How Julie Campiche made jazz harp “a thing” — and got the world listening

BY JOSEPH ASQUITH, UK CORRESPONDENT

Founded in 2016, the Julie Campiche Quartet is an experimental jazz ensemble from Switzerland.

These musicians use an array of performance techniques — including live electronic sound effects and lighting — to create unique and atmospheric experiences.

To me, they epitomise a modern ethos of experimentation, breaking genre conventions and creating immersive performances.

To Julie, the rigid labels of genre are worth staying “very far away” from — so far, in fact, that she has forged her award-winning career by combining her instrument (harp) with a style of music rarely associated (jazz).

We chat with Julie ahead of her London quartet performance.

Hi Julie, thanks for joining CutCommon! What excites you the most about performing in the UK?

I’m very excited to come and perform in UK! I really enjoyed it last November when we came for the London Jazz Festival, Cambridge Jazz Festival, and the Black Mountain Jazz Festival in Wales.

The audience in UK is really special! So curious and enthusiastic. It’s a huge pleasure as a musician to share music with them.

I had a listen to your material, and I was super intrigued by the use of the harp in jazz, as I don’t think I have heard this combination before! As a harpist, what got you interested in jazz?

I discovered jazz when I was around 20 years old. I was a substitute in a big band. Back then, my part was all written, but I was in rehearsals and on stage with jazz musicians. So I discover this music directly from the inside, and live.

I didn’t understand what was happening back then, but I’ve completely fallen in love with this atmosphere and the improvisation — the fact that you create something live; the urgency of the moments. The creative process of jazz really impressed me. So I decided that I wanted to learn how to do this. Then I discover that ‘jazz harp’ wasn’t really a thing. So I said to myself, ‘Let’s try and we will see’.

I have been trying for 20 years now, and I’m still enjoying it!

How did the Julie Campiche Quartet form?

It was in 2016. I met every musician from different places, and I wanted to [hear] if they would match together. So I used a school project to try it with them. And after the first rehearsal, I understood that I had a band — a really great band!

I knew it was special and rare, so I took care of it so that we could last for a long time. Because I really wanted to have long relationship with my band. When it’s working well, it allows you to go so far! I’m very honoured, because we are playing together for six years now, and it’s always so nice!

In watching some of your clips online, I’ve noticed visual lighting effects are a crucial part of your performance. How do you think the blend of music and visuals enhances a musical performance?

For me, the music is a way to express something. The music tells you a story, even when there isn’t any word in it.

I always have a story inside my head, or my heart. So I love to collaborate with other art forms — mapping video, trapeze artist, dance, light show — so that the story is told with a different support, and can help the audience to go further in the journey.

You also incorporate a lot of electronic sound effects in your music, which creates an ethereal and immersive atmosphere. What would you say is the value of having electronic sound effects in a live performance?

The electronic sound is an extension of our instrument. We create all the sounds live. So it’s a way to work on the sound, its texture, and its impact. The electronic is used so that we have more vocabulary to tell our story.

What are some of your musical influences?

I hear a lot of different kinds of music […] Tom Waits, The Doors, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Keith Jarrett, Rage Against the Machine, Ray Charles, the Requiem of Mozart, some traditional music, Billie Eilish, My Brightest Diamond.

What advice would you give to emerging artists, especially those who are wanting to experiment and break away from the traditional conventions of genre?

The fact that we classify music by genre is not made for musicians — it’s made so that we can put words to describe the music and communicate something about it, which is very useful of course.

But for me, as a creative artist, I have to protect myself from this, and stay very far away from it. I need to be as open minded as possible, and only listen to what my ears want to hear.

I would advise artists to have the courage to try new things, even if it puts you out of your comfort zone. Follow your heart and your ears.