"How would I characterize my music? I don't know."
So said Pierre Bensusan, French-Algerian born acoustic guitarist, in an interview after his performance last Friday in a packed room in Harriman Hall. Attended by long-time Bensusan fans and area students, the singer and guitarist gave an energetic performance after a lengthy flight and setup time.
"I just had my birthday and this was my present," he joked, regarding a new piece of sound equipment. "We were kind of worried, but I think I've figured it out this afternoon."
Bensusan performed works from his recently released "Anthology," as well as from his previous album, "Intuite," which has earned international acclaim. It was awarded "Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year" from the U.S. Association for Independent Music.
According to Linda Kunz, instructor of French at UB, while Bensusan "sees himself mainly as a guitarist," he is also known for his vocal performances. "Intuite" is his only album without vocal tracks.
Bensusan began performing as a teen and received his first taste of recognition at the age of 19. "Pr?(c)s de Paris," his first album, won the "Grand Prix du Disque" upon its debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland.
His many influences lend his guitar solos an original style. In the 1970s, he participated in the popular rise of French folk music in France and was later influenced by Celtic acoustic styles after spending time in Ireland. Other influences include the music of southern Spain and North Africa, as well as the artists John Renbourn and Leo Kottke.
According to Kunz, Bensusan has a large following in the United States, Europe and Japan, where he often performs.
"What he's really done is picked up on musical styles from different places," Kunz said. "His music has evolved over the years, through his travels. I see him as a troubadour, a wandering minstrel."
Introducing his songs with brief, subtle humor, Bensusan focused on his music, patiently and quietly waiting for the applause to subside.
"I'm going to sing a song now with much the same notes and words, only in a different order," said Bensusan, after a long piece of wordless vocalization.
Ranging from soft melodies that lulled the audience to sleep, to harsher sounds that pushed everyone to the edge of their chairs, Bensusan's music ranges from New Age escapism to folk realism.
Introducing his acoustic piece, "Le Bateau Fiction" (the Imaginary Boat), Bensusan said: "I was in this apartment in Paris - it was not very nice and I had to imagine that I was not in that place - so I played music from away from there."
Before playing a vocal piece rooted in North Africa, and joking about tightened security at the same time, Bensusan told a story of how two days before departing from Paris, he had to visit the embassy because he was worried about not receiving his work permit yet.
"My passport says I was born in Algeria; when I got up there the man said, 'so, you're a musician.' I said, yes. Then he said, 'prove it.' So I said, 'Well, I don't have my guitar with me.' 'So sing.' I looked around, and there were 50 people behind me in line. I asked, 'Are you sure?' And he said 'Yes.' So I started to sing something approaching the Arabic. He liked it."
He described another piece "like a train, not going fast, but fast enough that you can't see what's happening. It's annoying, actually."
After a long round of standing applause, Bensusan came back for an encore, saying, "I haven't sang to you, almost. Would you like to hear something in French?"
Making fun of American tourists, Bensusan said, "In France we have many (tourists). Some speak French. Some don't, but try and we appreciate that. Others don't even try. When French people don't understand them, they just speak louder and slower."
"This happened to me once," he said, going into a comedy bit. "I was at this fast food restaurant in France and the line was filled with people speaking English. I could understand what most people were saying, until this woman came up and talked to me. I didn't answer, then she spoke again, saying, very loud and slow, 'Do you understand me?!' And I looked at her and said, in the same way, 'No, I don't understand you!' She left me alone after that."
Doug Sprei, a music journalist who published an article on Bensusan in Guitar Player Magazine and attended the concert, described his music as "ethereal and from the heart. His music is the art of storytelling without words. It is a blending of many cultures and types of music, and it comes out in his music."
Incredibly, Bensusan has had no formal guitar study.
"As a child I had four years of study of classical piano," he said. "Then I picked up a guitar accidentally. A friend of mine taught me a few chords, but from there, I taught myself."
