Pháyán, Minstrel of Ancestral Winds
Born in France mainland, raised in Martinique (Caribbean), and now based in Asia, Raphaël (by his artist name Pháyán) is a fujara player (loose translation: “fuu” = adverb imitating the blowing wind, “jar” = spring), a traditional, large, wind instrument originated in central Slovakia as a sophisticated folk shepherd’s overtone fipple flute. It was added by the UNESCO to the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005, and to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
Breathing the world in, breathing ourselves out into the world
Nourished by his fujara’s creative and organic spirit, Pháyán plays the long-forgotten, invisible, and spirited winds of this world. Through mindful listening, he follows their flow, and from their flow, he humbly echoes their tales in the womb of mountains, forests, or caves. Those ancestral breaths also naturally wander within public and private events, gatherings, spiritual circles, and other communities where Pháyán’s spontaneous, profound, warm, and contemplative musical interpretations and improvisations sought to nurture the soul and heart of other fellow human beings. The expansive, atmospheric, and grounding quality of the sound born from the languages of silence offers a unique refuge of tranquillity, harmony, and peace coloring Life, conducive to an intimate, soothing, awakening, purifying, and imaginably cathartic auditory experience.
Pháyán’s musical journey and soundscapes can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and Bandcamp where he shares updates, upcoming events and performances, as well as music releases with others.
About his name
- Phá – ‘to give’ in some South African languages ; a word born from Africa, cradle and origin of the modern human race, the motherland of all motherlands.
- Yán – ‘cliff’ in Mandarin Chinese ; a word born from China, where mountains are of natural, cultural, and spiritual significance for its people.
Taking roots from its primary meaning (‘to give to the cliff’) and from a broader, inclusive perspective, the name Pháyán came to life to nourish and convey a selfless, ancestral, and symbolic message through its music, bound to be a gift for all beings, places, and times, ‘to be given to the edges of the world’.
About his fujara
- Material – Ash wood
- Tuning – G
- Measurements – 173 cm long
- Maker – Handcrafted by artisan Jakub Šaray in Prievidza, Slovakia in December 2023
Others personal projects
- Le cerf-volant – Tea arts
- Kůra Růka – Healing arts (massage therapies, meditation, apothecary)
- Le vagabond bleu – Haiku poetry
- LearnSeedSaving.com – Educational platform dedicated to seed saving