Candid Kam

On historical performing style: I don't make everything Sharon Kam. It's not an option for me to just play me and not interest myself in the time it was written. But I'm not going to look forever to see if a note was written this way or that. If someone throws information my way, or if there's an edition with interesting aspects to it, fine. I have pieces three, four or five times - if there's a new edition, I buy it.

On vibrato: The clarinet has this sound which is full of layers. I think having vibrato on top of that is like putting cream on a cream pudding. It doesn't fit always. On the other hand, every note has to have a direction. It's something that should be taught, that extra flexibility, that extra intensity.

On different schools of clarinet playing: In France, I'm the French school, because I play a French clarinet. In Germany, I'm German, because I have the German way of thinking about music. In America, I'm American, because I studied there. In Poland, I'm Polish, because I have Polish blood. It's crazy. People travel, people study differently to where they are from, although you do have some schools, especially for orchestral sound.

On klezmer: That is for me Jewish religious music, which I can't connect to.