Sixty-eight years separate them, but they share the same love of music, more particularly jazz and improvisation: Rayan, ten, and Patrick, 78, form the duo Rayan and Co, in rehearsal and on stage .
This duet is the fruit of a succession of coincidences, of things that we didn’t expect and that come in handy. The story of an 8-year-old boy, a student at the conservatory, who stops in front of a saxophone in the wind instrument room: “My teacher had shown me several, but I loved the sound of the sax,” he says. Then, it is the fruit of a meeting between a Breton and an Ariégeois (read opposite), both radio amateurs. The first, Patrick, 76, is a guitarist and knows the Breton scenes well where he has often performed. The second, Richard, Rayan’s dad, is also passionate about music. His son doesn’t know it yet, but he loves jazz.
Rayan and Patrick now form the duo Rayan and Co, rehearse once or twice a week and perform together in cafes and restaurants, in Pamiers in particular.
An astonishing but well-rehearsed duo
Among the places that often welcome the duo, there is the restaurant Saveurs du sud, not far from Place Milliane. Jean-Luc, the boss, is a friend of Richand Nègre, Rayan’s dad, a former merchant himself. The two musicians often install their equipment there. They have already performed there in front of an audience amazed by this improbable but already well-established duo. “We play variety, but also a lot of jazz, confides Patrick Blanc. I push Rayan to improvise, giving him some basics. He goes to the conservatory, and he reads music perfectly, but he also likes to improvise.” Wearing a very jazzy cap, precisely, Rayan, ten years old today, likes to share his passion with Patrick. , says the young boy, it’s modern music, jazz, but also musicians like Ed Sheeran. “But it’s Richard, the dad, passionate about music and who manages all the technical aspects, sound and light, who chooses the pieces. As for Patrick, he is no longer surprised to play with a musician much younger than him: “Music is universal, he recalls. It is not a question of age, or religion, or geography”.
“Music will always be part of his life”
It remains to be seen whether Rayan will one day be a professional musician. Very proud of his son’s performance, Richard Nègre does not comment. “What is certain is that music will always be part of his life,” he says.
In the meantime, the little boy rehearses regularly. The musical weeks are very busy: music theory on Tuesday, rehearsal with Patrick on Wednesday, practice of the instrument on Friday, at the conservatory, “and rehearsal on Saturday, when the duo must perform on stage”, adds Richard Nègre. Not to mention the work given to him by his teachers at the conservatory.
Rayan’s schedule has also been arranged thanks to the teaching team of the Carmelite school, which frees this rather special student two half-days a week, so that he can go to the conservatory. This arrangement, “a kind of music studies section” completes Richard Nègre, will be maintained from next year, when the little musician enters college.
All in all, Richard Nègre carefully watches over the path traced by his son: “At first, it made me feel funny,” he admits. I didn’t know at all where we were going”. From now on, a road seems traced. And concert dates have already been set for next summer, including a big party in July for the 11th birthday of this very promising little musician.
