AJ: The PAGA release 'Haunted', is it the second solo album by Bernard Paganotti or more correctly the first record by a group called PAGA?
BP: "at the start of the second album I had not planned to form a group; I wanted to proceed in the same manner as the first album, that's to say make the thing myself and ask the people I like to participate. I contacted Klaus, Claude (Salmieri) who had already played on the first album and Bertrand (Lajudie) and I asked them if they would help with this document; they accepted and it began just like that. I therefore came up with the structure of the pieces and well organised ideas and then when we started rehearsals, each one found new ideas and augmented them with their own style of playing, our story then became one of a group."
AJ: A group of which you remain nonetheless the leader?
BP: "A group where each has equal importance. Personally what interests me is to provoke things, but once they are aroused I want to take part without taking precedence over anyone else. I don 't like to manage people, I don't think I have the temperament of a leader. To be the leader is not easy because there are other things apart from the music. To return to your first question therefore, PAGA has become a group where everything is quite free. It might be better to make an indication on the record sleeve, one could put 'PAGA the group', to differentiate a little from the solo albums that I shall make."
AJ: "That I shall make", did you say?
BP: "In the future yes, because I hope that I shall make some more, solo and with the group."
AJ: Could you tell us how you met the different members of Paga group? Claude Salmieri to begin with?
BP: "Claude: I met him in 1983 in the course of a variety music recording session. Before that I only knew of him by name, I only knew that he played with David Rose but nothing more. When I arrived at the studio 1 heard him playing, but without seeing him because he was hidden behind an acoustic screen, I thought that his drumming was so fantastic that I asked him straight away if he was ready to play something with me, he has already participated on my first solo album. Since then, he has worked in the studio a lot, for example in the latest album by Veronique Sanson."
AJ: Bertrand Lajudie?
BP: "I met Bertrand after Claude, but in the same manner: in a studio. He was playing piano, again knowing nothing about him, I found him so good that I went to speak to him, just like that. It's interesting to see how one arrives very quickly at the realisation that a musician has the same spirit as yourself!"
AJ: Bertrand Lajudie was an unknown; he had not previously performed with an important group?
BP: "He had just accompanied Beranger for several years. If you have not heard of him before, it's because he is quite unassuming and has not pushed himself forward. That said, he has always wanted to play in a group, but found that the opportunity never presented itself for him. After WEIDORJE I believe that this was the personality that it needed to take part in this new adventure. I don't think I was deceived."
AJ: Regarding Klaus?
BP: "Klaus is someone with whom I have always dreamt of producing something. That he be in Paga, to me, this is the peak of my relations with him over many years. If he is there, it's truly because he made it. Musically he is always available, always lyrical in the manner by which he brings about the ideas, he is always in position to show the light. The music breathes thanks to him, and always the best when one has a problem, it's Klaus that one calls. He's a little like a tap that is always open."
AJ: Klaus and yourself sing and both of you play the bass in the group. Isn't this a little over-manning?
BP: "I don't think so because in fact we complement each other, concerning the vocals, we were already singing together in Magma and had noticed the vocal textures blended well. He found that I like singing very much, but not being a vocal technician there are some things I am not able to sing, only Klaus can, and on stage he is an excellent singer. In the same way, when it comes to the bass, on certain pieces Klaus will play the bass parts which allows me to do other things; to play tile stick or to play solos on bass."
AJ: Your concerts, since you allude to them, will they be a fairly faithful reflection of this album?
BP: "Everything you hear on the record will be recreated on stage. There are some things on tape, rhythm box sequences, synth sequences to be programmed, and the rest we will play live. With the sequences we will avoid, as was the case with WEIDORJE, making a musician play parts which are indispensable, yet which are not always very interesting for him to perform."
AJ: Talking of the album, where was it recorded?
BP: "it was practically all recorded, apart from the vocals, at the Longueville studio with an engineercalled Ludovic Lanen. The second part of the rhythm section was done in Switzerland at the Aquarius studio in Geneva with Jean Ristori. We finished some vocals at Acousti in Paris, finally we completed one piece in New York."
AJ: Where was it mixed?
BP: "Ludovic Lanen and Jean Ristori who were perfect for capturing the sound had a work schedule which did not match ours, so we had to search for someone who would experiment with us on this style of music. Bertrand and I had heard a certain number of records that pleased us and one name popped up more often than the others: James Farbe, who had mixed the latest Michael Brecker album. We called Ronald Mehu (Ronnie Bird), who found James and took him a cassette, which he played, and then he agreed to mix the album. He hired the Skyline studio and did it in the four days that Klaus and I were in New York."
AJ: Was the result everything that you had expected?
BP: "Completely, I thought that he did a marvellous mix. The problem was to conserve space and texture so as not to make it too linear, which is often the case in this musical genre. Apart from some little instructions, we allowed him the freedom to do things as he heard them, and this gave us something fairly different from what we would have been able to do. I truly think that the album would not have had such a good sound if it had not been done that way."
AJ: What was your musical approach to the album?
BP: "I sought to make it as condensed as possible in order not to fall into the trap of making the pieces too long, we tried to keep the space to say a maximum amount without repeating ourselves. We tried to make an unassuming album and I think we achieved a compromise for the media and the radio stations to have some passages to broadcast. There are titles that would be acceptable on FM, on jazz programmes, but also on some programmes a little more popular."
AJ: A difficult music to label?
BP: "James Farber who mixed the album asked us how we would classify it, but we did not know how to answer him really. He had discovered the term 'Gothic Fusion', which in fact fits quite well, because it implies something that comes from the European culture, in part the Latin and Germanic/Slavic music's. For me, when I make music, before thinking of the commercial aspects, I always look for a mystical contact with it because it is firstly a spiritual language, and this is why I finally think that Gothic Fusion is a good expression, it has the imprint of spirituality."
AJ: The album is due for release quite soon?
BP: "it will be released towards the end of November 1988. It only remains to make the contacts required for the pressing, also to be done in New York. We will simultaneously release the album on cassette, vinyl and CD and it will include a small voucher which will enable a reduction on the entrance fee for the first concert, at the beginning of December, at La Cigale in Paris. This is the first real concert by PAGA."
AJ: Which will be followed by numerous others, I hope, notably for the people in the provinces!?
BP: "We will try to co-ordinate our work schedules in order to get a tour together for the spring. It's up to Bleu Citron to organise the concerts. Jules Frutos, of SOS Productions, who is a co-producer of the album with Bertrand and myself; will organise some concerts, it was principally Jules who brought Peter Gabriel over here."
AJ: Before concluding, I would like to know your feelings on two other albums you have participated on this year: the first record by TROLL, released by Musea at the beginning of 88 and the album by the Guillard brothers (PAZAPA) which is being mixed and should be released at the beginning of 1989.
BP: "Concerning TROLL, this was a great experience and it was truly brilliant for me to be able to play on it. There are fine compositions and Michael Altmayer allowed me complete freedom on it, I envy that album. Even if one finds the climate of Magma in his music, one senses that Michael Altmayer also has his own things to say; I think that this is someone who has a lot of talent and personality, he is also a very good drummer and more importantly he is very likeable. With the Guillard brothers it was quite eclectic, there are many different styles, r'n'b, funk. They try not to copy anything, just making what they want to make and it is because of this individuality that this is interesting. It's from this approach that they are able to arrive at an original tone colour and to construct something which is really personal."
A.J: Thank you PAGA (Bernard) and good luck to PAGA (the group)!!!