John Beaudin - Hi Marc, nice to have you on the phone. I tell you this new label Rendezvous by Dave Koz is great. They connected us pretty quickly.

Marc Antoine - It's nice to talk to you too John. Yes, they are very professional.

John - So you're on tour for a little while.

Marc - For about three months.

John - I know you live in Spain but do you still have the home in L.A.?

Marc - No, just in Spain now. I lived in L.A. for about twelve years.

John - It's been a few years since "Cruisin" and here you are with the new album "Mediterraneo," released on the 23rd of September. What's the feeling that you get when you release a new album?

Marc - I'm excited in a way and a little bit anxious because you never know what the reactions going to be. (Laughing)

John - (laughing) I'm sure that's a natural reaction to creating anything and just sending it out. Interestingly, I've looked at you as a troubadour of music, experimenting and taking in different sounds from around the world.

Marc - Yes, that's true.

John - Sure you know your instrument but you seem to go out of your way to look for different styles.

Marc - Yes and I think every musician should be experimenting with different styles. It's like learning a new language every time.

John - The new album "Mediterraneo" like "Cruisin'" before and "Universal Language" before that has a great combo plate of sounds that travels to different influences and countries but still fits under the Smooth Jazz umbrella.

Marc - With the new one I really did that a lot. Living in Europe now it gives me a different perspective.

John - Well, we both know most Smooth Jazz artists being played in North America at least are from the United States so your different perspective is obviously clicking with the fans.

Marc - Yeah, I give them all kinds of sounds with the new one, a little bit of warm islands kind of sounds.

John - Is it just natural for you to do that?

Marc - Yes, I think it came up pretty naturally right from the beginning when I started playing music. If I'm amazed in someone playing Flamenco music I'd probably be into that for at least a few months until maybe I hear someone play Bebop and then I'd be into that for a few months. It could be Rock' Roll or Classical music but I'm always attracted to something that musically speaks to me and it certainly doesn't have to be only one style of music. That simply happened very early into my playing days.

John - Back in the days when you played guitar and swam a lot?

Marc - (laughing) Yes, exactly.

John - You were around sixteen years old then?

Marc - Actually, even before I remember being inspired by different things when I was fourteen years old.

John - You have worked with one of my favorite keyboardist Philippe Saisse who I've been playing on radio since his Windham Hill days. I know he produced a few cuts on "Cruisin" and all of "Universal Avenue." I think he's so underrated!

Marc - Oh yes, he's an incredible musician.

John - How far back do you guys go?

Marc - I met Philippe for the first time in the states not in France as most people think. I met him through Kirk Whalum he kept telling me, "You guys speak the same way you just have to get together." We did a few projects together and then we did the whole album "Universal Language." It was a perfect team it was a french affair.

John - I noticed on your website a lot of the reviews are written by the fans. Was that your idea?

Marc - No.

John - Not a bad idea having reviews from the people who buy the albums.

Marc - If you've ever talked to Chris Botti he probably told you he doesn't use the internet much and I'm the same way. I didn't even know people could right stuff like that on my website. (laughing)

John - Before we chat about the new album I have to ask you about a time in your life that I find fascinating. When you were spending all that time becoming what could have been a world class swimmer and at the same time you were playing guitar with all the other hours.

Marc - Yeah, I had a major conflict at around seventeen years old. I was studying Classical music guitar in Paris at the time and I was swimming. It was crazy and I had no time to live for myself basically.

John - Crazy hours on both.

Marc - When you're training in swimming you swim between 2 and 4 miles a day for four to five days a week and to practice Classical music at a high level you have to practice at least four hours a day and that's the bare minimum. Also there is regular studying in there too.

John - I'm sure you never regret picking music?

Marc - Never. I asked my father back then when I was sixteen, seventeen years old what I should do and he really was the person that told me that I had to make a choice that I really couldn't do both. He said, "I'm going to make it easy for you, you'll be the one choosing but look here. If you pick swimming you may become one of the best swimmers in France or even Europe, maybe even in the world who knows but when you're twenty four years old that will be it, it'll be over." Then he said, "With music you'll be seventy years old and still playing." So, I didn't think twice.

John - Yeah, still playing and still getting better.

Marc - Yeah, I didn't think twice because the guitar has more longevity.

John - Your dad introduced you to Keith Jarrett, that's pretty cool.

Marc - Yeah, he had a lot of younger friends that would be listening to a lot of interesting stuff and some of those friends were musicians as well so they were telling him what to buy. I think I was fourteen or fifteen years old when I first heard Keith Jarrett and that turned my world upside down.

John - When you first heard Keith Jarrett did you recognize his brilliance right away?

Marc - Completely and it was piano music it had nothing to do with guitar. It was the same thing when I discovered Miles Davis which I discovered much earlier because my parents used to play "Sketches of Spain" when I was eight or nine years old and then there was "Kind of Blue." So, I really was in that world.

John - So music was big in your household.

Marc - Yes, fairly. When he was home he's play some music and people would come over and they'd dance so I heard a lot of dance music as well.

John - So, your father was a boxer. Can you box?

Marc - Yes, I can actually. The problem is I would break my hands because I started boxing as a kid as well and I broke my hand quickly back then.

John - Well, I was just curious. I just wanted to know if Marc Antoine was a dangerous guy.

Marc - (laughing) No Marc Antoine is not dangerous at all unless you push him. (laughing)

John - (laughing) I'll be good! I thought the story about you going through the glass door was amazing.

Marc - Yeah, I was a very lucky man. I had to go through extensive surgery and the surgeon says I don't think you'll play guitar again and you know I went back and saw the surgeon about three years after and played something for him and he couldn't believe it.

John - Accidentally falling through a glass door, being told you'll never play and then working your butt off to get your hands back in shape in spite of insurmountable odds to me is more than luck. You must have had an amazing will to play.

Marc - Well, you know I look at it in a different way. Before the accident I was extensively studying Classical music and I was about nineteen years old and I was really into Al DiMeola, he was my hero at the time. I would go crazy and play all these notes and every time I'd go jam they'd say, "Oh, Mr. three thousand notes is coming." (laughing) To be honest, I don't think I was playing with much soul. I had a very strong technical ability. This accident told me that we had to take this little talent on the physical side away and give you more talent on the soul. It took me about five to six years to start playing the guitar fairly well again. That was about a year that I started playing with Basia. I think things happen for a reason in life and I don't think I would have had the strength to do what I'm doing because it is very difficult to make it as an artist or musician and very few of us have the luck to be successful.

John - That's quite a story.

Marc - Well, you have to keep the faith and keep doing it.

John - Let's talk about the new album "Mediterraneo." The title song made me feel like "Sunland" did. It's a kick ass, get out of my way catchy tune!

Marc - (laughing)

John - Can I write that in my review? (laughing)

Marc - (laughing) Hey, that's good! That's perfect! I've been going to the Mediterranean a lot since I've been living in Madrid and it's about a three hour drive. That was the inspiration for that one being there with a guitar and just writing some music and that's what came out.

John - The whole album was recorded in Madrid, right?

Marc - Yes at my place in Madrid. Having a home studio is cost effective but also you can have a lot more time to make decisions and record as well.

John - You're the first artist on Dave Koz' Rendezvous label, right?

Marc - Yes, I'm the first artist and I've known Dave for many years.

John - How did your association with Dave on the business sense come to fruition?

Marc - Well, basically I was looking for another situation and when you're looking for a new situation a lot of people approach you and you approach a lot of people as well. From all the people we approached with my management team we quickly decided that this was the best situation and so far so good. They were great with me in the recording process and they are open to a lot of different things. Its great being on a label where basically they speak the same language as you do. Dave is a musician, he knows what's going on from the music side and he's a great business man as well. His partners are great at what they do. Hyman Katz is someone who really knows the business and Frank Cody is there too. These are great people.

Part Two Posted November 18, 2003

John - You have Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets on the new album. I love that guy!

Marc - Yeah, me too.

John - Jimmy's so good on bass, he's scary.

Marc - He was on my first few records, yeah I'd always call Jimmy. This time I called my friend Andre Manga from Cameroon. He plays with me when I'm with my own band in the states and Jan Fabricky is on there on drums and he recently moved back to Europe like me.

John - Together you all seemed to go back to your roots.

Marc - Yes. I always do when Luis Conte is involved and having Jimmy Haslip was a must so I had to call him.

John - Two of the best in the world.

Marc - Yes, they almost come with a guarantee. (Laughing)

John - Jimmy's on "Castellana Hood" and that's a song that gets you in five seconds.

Marc - Yeah, it's got kind of a chill-out thing going on.

John - How did you get that Basia gig way back when?

Marc - I got the Basia gig by being at the right place at the right time in Paris. (Laughing) I was there recording with some people in the studio. Duran Duran was downstairs and they had some musicians from London playing on the record and they were waiting around for Duran Duran who were probably out doing promotion. Anyway, while they were waiting these musicians started jamming and my friend convinced me to go jam with them which was difficult because at the time I couldn't speak English at all. (Laughing) So I went and had a good time and the bass player came up to me afterwards and told me through translation of my friend that I should go to England and play with Basia. At the time I didn't know who Basia was and in French the pronunciation is Bazia. (Laughing) So I knew who Bazia was but not Basia so when I finally went there I didn't know they were the same person.

John - Now there's a good faux pas. (Laughing)

Marc - (laughing) Yeah, when I finally saw her I freaked out.

John - Hey speaking of great vocalists I like Rebeca (Vega) on "Gotham." I guess a guitarist has to love it when his wife sings, hey? I like the story on how you met Rebecca in Spain. You go there and you meet her and fell in love! Hey, that's a place you want to stay.

Marc - (laughing) Oh yeah and she's got a great tone. So I told her to come and try the song and it sounded great.

John - Will we be hearing more from her?

Marc - Well, I don't know she's busy being a mother right now. We have a little one year old boy. She is very talented though, she paints, she's a great dancer and she used to work for Spanish television and she used to be Miss Madrid.

John - Hey, you're doing okay. (Laughing)

Marc - (laughing) I guess so, hey. She's very talented, beautiful, good hearted and a great person.

John - I'm curious Marc, How exactly did the meeting occur?

Marc - I met her on a promotional tour in Spain.

John - Did you know right away?

Marc - Oh yes, we knew right away. It happened very, very quickly and the funny thing is after that quick connection we got to know each other on the phone for nine months because I was living in America at the time. I was working extensively in the United States touring with Guitars & Saxes and I was recording the album "Madrid" at the time. After nine months we finally got together and that was the confirmation which is good because with long distance relationships you can only talk to the person.

John - Yeah, you find out the real stuff.

Marc - Yeah, you get to know them.

Part Three Posted March 1, 2004

John - The song "Lady" really works for me, it has great background vocals and it brings me back to the Sergio Mendes Brazil 66 or Antonio Carlos Jobim stuff.

Marc - There are three different hit versions of it in Europe. When I first heard I just though it had a great melody for the guitar.

John - On "Gringo" I'm hearing the Techno side of Marc Antoine. You’re using a loop on that right?

Marc - Yes. The record is a mixture of Loops and live instruments.

John - It splits the album up a little, gives it a little variety.

Marc - Believe it or not it came from a jam session. I was in the studio with Gwen Barre who co-wrote the song with me and it was just a late jam.

John - Tell me about "Alejandro's Lullaby" it's you out there almost solo. It's for your son right.

Marc - Yes it is. It's very quiet.

John - So do you still swim?

Marc - You know what I swam a lot last summer. I miss it a lot right now and I always look for hotels with good Pools when I’m on the road.

John - We've used some of these questions already on the site but I’m curious with you growing up in France. Did you have a crush on a celebrity as a kid?

Marc - Oh Yes (laughing) I was in Love with Catherine Deneuve

John - Have you ever been intimidated by another guitarist?

Marc - Oh Yeah there was this French guitarist name Lucien Foucard

John - Did you play with him.

Marc - Yews I was studying Classical music and this guy was teaching Jazz and he was well known. One day he just asked me to play the rhythm of a song for him and I did it. I learned a lot of thing from him especially watching him play solos. I couldn't believe it sometimes
because I was sixteen at the time and I had to go to clubs and play with him. Most of the time they wouldn't let me in because I was too young.

John - Did it make you hungry for it playing with him?

Marc - Oh I wanted to do what he was doing.

John - Do you have a pet peeve?

Marc - Sure. It's when I should say no and I don't (laughing).

John - Have you had any embarrassing moments as a musician?

Marc - I've been frozen a few times on stage.

John - When you were much younger?

Marc - Yeah. It would happen when I’d be doing Jams with people who were much better than me at the time. So they started going crazy on stage and I just froze (laughing). As a musician it's very embarrassing.

John - Are you health conscious?

Marc - Oh yeah I try to stay healthy and to calm down when I need to I try to read. It always brings me to a great place and you know sometimes when life gets a little nuts we want to be in another land living through other people in a book. (laughing) That helps
a lot. I love to travel. I don't take very long vacations but I take a lot of very small vacations.

John - Where do you want to be in twenty years?

Marc - With my family, healthy and somewhere around the Mediterranean. Not inland like Madrid I want to be by the Mediterranean and go have a glass of wine with the fisherman of the village.

John - Marc, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. I appreciate that.

Marc - Thanks you very much John.