A Conversation with Yo-Yo Ma – HuffPost 12.7.11

Mike Ragogna: Today I’m talking with the Julliard-at-nine, Mr. Harvard graduate with an honorary doctorate, and renowned international cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Yo, Yo-Yo.

Yo-Yo Ma: Hello, Mike. I only have one regret. I don’t have a solar-powered cello. You have a solar-powered radio station, and that’s very, very cool.

MR: (laughs) Thank you very, very much for the shoutout. Maybe we should look into getting you a solar-powered cello at some point.

YM: Exactly. It’s digitally powered, but is only limited to the number of digits I own. That would be ten. There’s a limit to that also, so if I could get a little assistance from our dear stars in the solar system, then it’ll be much better.

MR: You got it. We’ll talk to a few people and see what we can do for you.

YM: Thank you, Mike.

MR: By the way, we’re the only solar-powered station in the Midwest. Just sayin’.

YM: That’s good. Do you have enough stored power that on a rainy day, the station keeps going?

MR: Yup, all the essentials, .

YM: That’s wonderful. Congratulations.

MR: Thanks and thank you for bringing it up from your end. Okay, on to you, sir, and those Goat Rodeo Sessions you had with Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. Can you tell me how all of this came together?

YM: Well, Mike, I think it’s really a story of friendship–friends and friends of friends. I’ve known Edgar Meyer–the great double bass player and composer–for twenty years. I’m the oldest goat. He’s a younger goat, and he and I have recorded all kinds of things–Appalachian music, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, Edgar’s double concerto… Throughout the years, he would call occasionally and say, “You gotta meet so-and-so.” A couple of years ago, he said, “You have to meet Chris, because I’ve known him all these years and he’s one of these giant talents on the mandolin and he’s a vocalist. Just meet him.” I did and I was floored. We did two tracks on a recording that I did about two years ago, Songs Of Joy And Peace, and they improvised on the song, “Dona Nobis Pacem,” or “Give Us Peace.” It was just unbelievably thrilling to see the two of them work together. So, after that, I asked both of them if they would be interested in doing something else with me. They said, “Yeah, sure! But, the three of us need one more voice. How about Stuart Duncan, who’s an incredible violinist.” They’d known Stuart for twenty years, and sure enough, from the minute I met him–he was this great musician–the chemistry was fabulous. And that’s how Goat Rodeo started.

MR: Is this gathering meant to go beyond just sessions? Will you be touring with this project?

YM: Well, we like each other so much that we’re sort of trying to find ways to perform the music that we recorded, and hopefully, other music, live. We’re going to do a cinecast on, I think, the 31st of January, that’s going to be broadcast across the nation in different theaters. We’re also looking into finding some touring possibilities. So, 7:30 on January 31st I think is the time. We’re going to do it from the House Of Blues in Boston. I think in 2013, we’re going to try to do some touring. Everybody’s schedule is so crazy and complex that I think 2013 is the first available time that we could actually pull the four of us together, and Aoife O’Donovan, who’s a beautiful vocalist. She sings with Crooked Still and she’s going to join us for some of that tour.

MR: Will there possibly be another album in 2013 then?

YM: I have no idea, but the thing is that since this original album is pretty much based on friendship and collaboration, I think that we would all like to do more together. In what form it takes place, I don’t know. It could be a recording, it could be more pieces that we tour, or just fun things. I really think that one of the great parts of doing anything in the innovative or creative realm depends on two things. One is trust between the different people involved, and that collaboration based on trust. And then also, a kind of generosity with what you know and what you can give. I think those components seem to be there amongst the goats.

MR: (laughs) Now, this goat rodeo is going to be traveling together in a Winnebago up to Boston, correct?

YM: Exactly, yes. We’re talking about a touring bus, and I’m really excited about that. The only time I ever traveled in a touring bus was, unfortunately, when I was alone in Phoenix, Arizona, right after September 11. I was there, and of course, as many readers will remember, there were no planes flying. So, there was a touring bus from Nashville that drove me from Arizona back to Boston. It took three days, and I saw very, very wonderful slice swathes of America on those days, which were very sad days, too. Anyway, a touring bus sounds very exciting to me.

MR: You are entrenched in American culture. Let’s face it, anyone who’s on The Simpsonsas themselves…

YM: (laughs) I tried to get in on Arthur, but they made me wear ears, so I was more in the more Vulcan, Spock-like vein there. But you’re right about The Simpsons.

MR: (laughs) And when you’re on The Colbert Report, you know you’ve really made it.

YM: (laughs) Well, Colbert is a very funny guy, and he’s very quick. It was a thrill to be on his show. It’s a great crew and a great set, and I think the audience is very psyched, always, to see him. We were very honored to be on his show.

MR: You know, your credits are as long as my arm. You were on the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack, and the Master And Commander soundtrack, and many more.

YM: You’re very kind to say that, but listen, I’m old. I’m an old guy. When you’ve lived a long time and you started early, a lot of years go by in terms of life experiences. I’m actually really happy about that because the experiences add up, and in some ways, it becomes part of your intuition–kind of the feel of something. Walking into a town that I’ve been to a number of times, I would have lots of memories of people, of friends, of experiences, and that’s a wonderful thing. The hall ends up feeling like a living room. Rather than, “Oh gee, it’s an anonymous space and I’ve gotta do something there.” It’s more like, “I’m really looking forward to going back and having a visit.”

MR: That’s beautiful. Yo-Yo, do you have that connection with an audience when you’re being creative live? Do you feel the energy from them and give it back, I guess I mean like a “cycle”?

YM: Absolutely. I think if ever somebody wonders in an audience what that connection is–the magic happens when there is that active listening or active participation of an audience to what’s happening on the stage, and there’s the active awareness of what’s happening in the room from the stage. If that circle is complete, magic happens. Magic doesn’t happen when there’s an interruption of that.

MR: What about in the studio? It’s a different vibe there, so how does that affect your performance?

YM: Well, I think, in many ways, it’s like the way that people who do photo shoots talk about the eye of the camera and the intimacy of that connection to the camera. For example, in the studio, the ears of the listener are really where the microphones are. So, the space between the sound source from, let’s say, an acoustic instrument and the mic is the distance. In an acoustic hall with, let’s say, 2000 seats, you may be reaching 80 feet in distance. But in a studio, it’s much more intimate. Whenever I’ve tried to record something that I’ve just been playing a lot live in concert halls, immediately, the sound space has to become much more intimate and you have to change timing and sound projection–all of that–to fit into that new space. It actually can be quite personal. People like Glenn Gould famously loved the intimacy of the studio more than the hall. I love live audiences, because I think obviously nothing quite replaces that magic. But I think there’s also tremendous magic that happens in the studio if you take in all of that sound space, and that instrument and mic relationship.

MR: Is it also fair to say that when you’re performing and recording in the studio, it’s such a personal experience that you’re also doing it for you?

YM: Well, I think you’re doing it for a number of parts of you or me. I think there’s also a circular energy there too because the different parts of you include the person that decides what this thing is about. “What are you trying to say? What’s your point? Why are you here? Why are you doing this?” And it has to be a very, very good reason. Then there’s the person and the part of me that’s saying, “Well, I now know why I’m doing it but how do I do it?” I have to turn that into real sound and I want to make it good. And then the third part is sort of like, “How’s it going?” If you’re telling a story, how is the story going? Is it a shaggy dog story? Am I going on too long? Is there a punch line? What’s going on? How is it being received?” That’s the attention paid to what else is happening in the room and who’s in the audience. “Is the audience tired? Has it been an incredibly snowy day? What’s going on, what are people reacting to, and how do we make this good for everybody?” So, if you can split yourself into those three components and you kind of hit good readings on all three parts, then probably there’s a good chance there’s some good communication going on.

MR: You’ve recorded about 75 albums at this point. Have you ever taken on works because they are even more challenging than the ones you recorded before them?

YM: Well, I think in order to grow, you have to take apart something so that growth can take place. Another way of talking about that is that you have to go to the unfamiliar or make the unfamiliar familiar. You have to make what is not your own and what is not yours your own so that it becomes internalized. I think that’s part of being alive and part of trying to stay in the present. We’re always changing. I’m a naturally curious person, so if someone does something that’s really exciting and the conditions are right–whether it’s a friendship or collaboration or that you’re dying to do something or that the timing’s right–you will take more of a risk to do something that’s unfamiliar because all the other conditions are right.

MR: It’s building muscles–you break down the old ones to build the new ones.

YM: Exactly. And I think that’s what I love with The Goat Rodeo Sessions. On the one hand, you can say, “How are you doing all this stuff because it’s unfamiliar to you?” But the fact that I’ve known Edgar for so long and think that Edgar and Chris work so well together and that they’ve known Stuart for so long makes it obviously the right thing to do. It’s like, “Of course we’re going to do this.” Whatever doubts I may have had were dispelled after our first rehearsal, when the people that I trust the most said, “It’s gonna be great.” I’m just putty in their hands. I say, “Okay, great.” And guess what? That’s the way it happened throughout the whole year when we got together at the recording sessions, or when we did a media tour. It was just really smooth sailing and lots of laughter and lots of joy and really good work was done.

MR: You sound like a contemporary rather than their mentor.

YM: Oh, I’m certainly not a mentor. I’m a goat, remember? I’m an old goat. (laughs) And then there are the young ones.

MR: (laughs) And what do you call a young goat?

YM: I don’t know–kids? A kid!

MR: A kid! But if you call them “kids”…

YM: Well, they call me “Old Goat,” so I can say, “Well, you’re just kids.”

MR: (laughs) Is there one story you can share as far as you goats’ recording process works?

YM: Well, there’s a story with the whole term “goat rodeo.” We had a goat rodeo song, and the working titles for all the songs were different kinds of rodeos. There was “Irish Rodeo,” there was “Jewish Rodeo,” there was “Dutch Rodeo.” They were just working titles, but then we had to think of an actual title for the album. We were thinking, “What do we call this? Contemporary American?” (laughs) We couldn’t come up with something that defined the sort of fun, creative aspects of this romp. And finally, I think Chris looked up “goat rodeo” on the contemporary urban dictionary or something, and found the definition that we loved. As an aviation term, it’s mayhem up in the air–if you’re to land the plane, a hundred things have to go absolutely right for there to be a safe landing. At the landing, the pilot says, “That was a goat rodeo,” and we thought, “Gee, that sounds like our sessions. Let’s call it Goat Rodeo Sessions.” Believe it or not, the record company thought, “Wow, this is great. We like it.” And you know what? It does! It makes people ask the question, “Well, what is it?”

MR: Sony Classical, these days, is a different Sony Classical than it was before, in that they take on different kinds of recordings relative to classical music. But it seems to be a new era for classical music, one goes hand in hand with virtually everything, so why not cross those boundaries. Why not have a little fun with it.

YM: Absolutely. Classical tradition has always been a fusion and an amalgam of different traditions coming together, whether it’s sacred, secular, or folk. I think the separations came when recorded music started to be marketed. Of course, when you market something, you find niches. You find categories. But, actually, the people who were writing and creating classical music always took from different traditions, whether it’s Bernstein or Beethoven. They all did. So, this is just going back to its roots. Actually, a lot of classical tradition was improvisation. So, that’s also another part that’s kind of being soiled and re-tilled. I think that makes a lot of sense.

MR: I have to mention, Yo-Yo, how you were also named the Peace Ambassador in 2006.

YM: I think they meant as in p-i-e-c-e. I think it was just a spelling error.

MR: (laughs) Was it fun being the Peace Ambassador of 2006?

YM: Well, one of the things that I love about this type of role is that I think there are a number of ways that bring people happiness in life. I think when your political, economic, and cultural engines are firing on all cylinders, we have a happy society. And I think the three have to work together, and they’re separate but equal. In a sense, the only reason to do music is because it gives people meaning. It gives meaning to life. And obviously, we need strong political stability. Obviously, we need a strong economy that is vibrant and innovative and all of that. But to work towards actually bridging gaps between people or between peoples, I think, in some ways, that could be done through cultural means because culture goes deep inside someone’s core. In many ways, it’s one ear to another ear. It’s two eyes to two other eyes. It’s person to person. It’s more a scalpel than a cudgel.

MR: Wow, that’s beautiful. Now, I have to be mischievous because of this being published in The Huffington Post and all…

YM: Yes, of course.

MR: Do you feel that it’s sometimes in politicians or political parties’ interests to go after the arts and they’re funding because it’s the least understood area of development as far as communications goes? Do you think there’s maybe a conscious effort to pull that back?

YM: I’m not qualified, I don’t think, to talk about what politicians do or what politics does. I mean, I’m an observer and, obviously, a participant in the sense that I do vote, and that’s nice because I try and think about what citizenship means and I try and talk about that as a musician. I think what I can talk about is how incredibly important it is for everybody to participate because it’s the only system we have. If we don’t participate, it really then gets run by people who are participating, and if you don’t like it, then participate. So, I do think it’s important–and I know friends who would disagree with me–that culture should try and remain a separate engine from politics and vice versa, because when politics or a state starts to say, “You can’t do this” or “It must be this,” then we’re getting into some kind of totalitarian regime. It’s the same thing with culture. You know, culture deals on a different time frame than politics. There’s no election cycle in culture, and the time frame could be 50 years or 2000 years and that’s not politics. So, there are different truths that actually need to be addressed from each engine. I think when you start confusing the two, you get a mish-mash, and probably less meaning and more confusion.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

YM: For new artists, there are two important things. Know yourself, which is hard to do because you keep changing. Who are you? And then also, know the world. And make a relationship between the two.

MR: Thank you so much for your time, Yo-Yo.

YM: Thank you, Mike. You take good care.

Transcribed by Claire Wellin