Thirty years after leaving it, the Mécènes will perform tomorrow at Nana’s. This return to the Rising Sun for the first pared-masked ball of the carnival season has a special flavor for Jean-Clair Anni. The trombonist was already there in 1982 when the musical group played its first notes.
« Nana, it’s a lifetime ! This is where I had my first carnival with Les Mécènes ! » As the opening of the dance hall approaches, Jean-Clair Anni does not hide his joy. The one who is now the oldest member of the group remembers with emotion the beginning of the adventure for him. « In 1965, I did my first concert at the Rex with my little group, The Jaguars. We were all 15 years old… Afterwards, from 1981, I started playing with the Mécènes. I toured the towns with them during the holidays for the town festivals. We went to Saint-Laurent, Iracoubo, Montsinéry… In 1982, I had my first carnival with them. »
From this first time at Nana’s, Jean-Clair Anni remembers the friends at his side : au trombone, Alain Williams ; on saxophone, Prosper Polony, Robert Ferdinand and Mécène Fortuné, also conductor ; au chacha, « Father Gazelle » ; on drums, André Polony ; at the conga Rémy December ; on bass Romule Mandé ; on clarinet, Gilles Jonaïs and percussion, « little Polony ». Singing, that first evening : Henri Henrion, Hugues Tong Lee A Taï and of course Bernard Inglis. « We didn’t have a singer at that time. Orlane came a few years later. » Afterwards, there will be Clara Nugent, the niece of Jean-Clair Anni and others.
Between 1982 and 1995, the group did not miss a carnival season. Among the highlights remembered by Jean-Clair Anni : the evening when, taking advantage of their visit to Guyana for a concert, members of the Kassav group came to listen to them. The trombonist still remembers the surprise and interest of Jean-Claude Naimro when he heard the mazurka as at home, but who « was not driving » like at home. We could have fun comparing Kassav’s sound before and after, just to see if the famous West Indian group took some sounds from the Guyanese group !
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In 1995, despite the success, despite the reputation, the Patrons chose to leave Nana. At this time, there are concerns about the capacity of the room to accommodate so many people, according to Jean-Clair Anni.
The first masked ball at Polina’s will take place in 1996. « At Polina’s, it started timidly. Groups of alumni followed us : groups of Touloulous, family, Mom’s friends… We also gained other fans, especially among young people. » But despite this success, Jean-Clair remembers, with a touch of sadness, the others. Those who, attached to the room, did not follow the group to Polina’s house.
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« At Nana, we had loyal supporters. The best was the Vélo Solex club. They didn’t come to Polina’s house. For them, it was Nana and nothing else. The members of this group were real entertainers. Some gave me advice on little things. And then the first soup of the morning was next door, at the home of one of them, Félix Zaou. Sometimes I even went there during the evening when we played a piece without a trombone ! » These ambiance players, Ti Maria, Charles Armand, Champon, Ormal « an excellent dancer who followed me to perfection »Henri Tong Lee A Taï… Jean-Clair Anni remembers it perfectly. « They were the most requested riders ! »
If for Touloulous and riders the Nana track is the scene of many memories, it is the same for those who frequented the scene. Perched on the platform, the oldest Patron remembers scenes worthy of films. « I saw a director of the General Council take a slap ! He looked around and thought no one had noticed him, but I saw ! And then there is also the time when a touloulou bit a rider : She had already threatened him with her finger twice. He continued to dance with another touloulou. She came closer, she lifted his bib and bit him on the back ! »
At Nana, the Patrons also had a little habit that Jean-Clair Anni cherished : « certain groups of Touloulous people, whom we knew, waved to us so that we could play their favorite song when they arrived. We tried to do that at Polina’s, but it didn’t work. »
In 2020, when they leave Polina, a room where, to hear the trombonist, the group enjoyed playing, it is to go towards something « bigger ». The Grand Palace, located at Progt, allows, in addition to the dance hall, to have dressing rooms, a repair space for Toulouse people needing to change a dress or shoes, shuttles, a corner for foot massage …But Covid arrives and puts a damper on it. Afterwards, the Patrons will no longer have a fixed room.
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« Today we had this opportunity to return to Nana’s house. It must be said that there is public pressure not to let the city center die, to revive Nana and her village »explains Jean-Clair Anni who greets Soyana, the new team, « young people who have a lot of imagination » who takes over the organization of the balls.
Even if he has never really left Nana since he plays there on Thursday evenings with the Banda Jankler, the musician seems to be impatient.. « Only Gaëtan Jean-Elie, Olivier Chocho, Emile Polony and I have already played at Nana with the Mécènes. Everyone is very happy, recognizes Jean-Clair Anni. But really… I think the happiest of all is me ! »
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