We recently connected with Martial Besombes and have shared our conversation below.

MARTIAL, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I guess when I was twelve. I remember wanting to improvise but I couldn’t do it. And one night I got a dream –I was improvising on my piano. What a feeling! I think I knew right then, but that’s not when I made the decision.

Let’s go back a few years: I grew up in Annecy, a mid-size town of France.
I started with classical music at the age of five and demonstrated early on that I was talented. Around the age of eleven I was offered the opportunity to study at the National Conservatory in Paris which would have exposed me to an international crowd. Unfortunately, some of my family members opposed this decision on the grounds that this career was a cut-throw business. That’s when I started showing interest in jazz and other forms of contemporary music – but that put me at odds with the institutions I came from. At the age of thirteen I got in a local swing band – The Whiffenpoofs. Average age was probably sixty but there were a couple great players and most importantly, it gave me the taste of an audience – I got hooked.

Fast forward – turning eighteen: time to make a decision about a career.
I needed advice; it was not an easy choice for me. So, one day my piano teacher showed up at a lesson with a homemade CD on which he carefully selected twenty excerpts of famous jazz pianists taken from obscure recordings. The task was to identify the players. I guessed all of them but one in less than two seconds. To my stupefaction he left – and that was it – class was over!

The following week he explained himself: “People should recognize you within a few seconds. The majority of the time you won’t control the where nor the when. You’ll have to live with it. And when people won’t like it – they’ll switch up on you – like they do when listening to the radio.”

Not reassuring. At the time I couldn’t wrap my head around what one could do to shape its sound as a piano player. But I felt relieved – it shed a different light on the problem. I just had to figure out if there was some truth to it. So, I dug out some old tapes and started listening. It was uncomfortable but I couldn’t deny recognizing my playing.

And that’s how I came to a decision.

MARTIAL, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

If you ask a musician why he’s doing what he does, he’ll probably answer that there was never another option. At least, that’s how it was for me. I always knew that I wanted to bring magic through music. I wanted to touch people, make them cry, emote, think, relax, move. Anything to get them out of the mundane – escape the matrix. ‘Music is a window to another world’

Now I got into the industry because I could do it. Staying in it turned out to be harder – I had to learn how to deal with the commercial side of things, and that’s a different game. My ace card was being fluent in multiple genres. What’s great about that, is you get to meet people from different culture and social circles. Also, you can mix up things in really interesting ways. And practically speaking, it allowed me to say no when I didn’t like a project. So, when I say yes – I’m all in. People like that type of commitment – they want to know that you’re not in it just the money. It brings a different type of energy. You have to bring your all if you want to inspire creativity. It’s way harder than what people think but it’s worth it and really fun. I don’t think you can be relevant if you don’t aim high.

At the end of the day, I think the public want us to create spaces where they can be themselves, dream big, celebrate friends and find like-minded people. That’s what music can do and that’s what I love to do.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s the moment you can see everybody smile and say: that was incredible!
I always try to insert something that will make someone turn their head. For me it’s about defending a space for true art. Growing up I experienced very intense emotions when listening to great music. It didn’t matter the genre – whether it was ‘La Valse – Ravel’ or ‘Night Train – Oscar Peterson’. I didn’t have a word for the feeling – It was like a mystery. Today, I still feel like it’s my responsibility to deliver something like that, even when working on commercial projects.
I often heard people say: ‘Beauty (art) is in the eye of the beholder’ – but I think that what they really mean is they’d like to be respected for their particular preferences. In my view, true beauty resides in the fabric of reality – it’s not just in our mind. And that’s the reason for being an artist – to make the case for true beauty.

So, if my music can lead someone to experience a sense of mystery – I feel like I’m living my purpose.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Of course – but at the same time not really. There were plenty of resources – and great people – that helped and even saved me. But the truth of the matter is that you have to take risks, try and err multiple times in order to find what both resonates and is applicable to your particular situation. Every project has a different set of constraints and goals. And on top of it you have your own make up of strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. The older you get the more unique you become so everything has to be custom made.

Now here are a few things I learned:

. It only takes two seconds for someone to trust you. And two seconds to ruin it.
. If you can remove or handle someone else’s pain – they will keep hiring you.
. If you don’t have a system / personalized templates / clear playbook – you won’t be able to scale. It can take weeks, sometimes years to build, but it’s worth every drop of sweat you put into it.
. There are no downsides to aiming high – and it always requires some form of sacrifice upfront.
. There are many in between seasons – where you go from one level to another one. They feel lonely – even if people are around you – they will require change – but they’re worth it
. You have to get to the point where you enjoy the journey more than the destination.

Finally, and equally important to the business side of things, you have to work on yourself.
Again, not one resource in particular – it’s more like a collection of psychology, literature (classics and sci-fi alike) and religious work. And for me there’s the church life. But any community life will do. It’s about self-sacrifice for the sake of a bigger community asides from your business interests. As musician it’s easy to put people second and avoid building inter-personal skills. There are also strong incentives for narcissistic behaviors in the arts and entertainment industry. Nonetheless, the whole system relies heavily on a bunch of people working behind the scenes to make it work. It’s never a solo enterprise.
Bottom line, if you don’t do anything, your mental states will become a liability. And ultimately it’s really not fun to be alone!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.martialbesombes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martialb3/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martialb3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martialb3
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@martialb3
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/martialb3
• Other: https://quintessencejazz.org/

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