  We give a direct proof of the combinatorial formula for interpolation
Macdonald polynomials by introducing certain polynomials, which we call generic
Macdonald polynomials, which depend on $d$ additional parameters and specialize
to all Macdonald polynomials of degree $d$. The form of these generic
polynomials is that of a Bethe eigenfunction and they imitate, on a more
elementary level, the $R$-matrix construction of quantum immanants.
