JD/what is your opinion on the jazz scene in Portugal ?

JN/ I think the Portugese Jazz scene is an interesting scene because there is a nice mixture of Portugese musical tradition and jazz influences. For example i adore a singer like Maria Joao, she has a strong musical personality.  

JD/which is the origin of your surname Neve? and Jef?

JN/ Neve is from Spanish origin, it means snow. Part of the family moved to south Holland and a part of it arrived in Belgium. Jef comes from Joseph. 

JD/ when you were born in 1977 free jazz was already in the scene for two decades - are you interested in this kind of jazz, the jazz of your generation?

JN/  I discovered the bebop when I was already 18 years old and I was doing my studies at the conservatory in Leuven, so of course I am interested in this music because there are the roots of what I am doing now. I discovered free jazz by one of my uncles who is a painter, and he got me music by Ornette Coleman and later John Coltrane recordings. It took me some time to get used to this sound, but then later on I discovered the freedom and the political aspect of this music and those two are two things that appealed to me.

JD/ tell us about your basic repertoire

JN/  my basic repertoire mainly consists of my own compositions. You have to know that even in the very beginning when I was a small kid, like 6/7 years old, i wanted to become a composer, and I think that my own musical universe is one of my most important vocacions in life. 

JD/do you like to play blues or not so much?

JN/  I used to play blues when i was younger, but it's not really the direction that i want to go. 

JD/ are you also a tune composer? tell us your most sucessful ones

JN/ Eh... I consider all my compositions as real tunes, and probably the most famous one is 'When Spring Begins'  which I recorded on 'Blue Saga' . Because I am surprised that a lot of young piano players here have learned that tune.

JD/ are you going to record 'Goldberg Variations' of João Sebastião Bach? is it a challenge?

JN/ It's a real challenge to play this composition, but I am not yet intending to record it. 

JD/ you are an expert in written music - when you play you prefer to read or to improvise?

JN/  I prefer to improvise, because it is a direct expression of the soul .  

JD/ your opinion on the surprise caused by your first cd 'Blue Saga', on the sucess of your second 'It's Gone' and the expectations on your third trio cd 'Nobody is Illegal'

JN/ That's a long question! I was completely surprised by the success of Blue Saga but I noticed that people were happy with this record because it is music that comes from the soul itself.  I think that with 'It's Gone' we gained a lot of news fans because i'm convinced that on this album we went much further than on Blue Saga on emotional and technical level. This record was the first gate to the countries that surround us. The third cd is the first album which has been released on a major label. During the recording of this album I felt the presure of the expectations after the first two previous albums, but instead of having the feeling that it pushed my back against the wall, it gave me the desire of pushing the limits and experiment with some free improvisations, which result in my opinion in a record which is much more mature that the first two.

JD/ and how about the rest of your discography?

JN/ Right now I am recording the third album of the Pascal Schumacher Quartet in Germany, I also did a very nice album with Fred Delplancq, a great Belgian saxophone player, and I was invited on a lot of different recording projects as a guest musician.  

JD/ does a musician feel more secure recording with a major like you're doing with Universal?

JN/  At the moment we were doing the recording of the album we didn't know yet whether it was going to be again a auto-production on our own label, or if we were going to get a major interested. So I can't say that I was more secure because we weren't sure yet to get a major contract. Anyway, you always have to give the very best of yourself while recording an album, whether it is going to be for a major or not. But now of course I feel their support which I appreciate a lot.

JD/ what do you think about independent recording like the one of Maria Schneider or Branford Marsalis?

JN/ It is great that they decide to create their own record label. Of course with a name like Branford Marsalis it is easier to get your cd distributed everywhere, than for an unknown young artist. 

JD/do you know Jason Moran's music? your opinion

JN/ I listened to a lot of his music, what i found is interesting is the combination of different styles of art. For example the use of nice poetry in his albums is something that really touches me.  

JD/ tell us about the other musicians that will play with you in Portugal?

JN/  The drummer Teun Verbruggen is one of the most inspiring musicians from the European jazz scene because he is using a great mixture of interesting influences. For example, you'll find Teun playing in a band with Trevor Dunn, as well as in a big band situation like Flat Earth Society, or in a more traditional situation like my trio. Piet Verbist  is one of the leading bass players in Belgium, has the quality to always put the right energy on the right spot, is always in for musical adventure, but obiously influenced by some great bass players from the jazz tradition. Beside of being very nice musicians to play with, they are my best friends and we've been playing together for five years now.

JD/ who do you think are the best european jazz piano players?

JN/ I like a lot the music of Stefano Bollani, Esbjörn Svensson, Alexi Tuomarila, Bobo Stenson, ... 

JD/ were you influenced by any north-american jazz piano player?

JN/  Yes, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, ...

JD/ in your repertoire do you favour written or improvised music?

JN/ Actually there is not one without the other, i like to write a well constructed composition with the freedom of the improvisation as the main source from the heart.

JD/ give us your opinion on Uri Caine

JN/ Interesting musician that surprised me a lot of times, especially his love for classical music and his way of giving it a new interpretation, is something that I at least would call something from the new European jazz era. I met him a couple of times and those moments were inspiring and gave me the force to believe in my own musical approach.

JD/ how would you feel if you're invited to play in Manhattan's 'Village Vanguard' with Jeff 'Tain' Watts and Christian McBride?

JN/  I would be delighted! Never played with Christian McBride, but playing with Jef Tain was great! 

JD/ you prefer piano trio? why?

JN/  I adore this three dimensional relationship between musicians, because every musician is always connected with the two others. 

JD/ how did you learn jazz? only in schools?

JN/ I started playing (mainly funk & soul) at the age of 15, i got in touch with jazz music by a guitar player of a band I was playing in, and the music triggered something in me. I started to copy all these great jazz piano players, like Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Art Tatum, and that's how i started to play jazz.

JD/ is it possible to teach swing?

JN/  Yes it is, to a certain point. But you have to feel it in a way, difficult to explain. 

JD/ do you think that nowadays Music and other Arts are in a stagnant period? 

JN/  No, on the contrary, i think that there is a new generation of young artists who are not affraid to combine several disciplines of art forms which can result in a completely new approach of experiencing art.

9 fevereiro 2007