My body is an instrument

He doesn’t play music. He is music

If I were told that I could recover my eyesight, I would refuse.I am half-Gypsy, half-Fleming. I was born in Bruges 30 years ago and started playing the guitar when I was six after listening to some flamenco records that my father had brought back from a Gypsy pilgrimage in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in the Camargue region of France. I come from a family of musicians.My grandfather was a violinist and my father plays guitar and sings. When I was a kid, the bedtime ritual was to play me a flamenco record.

I was born blind and, like my brother, premature. My parents used to give him lots of attention so I became independent. My mother insisted that I study in a normal school. I took up violin when I was 17. It’s a ruthless instrument. It either sounds right or totally wrong. I am constantly researching. I experiment. I try different instruments and styles of music. What matters is to share, to meet other people. I’d like my music to be therapeutic.

If I’m not able to find solutions for other people’s problems, my role is to recharge them so they feel inspired to continue in whatever they must do.

My body is an instrument that allows my soul to express itself. I try to play authentic music with a personal touch. Jazz is music to be worked on. One always has to try to improve his knowledge and skill. I am in a perpetual self-construction process, I don’t want to stop and tell myself I have achieved something. I don’t have a specific goal. I only want to let my music grow. Some people say, “Tcha doesn’t play music, he is music.”Being blind makes it easier for me to concentrate. I don’t know what kind of musician I am. I play the music I like and that’s it. If I were told that I could recover my eyesight, I would refuse. Learning to see would be too complicated. I don’t want to change my life. I don’t feel like I’m missing something. Seeing would have more practical benefits. For instance, I’d love to ride a bike. In fact, I am happy… The only thing I need is time. I wishI had more… To reconcile my family life with that of a musician.

I don’t see what more a sighted father could give his son than what I have given mine. My son, Todor, was born at home. The fact that I am blind doesn’t seem to have an impact on my ability to be a good father. In fact, I think it’s normal. When we walk down the street, I hold his hand and he holds mine, each one guiding the other. I try to pass on my values - altruism, friendship and patience - and music plays an important role in his life. I will be very happy if he becomes a musician, but I won’t push him. He will do what he wants to do.

我的身体是件乐器

他不是在演奏音乐，他就是音乐。

世界上有四千万无法看到世界的人。
《COLORS》的最新一期讲述盲人。

如果有人告诉我我可以恢复我的视力，我会拒绝。

我有一半吉普赛血统，一半弗莱明。我30年前出生在布鲁日，六岁时第一次听我的父亲带回来的弗拉明柯的唱片，我就开始学习吉他。我来自一个音乐世家。

我祖父是一名小提琴家，我父亲弹奏吉他和唱歌。当我还是个孩子时，睡前曲就是要播放弗拉明柯的唱片。我一出生就是盲人，像我早产的兄弟一样。我的父母给了他更多的关怀，这使我变得独立。母亲坚持要我在一个正常的学校学习。17岁时我第一次拿起小提琴，它是一个特别的乐曲，不是听起来完全正确，就是完全错误。我不断的练习，尝试不同风格的音乐。我觉得所有事情中最要紧的如何交流与他人交流，我想音乐来治疗了我。

如果我不能找到解决他人问题的办法，那我能做的就是用音乐鼓舞他们，继续他们必须做的事。

我的身体就是一种乐器，使我的灵魂能够表达自己。如果我想演奏真实的音乐，爵士乐是必须要掌握的。人们总在努力改善自己的知识和技能。我活在一个永恒的成长过程中，我不想停下，并告诉自己我已取得了一些成绩。我没有一个具体的目标，我只想让我的音乐成长。人们说，"Tcha不播放音乐时，他就是音乐"。作为一个盲人，我更能集中精力。我不知道自己究竟算是哪一种音乐家。我演奏音乐是因为我喜欢。如果有人告诉我我可以恢复我的视力，我会拒绝。现在再去学习看世界对我来说太难了，我不想改变我的生活。我从不觉得自己错过了什么，能看到当然会有很多美好，比如至少我可以骑自行车。但其实我过得很快乐…我唯一需要的是时间，更多更多的时间。对于家庭，我从不觉得一个不失明的父亲能给他孩子的，而我没有给我的孩子。我的儿子Todor 出生于家中。我的失明并没有阻碍我成为一位好父亲。当我们走上街头，我拉着他的手而他拉着我的，我们互相指引。我试图教会他我觉得重要的事，不自私，友善和耐心。如果他有一天能成为音乐家我会很高兴但我不会强迫，他会做他想做的事。

您可下载这期杂志的有声版本，在这里。