Ton Maas | Jan/Feb 2009 issue
British philosopher R.G. Collingwood said it more eloquently, but the gist of his point was that enjoying real art requires effort. For his definition of “real,” he contrasted art with entertainment. Entertainment can be appreciated effortlessly and provides instant gratification, but leaves you feeling empty, he said, whereas art requires an initial exertion and only afterward provides gratification. It’s a pity Collingwood didn’t live to hear the new double CD by the French guitar, bouzouki and oud player Thierry “Titi” Robin, because by his own standards he would have been pleased by it.
Titi is one of the greatest string-pickers alive, born in the late 1950s in western France and completely self-taught. He received his “schooling” during festivities with the North African immigrants and Roma in his neighborhood. Because Robin diligently emulated the virtuoso guitar technique of the manouche (the fast-and-tight guitar style of the Sinti, a subgroup of the Roma), friends lovingly nicknamed him “Titi,” which he uses as an honorary title and stage name.
Over the course of many exercises in various genres—Roma, flamenco, Arabic and Indian classical music—Titi has forged a style in which these influences merge. Kali Sultana is the magnum opus of that development. Robin takes you on a two-hour musical adventure that alternates between exaltation and shimmering restraint full of suspense. The fact that each track passes into the next without interruption enhances the feeling that you’ve embarked on a journey without end. The music challenges you to allow yourself to be transported. Maybe at first you think, So finicky; where is this leading? The only remedy is to have faith in the mastery of this introvert wizard, because the ecstatic experience that lies hidden in his creation is worth every bit of effort and patience you can muster.
