hope that I will succeed in writing all the music. Anyway, I feel there is a great amount of inspiration to be found in composing. Especially for a drummer. It helps you to color and add melody to the rhythms and phrases you find.”

You can keep up to date on Pierre at: www.pierrefavre.ch