Paul Collins Artist Services International: PCAMI* News
Sounds of Timeless Jazz Kansas City Outbound CD Review - February 25, 2010
Sounds of Timeless Jazz CD Review by Paula Edelstein
KANSAS CITY OUTBOUND
ROBERTO MAGRIS TRIO
The old adage that music is the universal language couldn’t be truer when it comes to the music of Italian pianist Roberto Magris. His latest recording with the legendary bassist Art Davis titled KANSAS CITY OUTBOUND is a ripe example of jazz pianism at its best. The Robert Magris Trio plays excellent renditions of songs from the Great American Songbook (“I Fall In Love Too Easily” “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing,” among others) jazz favorites written by Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk and Benny Carter, as well as Magris’ originals which include the title track, “Iraqi Blues”, “Rainbow Eyes,” and “KC Inbound.” Magris’ style is pure, delicate when necessary, tempting and gives you, dear listener the feeling that he is playing especially for you. Joined by Art Davis on bass, and drummers Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson and Zack Alberta on select tracks, the performances by Roberto Magris will endear you to his playing for years to come. Whether he’s bopping, playing a quiet ballad or swinging hard, this trio has something for everyone and is sure to entertain you with the wonderful selection of special songs. Buy it today.
KANSAS CITY OUTBOUND
ROBERTO MAGRIS TRIO
The old adage that music is the universal language couldn’t be truer when it comes to the music of Italian pianist Roberto Magris. His latest recording with the legendary bassist Art Davis titled KANSAS CITY OUTBOUND is a ripe example of jazz pianism at its best. The Robert Magris Trio plays excellent renditions of songs from the Great American Songbook (“I Fall In Love Too Easily” “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing,” among others) jazz favorites written by Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk and Benny Carter, as well as Magris’ originals which include the title track, “Iraqi Blues”, “Rainbow Eyes,” and “KC Inbound.” Magris’ style is pure, delicate when necessary, tempting and gives you, dear listener the feeling that he is playing especially for you. Joined by Art Davis on bass, and drummers Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson and Zack Alberta on select tracks, the performances by Roberto Magris will endear you to his playing for years to come. Whether he’s bopping, playing a quiet ballad or swinging hard, this trio has something for everyone and is sure to entertain you with the wonderful selection of special songs. Buy it today.
All About Jazz Italy-Interview with Herb Geller - October 17, 2009
Intervista a Herb Geller
By Angelo Leonardi
All'età di 81 anni Herb Geller è in piena attività ed il suo stile creativo, variopinto e luminoso, è inossidabile al trascorrere del tempo: sembra voler ripercorrere le orme del suo primo modello, Benny Carter, in gran forma ben oltre i novant'anni.
La sua biografia è esemplare, come lo è quella di un grande protagonista della storia del jazz che ha attraversato e reinterpretato con personalità almeno tre scuole: il Be-Bop, il West Coast Jazz e l'Hard Bop.
Il suo nome resta associato alle celebri incisioni del 1954 con l'ottetto Clifford Brown-Max Roach e nella California di quel decennio collaborò con i protagonisti del West Coast Jazz: da Shorty Rogers a Howard Rumsey, da Shelly Manne a Chet Baker, da Bill Holman a Maynard Ferguson.
Dopo la morte della prima moglie Lorraine nel 1958, Geller tornò a New York dove guidò il suo ensemble più importante, il sestetto con Scott LaFaro (Gypsy, 1959). Dai primi anni sessanta la sua carriera si è svolta principalmente in Europa: in orchestre tedesche, in collaborazioni con Friedrich Gulda (1965-66), Peter Herbolzheimer (1970-79), Jan Lundgren (1994) e con propri gruppi.
All About Jazz: Negli ultimi anni Lei ha registrato in Germania una decina di dischi come leader e un lavoro in Italia per la Soul Note, nel nuovo organico Herb Geller & Roberto Magris Europlane Quintet.
Come è nata la collaborazione col pianista triestino?
Herb Geller: Roberto mi ha contattato nel 2003, invitandomi a Trieste per registrare il CD Il bello del jazz ma la collaborazione non s'è fermata lì. Da allora abbiano suonato in vari concerti: ad Ancona Jazz, al JazzTime Rijeka in Croazia, a Padova Jazz e in un breve tour italiano. Saremo il 19 novembre al festival di Novi Sad in Serbia e al Porgy & Bess di Vienna in dicembre. Per me è un'esperienza particolarmente felice suonare con Roberto, con il sassofonista Denis Razumovic, il contrabbassista Nikola Matosic e il batterista Enzo Carpentieri.
Se tutto va bene ci sarà anche un prossimo disco.
AAJ: Il suo ultimo disco è dedicato alle composizioni di Arthur Schwartz. Un autore importante ma poco noto. Com'è nata l'idea?
H.G.: Quel CD è nato dietro suggerimento di Alastair Robertson, per la sua etichetta Hep Records. Mi trovavo in tour in Gran Bretagna e sono stato fortunato a poter incidere con la mia formazione di allora, comprendente il pianista John Pearce, il bassista Len Skeat e il batterista Bobby Worth. Ho sempre raccolto le canzoni dei grandi songwriter americani come Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen eccetera ed ho raccolto circa tremila pezzi nel mio hard disk comprendenti testi e armonie. Arthur Schwartz è stato uno dei miei autori preferiti anche se purtroppo non ha raggiunto la popolarità degli altri.
AAJ: Benny Carter è stato molto importante nella sua formazione. Cosa ricorda di lui?
H.G. Benny Carter ha rappresentato qualcosa di veramente speciale per me. L'ho ascoltato per la prima volta in un teatro di Los Angeles quando avevo 14 anni e fu allora che decisi di diventare un musicista professionista. Divenimmo amici quando mi trovai ad incidere con lui in un long playing di Quincy Jones negli anni cinquanta. Poi ci siamo ritrovati altre volte: abbiamo registrato assieme nel 1988 a New York, suonato in un festival ad Helsinki e partecipato al concerto celebrativo per i suoi 90 anni. Ogni volta che sono tornato a Los Angeles sono andato a trascorrere un po' di tempo con lui e sua moglie.
AAJ: Oltre a quella di Benny Carter ha avuto altre influenze significative?
H.G.: Si, Johnny Hodges... ma negli anni quaranta Charlie Parker ha rappresentato per me un modello importantissimo.
AAJ: Quando ha suonato per la prima volta in Europa?
H.G.: La prima volta fu nel 1962 quando mi venne offerto di suonare con la SFB Orchestra di Berlino Ovest. Tre anni dopo ebbi la proposta di una scrittura stabile nella NDR Orchestra di Amburgo, dove sono rimasto fino al mio 65° compleanno, quando sono andato in pensione. Nei 15 anni che sono trascorsi da allora ho suonato regolarmente in Europa e negli Stati Uniti.
AAJ: Lei ha lavorato per un certo periodo nell'orchestra di Claude Thornill. C'era anche Gil Evans?
H.G.: Ho suonato nell'orchestra di Thornill tra il 1950 e il 1951. È stata una straordinaria esperienza per me. Si c'era Gil Evans e scriveva occasionalmente qualche arrangiamento, provandolo poi con tutta l'orchestra.
AAJ.: Poco tempo dopo Lei ha lasciato New York per trasferirsi in California...
H.G.: Mi sono trasferito a Los Angeles nel 1952 perché c'erano parecchie opportunità di registrare stando lì. La musica fu etichettata come West Coast e Cool per evidenziare una differenza con le session di New York ma ironicamente la gran parte dei musicisti di quel movimento erano originari della costa orientale. Ho suonato spesso con i musicisti che orbitavano attorno al Lighthouse e lì ho incontrato la mia prima moglie Lorraine che era pianista stabile in quel locale insieme a Max Roach ed altri.
AAJ: In quegli anni Los Angeles fu anche la culla per le prime esperienze di molti innovatori della comunità afro-americana, come Eric Dolphy e Charles Mingus...
H.G.: Ho frequentato la scuola superiore con Eric Dolphy ed eravamo amici stretti ma allora non ho conosciuto Mingus.
AAJ: Per restare nell'ambito dei musicisti neri, è vero che ha suonato con l'orchestra di Roy Porter?
H.G.: Si ma non molto. Con quella formazione ho svolto alcune prove e ci siamo poi esibiti in concerto.
AAJ: Nel 1954 ha partecipato a famose registrazioni con Clifford Brown. Cosa ricorda del trombettista e di quella session?
H.G.: Mi ritengo molto fortunato di aver potuto suonare con Clifford Brown, che era anche un mio buon amico. Io, Clifford e Max Roach avevamo tutti un contratto con la Mercury e così registrammo assieme in alcune session con Dinah Washington, Maynard Ferguson e Clark Terry. Clifford resta il mio trombettista preferito e di lui voglio ricordare anche le doti umane: era una persona magnifica.
AAJ: Uno dei suoi gruppi migliori è stato il sestetto comprendente Thad, Elvin Jones e Scott LaFaro. Cosa ricorda di quel grande bassista? È vero che fu Lei a presentarlo a Bill Evans?
H.G.: Scott era un carissimo amico e visse a casa mia per alcune settimane mentre era alla ricerca di un appartamento a Los Angeles. Più tardi lo raccomandai a Benny Goodman che stava organizzando un tour della sua band, di cui anch'io facevo parte. Scott voleva lasciare la California per stabilirsi a New York e l'ingaggio andava nella giusta direzione.
La notte prima di partire andammo a sentire Bill Evans in un locale, io li presentai e Bill chiese a Scott di unirsi a lui nel secondo set. Nei giorni successivi, quand'eravamo già in tour, Scott ricevette un telegramma da Bill Evans che gli proponeva di unirsi a lui.
AAJ: Restiamo ai primi anni sessanta. In tour con Goodman Lei si recò anche in Sud America e per qualche tempo decise di fermarsi in Brasile proprio nel momento in cui nasceva la bossa nova...
H.G.: L'ultimo concerto con Goodman fu a San Paolo. In quei giorni avevo conosciuto un pianista che era anche proprietario di un night club e mi propose di restare per far parte del suo combo. Così quando l'orchestra di Benny tornò a New York io rimasi in Brasile per sei settimane dove ebbi modo di conoscere e suonare brani come “Desafinado” e “One Note Samba” che diverranno famosi più tardi, dopo che Stan Getz li incise.
Successivamente mi fu offerta la scrittura nell'orchestra di Berlino Ovest di cui ho detto e lì conobbi la mia attuale moglie.
AAJ: Che progetti ha per il prossimo anno?
H.G.: Spero di continuare a suonare tanto a lungo quanto la salute me lo consente.
By Angelo Leonardi
All'età di 81 anni Herb Geller è in piena attività ed il suo stile creativo, variopinto e luminoso, è inossidabile al trascorrere del tempo: sembra voler ripercorrere le orme del suo primo modello, Benny Carter, in gran forma ben oltre i novant'anni.
La sua biografia è esemplare, come lo è quella di un grande protagonista della storia del jazz che ha attraversato e reinterpretato con personalità almeno tre scuole: il Be-Bop, il West Coast Jazz e l'Hard Bop.
Il suo nome resta associato alle celebri incisioni del 1954 con l'ottetto Clifford Brown-Max Roach e nella California di quel decennio collaborò con i protagonisti del West Coast Jazz: da Shorty Rogers a Howard Rumsey, da Shelly Manne a Chet Baker, da Bill Holman a Maynard Ferguson.
Dopo la morte della prima moglie Lorraine nel 1958, Geller tornò a New York dove guidò il suo ensemble più importante, il sestetto con Scott LaFaro (Gypsy, 1959). Dai primi anni sessanta la sua carriera si è svolta principalmente in Europa: in orchestre tedesche, in collaborazioni con Friedrich Gulda (1965-66), Peter Herbolzheimer (1970-79), Jan Lundgren (1994) e con propri gruppi.
All About Jazz: Negli ultimi anni Lei ha registrato in Germania una decina di dischi come leader e un lavoro in Italia per la Soul Note, nel nuovo organico Herb Geller & Roberto Magris Europlane Quintet.
Come è nata la collaborazione col pianista triestino?
Herb Geller: Roberto mi ha contattato nel 2003, invitandomi a Trieste per registrare il CD Il bello del jazz ma la collaborazione non s'è fermata lì. Da allora abbiano suonato in vari concerti: ad Ancona Jazz, al JazzTime Rijeka in Croazia, a Padova Jazz e in un breve tour italiano. Saremo il 19 novembre al festival di Novi Sad in Serbia e al Porgy & Bess di Vienna in dicembre. Per me è un'esperienza particolarmente felice suonare con Roberto, con il sassofonista Denis Razumovic, il contrabbassista Nikola Matosic e il batterista Enzo Carpentieri.
Se tutto va bene ci sarà anche un prossimo disco.
AAJ: Il suo ultimo disco è dedicato alle composizioni di Arthur Schwartz. Un autore importante ma poco noto. Com'è nata l'idea?
H.G.: Quel CD è nato dietro suggerimento di Alastair Robertson, per la sua etichetta Hep Records. Mi trovavo in tour in Gran Bretagna e sono stato fortunato a poter incidere con la mia formazione di allora, comprendente il pianista John Pearce, il bassista Len Skeat e il batterista Bobby Worth. Ho sempre raccolto le canzoni dei grandi songwriter americani come Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen eccetera ed ho raccolto circa tremila pezzi nel mio hard disk comprendenti testi e armonie. Arthur Schwartz è stato uno dei miei autori preferiti anche se purtroppo non ha raggiunto la popolarità degli altri.
AAJ: Benny Carter è stato molto importante nella sua formazione. Cosa ricorda di lui?
H.G. Benny Carter ha rappresentato qualcosa di veramente speciale per me. L'ho ascoltato per la prima volta in un teatro di Los Angeles quando avevo 14 anni e fu allora che decisi di diventare un musicista professionista. Divenimmo amici quando mi trovai ad incidere con lui in un long playing di Quincy Jones negli anni cinquanta. Poi ci siamo ritrovati altre volte: abbiamo registrato assieme nel 1988 a New York, suonato in un festival ad Helsinki e partecipato al concerto celebrativo per i suoi 90 anni. Ogni volta che sono tornato a Los Angeles sono andato a trascorrere un po' di tempo con lui e sua moglie.
AAJ: Oltre a quella di Benny Carter ha avuto altre influenze significative?
H.G.: Si, Johnny Hodges... ma negli anni quaranta Charlie Parker ha rappresentato per me un modello importantissimo.
AAJ: Quando ha suonato per la prima volta in Europa?
H.G.: La prima volta fu nel 1962 quando mi venne offerto di suonare con la SFB Orchestra di Berlino Ovest. Tre anni dopo ebbi la proposta di una scrittura stabile nella NDR Orchestra di Amburgo, dove sono rimasto fino al mio 65° compleanno, quando sono andato in pensione. Nei 15 anni che sono trascorsi da allora ho suonato regolarmente in Europa e negli Stati Uniti.
AAJ: Lei ha lavorato per un certo periodo nell'orchestra di Claude Thornill. C'era anche Gil Evans?
H.G.: Ho suonato nell'orchestra di Thornill tra il 1950 e il 1951. È stata una straordinaria esperienza per me. Si c'era Gil Evans e scriveva occasionalmente qualche arrangiamento, provandolo poi con tutta l'orchestra.
AAJ.: Poco tempo dopo Lei ha lasciato New York per trasferirsi in California...
H.G.: Mi sono trasferito a Los Angeles nel 1952 perché c'erano parecchie opportunità di registrare stando lì. La musica fu etichettata come West Coast e Cool per evidenziare una differenza con le session di New York ma ironicamente la gran parte dei musicisti di quel movimento erano originari della costa orientale. Ho suonato spesso con i musicisti che orbitavano attorno al Lighthouse e lì ho incontrato la mia prima moglie Lorraine che era pianista stabile in quel locale insieme a Max Roach ed altri.
AAJ: In quegli anni Los Angeles fu anche la culla per le prime esperienze di molti innovatori della comunità afro-americana, come Eric Dolphy e Charles Mingus...
H.G.: Ho frequentato la scuola superiore con Eric Dolphy ed eravamo amici stretti ma allora non ho conosciuto Mingus.
AAJ: Per restare nell'ambito dei musicisti neri, è vero che ha suonato con l'orchestra di Roy Porter?
H.G.: Si ma non molto. Con quella formazione ho svolto alcune prove e ci siamo poi esibiti in concerto.
AAJ: Nel 1954 ha partecipato a famose registrazioni con Clifford Brown. Cosa ricorda del trombettista e di quella session?
H.G.: Mi ritengo molto fortunato di aver potuto suonare con Clifford Brown, che era anche un mio buon amico. Io, Clifford e Max Roach avevamo tutti un contratto con la Mercury e così registrammo assieme in alcune session con Dinah Washington, Maynard Ferguson e Clark Terry. Clifford resta il mio trombettista preferito e di lui voglio ricordare anche le doti umane: era una persona magnifica.
AAJ: Uno dei suoi gruppi migliori è stato il sestetto comprendente Thad, Elvin Jones e Scott LaFaro. Cosa ricorda di quel grande bassista? È vero che fu Lei a presentarlo a Bill Evans?
H.G.: Scott era un carissimo amico e visse a casa mia per alcune settimane mentre era alla ricerca di un appartamento a Los Angeles. Più tardi lo raccomandai a Benny Goodman che stava organizzando un tour della sua band, di cui anch'io facevo parte. Scott voleva lasciare la California per stabilirsi a New York e l'ingaggio andava nella giusta direzione.
La notte prima di partire andammo a sentire Bill Evans in un locale, io li presentai e Bill chiese a Scott di unirsi a lui nel secondo set. Nei giorni successivi, quand'eravamo già in tour, Scott ricevette un telegramma da Bill Evans che gli proponeva di unirsi a lui.
AAJ: Restiamo ai primi anni sessanta. In tour con Goodman Lei si recò anche in Sud America e per qualche tempo decise di fermarsi in Brasile proprio nel momento in cui nasceva la bossa nova...
H.G.: L'ultimo concerto con Goodman fu a San Paolo. In quei giorni avevo conosciuto un pianista che era anche proprietario di un night club e mi propose di restare per far parte del suo combo. Così quando l'orchestra di Benny tornò a New York io rimasi in Brasile per sei settimane dove ebbi modo di conoscere e suonare brani come “Desafinado” e “One Note Samba” che diverranno famosi più tardi, dopo che Stan Getz li incise.
Successivamente mi fu offerta la scrittura nell'orchestra di Berlino Ovest di cui ho detto e lì conobbi la mia attuale moglie.
AAJ: Che progetti ha per il prossimo anno?
H.G.: Spero di continuare a suonare tanto a lungo quanto la salute me lo consente.
Herb Geller & Roberto Magris @ The Padova Jazz Festival 2009-Italy - September 16, 2009
HERB GELLER & ROBERTO MAGRIS
"EUROPLANE QUINTET"
Venerdì 9 Ottobre 2009
(1° set ore 19:00 – 2° set ore 21:00 )
“Jazz at the Plaza – Straight, No Chaser”
Hotel Plaza, Padova
Herb Geller - alto sax
Denis Razz - alto sax
Roberto Magris - piano
Nikola Matosic - contrabbasso
Enzo Carpentieri - batteria
L’aggancio con la storia del jazz è fornito quest’anno dalla presenza di Herb Geller, sax contralto sopraffino tra i più rappresentativi del jazz californiano sviluppatosi negli anni ’50, ben noto ed apprezzato da tutti i fan ed addetti ai lavori nel campo del jazz mainstream. Ottantenne, Geller possiede ancora una vitalità e una sicurezza sullo strumento che sembrano non aver perso nulla di quella presenza che tanto caratterizzò incisioni importanti al fianco di figure magari più famose. E qui l’elenco, pur tedioso, si impone : Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Anita O’Day, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Bill Holman, Quincy Jones, Art Pepper, Kenny Clarke-Francis Boland Big Band, Benny Carter, Stan Getz, Scott La Faro, Bill Evans…e ne mancano ancora parecchi! Residente in Europa da anni, ha trovato nell’ Europlane del pianista Roberto Magris la formazione ideale per continuare a suonare e girare, in particolare in Italia, dove manca da decenni. Insieme i due hanno registrato il cd “Il bello del Jazz” per la Soul Note e si sono esibiti in prevalenza all’estero. La formazione è completata da Denis Razumovic al sax alto e Nikola Matosic al contrabbasso, tra i migliori specialisti del loro strumento nei loro rispettivi paesi, Croazia e Slovenia, e dal batterista Enzo Carpentieri, già a fianco di Magris in Europa, Cina, Indonesia, Australia e Uzbekistan, a Tashkent e Samarkanda con “Il Jazz sulla Grande Via della Seta”.
"EUROPLANE QUINTET"
Venerdì 9 Ottobre 2009
(1° set ore 19:00 – 2° set ore 21:00 )
“Jazz at the Plaza – Straight, No Chaser”
Hotel Plaza, Padova
Herb Geller - alto sax
Denis Razz - alto sax
Roberto Magris - piano
Nikola Matosic - contrabbasso
Enzo Carpentieri - batteria
L’aggancio con la storia del jazz è fornito quest’anno dalla presenza di Herb Geller, sax contralto sopraffino tra i più rappresentativi del jazz californiano sviluppatosi negli anni ’50, ben noto ed apprezzato da tutti i fan ed addetti ai lavori nel campo del jazz mainstream. Ottantenne, Geller possiede ancora una vitalità e una sicurezza sullo strumento che sembrano non aver perso nulla di quella presenza che tanto caratterizzò incisioni importanti al fianco di figure magari più famose. E qui l’elenco, pur tedioso, si impone : Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Anita O’Day, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Bill Holman, Quincy Jones, Art Pepper, Kenny Clarke-Francis Boland Big Band, Benny Carter, Stan Getz, Scott La Faro, Bill Evans…e ne mancano ancora parecchi! Residente in Europa da anni, ha trovato nell’ Europlane del pianista Roberto Magris la formazione ideale per continuare a suonare e girare, in particolare in Italia, dove manca da decenni. Insieme i due hanno registrato il cd “Il bello del Jazz” per la Soul Note e si sono esibiti in prevalenza all’estero. La formazione è completata da Denis Razumovic al sax alto e Nikola Matosic al contrabbasso, tra i migliori specialisti del loro strumento nei loro rispettivi paesi, Croazia e Slovenia, e dal batterista Enzo Carpentieri, già a fianco di Magris in Europa, Cina, Indonesia, Australia e Uzbekistan, a Tashkent e Samarkanda con “Il Jazz sulla Grande Via della Seta”.
Jean-Claude Pennec from France Reviews the Roberto Magris Trio CD "Kansas City Outbound" - August 18, 2009
Jean-Claude Pennec from Citizen Jazz.com
Reviews the Roberto Magris Trio
Kansas City Outbound
Kansas City Outbound est le dernier-né de Roberto Magris, pianiste originaire de Trieste relativement peu vu en France mais qui, d’album en album (déjà une quinzaine), installe une belle aventure musicale. Sur cet album, enregistré à Kansas City, il mêle ses propres compositions à quelques titres de Monk, Andrew Hill, Benny Carter ou Billy Strayhorn. Mieux encore, il y invite Art Davis contrebassiste de légende (Coltrane, Olé et A Love Supreme, Gillespie) rencontré l’année précédente lors de ses débuts à Hollywood dans les clubs, et côté percussions Jimmy « Junesbug » Jackson (qui escorta longtemps Jimmy Smith) et Zack Albetta. Autant d’ingrédients justifiant d’emblée l’intérêt que suscite cet album. Dans l’art du trio piano–basse–batterie à l’histoire marquée de chefs-d’œuvre, ce pianiste au parcours inhabituel apporte une « pierre » tout sauf anodine.
Dans ce « set » d’une heure - original et savoureux car mûrement pesé -, c’est surtout le cheminement complexe du trio qui retient l’attention. Tour à tour apaisé ou virevoltant, Magris a un jeu dépouillé faussement simple, toujours étincelant. De « I Fall In Love Too Easily » à « A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing », on peut évidemment pointer ses sources d’inspiration mais on cède vite à l’étonnement devant le brio de son style, où la fantaisie est la trame qui noue et renoue la rencontre. Le maître mot est ici la clarté, et les exposés en sont presque pédagogiques. Magris s’efface volontiers pour laisser ses complices se dévoiler ou montrer le chemin. Mais quelques thèmes favorisent particulièrement les élans des trois musiciens, tel « Reverend du Bop » (Andrew Hill) ou « Bemsha Swin », (Monk). On est convaincu par son art de la pirouette gracieuse, modeste ou nonchalante - un art de la note précise qui n’est pas sans rappeler Ahmad Jamal. A déguster ici, au piano solo cette fois, « Lonely Woman », incisif. Ailleurs, la présence débonnaire de la basse ou le jeu de drums de Jimmy « Junebug » Jackson se plaisent à renverser les rôles ou à les compléter.
Pour le pianiste, Kansas City Outbound n’est pas un disque comme les autres : il l’a enregistré il y a deux ans aux Etats-Unis, après un festival où il rendait hommage à Jay McShann. Le résultat a manifestement profité de cette rencontre entre musiciens venus d’horizons très divers.
Jean-Claude Pennec
Reviews the Roberto Magris Trio
Kansas City Outbound
Kansas City Outbound est le dernier-né de Roberto Magris, pianiste originaire de Trieste relativement peu vu en France mais qui, d’album en album (déjà une quinzaine), installe une belle aventure musicale. Sur cet album, enregistré à Kansas City, il mêle ses propres compositions à quelques titres de Monk, Andrew Hill, Benny Carter ou Billy Strayhorn. Mieux encore, il y invite Art Davis contrebassiste de légende (Coltrane, Olé et A Love Supreme, Gillespie) rencontré l’année précédente lors de ses débuts à Hollywood dans les clubs, et côté percussions Jimmy « Junesbug » Jackson (qui escorta longtemps Jimmy Smith) et Zack Albetta. Autant d’ingrédients justifiant d’emblée l’intérêt que suscite cet album. Dans l’art du trio piano–basse–batterie à l’histoire marquée de chefs-d’œuvre, ce pianiste au parcours inhabituel apporte une « pierre » tout sauf anodine.
Dans ce « set » d’une heure - original et savoureux car mûrement pesé -, c’est surtout le cheminement complexe du trio qui retient l’attention. Tour à tour apaisé ou virevoltant, Magris a un jeu dépouillé faussement simple, toujours étincelant. De « I Fall In Love Too Easily » à « A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing », on peut évidemment pointer ses sources d’inspiration mais on cède vite à l’étonnement devant le brio de son style, où la fantaisie est la trame qui noue et renoue la rencontre. Le maître mot est ici la clarté, et les exposés en sont presque pédagogiques. Magris s’efface volontiers pour laisser ses complices se dévoiler ou montrer le chemin. Mais quelques thèmes favorisent particulièrement les élans des trois musiciens, tel « Reverend du Bop » (Andrew Hill) ou « Bemsha Swin », (Monk). On est convaincu par son art de la pirouette gracieuse, modeste ou nonchalante - un art de la note précise qui n’est pas sans rappeler Ahmad Jamal. A déguster ici, au piano solo cette fois, « Lonely Woman », incisif. Ailleurs, la présence débonnaire de la basse ou le jeu de drums de Jimmy « Junebug » Jackson se plaisent à renverser les rôles ou à les compléter.
Pour le pianiste, Kansas City Outbound n’est pas un disque comme les autres : il l’a enregistré il y a deux ans aux Etats-Unis, après un festival où il rendait hommage à Jay McShann. Le résultat a manifestement profité de cette rencontre entre musiciens venus d’horizons très divers.
Jean-Claude Pennec
Bob Karlovits- Pittsburg Live.com/Pittsburg Tribune Reviews Kansas City Outbound and Restless Spirits - May 27, 2009
Magris plays in a trio on 'Kansas City Outbound,' but with a 43-piece jazz orchestra from Verona on 'Restless Spirits.' He offers top-notch work in both settings. The orchestra disc is all originals. while the trio album features five new pieces along with seven older ones such as Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing." The trio album is available at cdbaby.com while "Restless Sprits" is only at the Italian site, ludomentis.it. But it is work the effort to find.
— Bob Karlovits
— Bob Karlovits
Stephen Bocioaca-JWQ Interviews Roberto Magris - May 27, 2009
Stephen Bocioaca: DMA Urban Jazz Funk and later on Alfabeats, stand in contrast to straight ahead classic jazz. When you first started the project did you feel you took a risk (to alienate straight ahead jazz fans) or it appeared like an opportunity?
Roberto Magris: I've always liked the Hammond organ players like Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, John Patton etc. so when it came the acid jazz season I was so happy to feel that such an organ sound was on the spotlight again. So I wasn't afraid to miss something but simply I catched the opportunity to play a certain genre of jazz (soul jazz) that I've always appreciated. Of course, that kind of rhythm (acid jazz), the hip-hop with the rap lyrics and also the use of some digital technology (loops etc.) were an added value to the music to me.
Stephen Bocioaca: How was Alfabeats received by jazz fans and audiences around the world? Are you encouraged to continue with Alfabeats recording new albums and touring?
Roberto Magris: When I noticed that the "acid jazz" stream reached an artistic end and when I felt a little bit fed up with all those digital sounds, I decided to move the band into a new "acoustic" sound, but I had some difficulties with some bandmates. So, we splitted and I re-founded the band - together with the drummer Paolo Prizzon and rapper Max M'Bassado Marzio (both from the DMA experience) and 2 new musicians, guitarist Luca Boscagin and bassist Paolo Andriolo - under the name of Alfabeats Nu Jazz. From the beginning people enjoyed such a changing of atmosphere, with more aggressive rhythms and a variety of musical influences from jazz to hip-hop, progressive rock and ambient too. The feedbacks were so positive that I had to take my time to decide how and where to get our new CD "Stones" released. At last, some friends and my manager in the U.S., Paul Collins (from the www.paulcollinsartismanagement.com ) were so enthusiastic that we decided together to get it released in the U.S. by independent label Oasis. No doubt that we'll keep on alfabeating around...
Stephen Bocioaca: Can Alfabeats evolve to a sort of musical laboratory where other contemporary or ethnic sounds and influences can come into mix? Without comparing, can Alfabeats become a sort of "elektric" version of the Europlane Orchestra?
Roberto Magris: I think Alfabeats will always follow the present times and society with its urban rhythms and illusions... Not only my compositions and improvisational mood, but also Max's poetry is very important too in the Alfabeats project. And the variety of rhythms and grooves too. My personal musical experience began in the crazy '70s, with a lot of jazz, rock and jazz-rock... too... so I really have a "progressive" approach to music with the Alfabeats and with the Europlane as well. In this period I'm especially concentrated in playing the acoustic piano, without any keyboards, and I'm looking for a dried and more essential approach to music, in the sense of melody, harmony and rhythm. I feel that the Alfabeats have no specific "European" influences, in the sense of musical culture, but just range from different styles and musical approaches (jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, progressive) looking for a personalized mixture good for the body and good for the brain of the listeners. Europlane is a jazz laboratory with a different concept, rooted in the European jazz tradition, and trying to export worldwide such a point of view, similarly to Vienna Art Orchestra, for example (even if the musical approach is quite different).
Stephen Bocioaca: How different the collective chemistry and the music-making process is with Alfabeats than with Europlane Orchestra?
With the Alfabeats I need very much the collaboration of drummer Paolo Prizzon, who is charged to find the "right" grooves and rhythms for each song, and of rapper poet Max Mbassado Marzio who sets the mood with his stories. I'm very much influenced by the lyrics while composing; see for example "Red Cap & the Bad Loop", which make me select the key to press (the jazz key, the rock key, the ethno key...). It's very much a workshop, like an "old time" progressive band. On the other side, with Europlane, I mainly dig my own straight jazz experience and I like to plan everything before: the choice of the program, the arrangements, the soloists etc. Nothing stiff, but I like to be a real bandleader and music organizator. Indeed with the Europlane I've always recorded "concept albums", like, for example, "Check In" featuring Tony Lakatos (Soulnote 2005) or "Il Bello del Jazz" featuring Herb Geller (Soulnote 2006) and just in couple of months I'll have my newest 2007 album "Current Views" released by Soulnote too (website: www.blacksaint.com)
Stephen Bocioaca: Some voices are criticizing the expansion of jazz schools arguing that they produce too much quantity and less quality.
I'd say that it's thank to the music schools that now we have so many excellent professional musicians all around the world (we couldn't imagine it in the '70s) and the general level of musicians is so high. Yes I talk about the technical and musical levels, that are fantastic. And it's a joy to find so many excellent musicians everywhere around the world and to have the possibility to play together with them without barriers, thanks to a common musical background. And this is thanks to the music schools. If the musical and technical level is very high, that's a great thing for all the "music" I'd say, mostly in such a technological world....
Stephen Bocioaca: In an interview with Boston Herald (Monday, September 11, 2006), Branford Marsalis commented: "The times are different now. The talent level is severely diminished and that stuff that has replaced it has really put jazz in a bind because the music seems to lack any kind of substance in regards to human-ness or humanity. It's very professorial, like think-tank music. "Jazz is in trouble. But the reason it's in trouble is not because the music's dying, but because the people who are playing don't have a lot of talent. We have great players in terms of playing their instruments, but in terms of some kind of understanding of jazz, we don't have a lot of talent right now." Do You think that Marsalis is right?
I don't agree with Marsalis, I'm sorry. If we talk about "art" the story may be different, as Marsalis says. But in my opinion, certain lack of artistry in music is simply a result of the "spirit of times". That's the world today.. we have globalization, everything is almost the same everywhere.. how can we have a new Charlie Parker or a new Jimi Hendrix today? I'd say the only way for a musician to find his artistry, is to look inside his experience for his own personal resources. Like George Harrison I'd say that "We live in a material world (with a digital brain)" and we have to compare this to the "naif" Woodstock heroes from the '60s... and to John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler from the '60s too... The world is different and the concept of art is and will be more and more different.... (what kind of art is the computerized music?).
Marsalis is right when he speaks about great technique without genius. He perfectly knows all the styles and the history of jazz but, in my little opinion, he cannot be compared to masters such as Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, just to mention a few names of the '60s generation, about artistry and creativity... so I can't see any reason for him to declare that young musicians have completely lost their talent and jazz awareness today. On the other side, it's also clear that a new Mozart is missing, even if the Conservatories are packed with students. I'd suggest, let's try to better understand what it's happening now to us, to our society and to our music and maybe we'll find some new concept of "art" if we are open minded enough to cross our cultural heritage and share our experience with the young generation not as a teacher but simply as an older colleague.
That's the way Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane have shown to us and it's still the approach of people like Ornette Coleman and Roy Haynes, for example, or my own much older friends Herb Geller and Art Davis and the many other living legends of jazz still on the scene today. Last but not least, one of the best results of having all that music students at jazz schools now (it's obvious that the most of them won't become nor famous nor stars but just will keep alive the flame of their interest in jazz all their life) is that we find to have grown a generation of "quality" jazz listeners and that we have now an audience not only of jazz fans but also of people who have attended some jazz courses, who can play some jazz, who knows (better than in the past) what we're playing about... So, that's not definitely a bad situation, in my opinion.
Stephen Bocioaca: What are your impressions of the artistic and creative content of the current jazz and fusion scene in Europe and North America? What new talents can you see there?
I can find many interesting musicians in the current jazz and not only jazz scene. A first name is Roy Hargrove, who plays great music either with his straight jazz group either with his RH Factor, then Joshua Redman, Greg Osby... No, there are no great differences anymore between Europe and North America in music in my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities coming from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or bad music, without geographical borders.
Stephen Bocioaca: What chances are for European jazz musicians to play more in North America? What do you think that should and can be done to promote it? Do you think there's enough "market" for European jazz?
In my little experience Americans like professionism at the most. If Europeans plays at the same high standard of Americans they are immediately accepted. On the other side, in Europe, jazz is quite strong too and I'm very happy to say this, but there is still a big difference. In America there is much more selection and the average jazz musician has a higher standard than in Europe. However, in Europe everybody can find his own little space, even if having nothing to say, and that's good for musicians and bad for the audience. However, I'd say that the level of the audience in the U.S. is the same in Europe and in Japan too... and the show business is definitely international, like the credit cards. When you consider that there is not enough market for jazz, yes, I think there's enough market for European jazz... and that's a god new in a sad story...
Stephen Bocioaca: Internet became a powerful promotional tool for musicians, yet there are many independent musicians on both sides of the Atlantic who think that their Internet presence and promotion didn't bring them the benefits they were expecting, in terms of sales and bookings. How beneficial was Internet for your projects?
Internet is definitely important for my activity even if I think that it's hard to spend time and energy to promote a new CD when the most of people won't buy it in the shops and will try to download it from the net. Probably we must figure out the possibility that the artist will directly sell to the customers the file songs they want to listen but.... what about "concept albums"? Internet it's like a rodeo, not easy to ride... even if everybody uses it, now. One thing is for sure: Internet has become a fourth part of my life (1/4 music, 1/4 driving to the gig, 1/4 at the p.c., and the rest to be divided trying to survive....)
More about Roberto Magris:
www.paulcollinsartistmanagement.com Roberto Magris at JWQ
Roberto Magris: I've always liked the Hammond organ players like Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, John Patton etc. so when it came the acid jazz season I was so happy to feel that such an organ sound was on the spotlight again. So I wasn't afraid to miss something but simply I catched the opportunity to play a certain genre of jazz (soul jazz) that I've always appreciated. Of course, that kind of rhythm (acid jazz), the hip-hop with the rap lyrics and also the use of some digital technology (loops etc.) were an added value to the music to me.
Stephen Bocioaca: How was Alfabeats received by jazz fans and audiences around the world? Are you encouraged to continue with Alfabeats recording new albums and touring?
Roberto Magris: When I noticed that the "acid jazz" stream reached an artistic end and when I felt a little bit fed up with all those digital sounds, I decided to move the band into a new "acoustic" sound, but I had some difficulties with some bandmates. So, we splitted and I re-founded the band - together with the drummer Paolo Prizzon and rapper Max M'Bassado Marzio (both from the DMA experience) and 2 new musicians, guitarist Luca Boscagin and bassist Paolo Andriolo - under the name of Alfabeats Nu Jazz. From the beginning people enjoyed such a changing of atmosphere, with more aggressive rhythms and a variety of musical influences from jazz to hip-hop, progressive rock and ambient too. The feedbacks were so positive that I had to take my time to decide how and where to get our new CD "Stones" released. At last, some friends and my manager in the U.S., Paul Collins (from the www.paulcollinsartismanagement.com ) were so enthusiastic that we decided together to get it released in the U.S. by independent label Oasis. No doubt that we'll keep on alfabeating around...
Stephen Bocioaca: Can Alfabeats evolve to a sort of musical laboratory where other contemporary or ethnic sounds and influences can come into mix? Without comparing, can Alfabeats become a sort of "elektric" version of the Europlane Orchestra?
Roberto Magris: I think Alfabeats will always follow the present times and society with its urban rhythms and illusions... Not only my compositions and improvisational mood, but also Max's poetry is very important too in the Alfabeats project. And the variety of rhythms and grooves too. My personal musical experience began in the crazy '70s, with a lot of jazz, rock and jazz-rock... too... so I really have a "progressive" approach to music with the Alfabeats and with the Europlane as well. In this period I'm especially concentrated in playing the acoustic piano, without any keyboards, and I'm looking for a dried and more essential approach to music, in the sense of melody, harmony and rhythm. I feel that the Alfabeats have no specific "European" influences, in the sense of musical culture, but just range from different styles and musical approaches (jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, progressive) looking for a personalized mixture good for the body and good for the brain of the listeners. Europlane is a jazz laboratory with a different concept, rooted in the European jazz tradition, and trying to export worldwide such a point of view, similarly to Vienna Art Orchestra, for example (even if the musical approach is quite different).
Stephen Bocioaca: How different the collective chemistry and the music-making process is with Alfabeats than with Europlane Orchestra?
With the Alfabeats I need very much the collaboration of drummer Paolo Prizzon, who is charged to find the "right" grooves and rhythms for each song, and of rapper poet Max Mbassado Marzio who sets the mood with his stories. I'm very much influenced by the lyrics while composing; see for example "Red Cap & the Bad Loop", which make me select the key to press (the jazz key, the rock key, the ethno key...). It's very much a workshop, like an "old time" progressive band. On the other side, with Europlane, I mainly dig my own straight jazz experience and I like to plan everything before: the choice of the program, the arrangements, the soloists etc. Nothing stiff, but I like to be a real bandleader and music organizator. Indeed with the Europlane I've always recorded "concept albums", like, for example, "Check In" featuring Tony Lakatos (Soulnote 2005) or "Il Bello del Jazz" featuring Herb Geller (Soulnote 2006) and just in couple of months I'll have my newest 2007 album "Current Views" released by Soulnote too (website: www.blacksaint.com)
Stephen Bocioaca: Some voices are criticizing the expansion of jazz schools arguing that they produce too much quantity and less quality.
I'd say that it's thank to the music schools that now we have so many excellent professional musicians all around the world (we couldn't imagine it in the '70s) and the general level of musicians is so high. Yes I talk about the technical and musical levels, that are fantastic. And it's a joy to find so many excellent musicians everywhere around the world and to have the possibility to play together with them without barriers, thanks to a common musical background. And this is thanks to the music schools. If the musical and technical level is very high, that's a great thing for all the "music" I'd say, mostly in such a technological world....
Stephen Bocioaca: In an interview with Boston Herald (Monday, September 11, 2006), Branford Marsalis commented: "The times are different now. The talent level is severely diminished and that stuff that has replaced it has really put jazz in a bind because the music seems to lack any kind of substance in regards to human-ness or humanity. It's very professorial, like think-tank music. "Jazz is in trouble. But the reason it's in trouble is not because the music's dying, but because the people who are playing don't have a lot of talent. We have great players in terms of playing their instruments, but in terms of some kind of understanding of jazz, we don't have a lot of talent right now." Do You think that Marsalis is right?
I don't agree with Marsalis, I'm sorry. If we talk about "art" the story may be different, as Marsalis says. But in my opinion, certain lack of artistry in music is simply a result of the "spirit of times". That's the world today.. we have globalization, everything is almost the same everywhere.. how can we have a new Charlie Parker or a new Jimi Hendrix today? I'd say the only way for a musician to find his artistry, is to look inside his experience for his own personal resources. Like George Harrison I'd say that "We live in a material world (with a digital brain)" and we have to compare this to the "naif" Woodstock heroes from the '60s... and to John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler from the '60s too... The world is different and the concept of art is and will be more and more different.... (what kind of art is the computerized music?).
Marsalis is right when he speaks about great technique without genius. He perfectly knows all the styles and the history of jazz but, in my little opinion, he cannot be compared to masters such as Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, just to mention a few names of the '60s generation, about artistry and creativity... so I can't see any reason for him to declare that young musicians have completely lost their talent and jazz awareness today. On the other side, it's also clear that a new Mozart is missing, even if the Conservatories are packed with students. I'd suggest, let's try to better understand what it's happening now to us, to our society and to our music and maybe we'll find some new concept of "art" if we are open minded enough to cross our cultural heritage and share our experience with the young generation not as a teacher but simply as an older colleague.
That's the way Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane have shown to us and it's still the approach of people like Ornette Coleman and Roy Haynes, for example, or my own much older friends Herb Geller and Art Davis and the many other living legends of jazz still on the scene today. Last but not least, one of the best results of having all that music students at jazz schools now (it's obvious that the most of them won't become nor famous nor stars but just will keep alive the flame of their interest in jazz all their life) is that we find to have grown a generation of "quality" jazz listeners and that we have now an audience not only of jazz fans but also of people who have attended some jazz courses, who can play some jazz, who knows (better than in the past) what we're playing about... So, that's not definitely a bad situation, in my opinion.
Stephen Bocioaca: What are your impressions of the artistic and creative content of the current jazz and fusion scene in Europe and North America? What new talents can you see there?
I can find many interesting musicians in the current jazz and not only jazz scene. A first name is Roy Hargrove, who plays great music either with his straight jazz group either with his RH Factor, then Joshua Redman, Greg Osby... No, there are no great differences anymore between Europe and North America in music in my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities coming from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or bad music, without geographical borders.
Stephen Bocioaca: What chances are for European jazz musicians to play more in North America? What do you think that should and can be done to promote it? Do you think there's enough "market" for European jazz?
In my little experience Americans like professionism at the most. If Europeans plays at the same high standard of Americans they are immediately accepted. On the other side, in Europe, jazz is quite strong too and I'm very happy to say this, but there is still a big difference. In America there is much more selection and the average jazz musician has a higher standard than in Europe. However, in Europe everybody can find his own little space, even if having nothing to say, and that's good for musicians and bad for the audience. However, I'd say that the level of the audience in the U.S. is the same in Europe and in Japan too... and the show business is definitely international, like the credit cards. When you consider that there is not enough market for jazz, yes, I think there's enough market for European jazz... and that's a god new in a sad story...
Stephen Bocioaca: Internet became a powerful promotional tool for musicians, yet there are many independent musicians on both sides of the Atlantic who think that their Internet presence and promotion didn't bring them the benefits they were expecting, in terms of sales and bookings. How beneficial was Internet for your projects?
Internet is definitely important for my activity even if I think that it's hard to spend time and energy to promote a new CD when the most of people won't buy it in the shops and will try to download it from the net. Probably we must figure out the possibility that the artist will directly sell to the customers the file songs they want to listen but.... what about "concept albums"? Internet it's like a rodeo, not easy to ride... even if everybody uses it, now. One thing is for sure: Internet has become a fourth part of my life (1/4 music, 1/4 driving to the gig, 1/4 at the p.c., and the rest to be divided trying to survive....)
More about Roberto Magris:
www.paulcollinsartistmanagement.com Roberto Magris at JWQ
Stephen Bocioaca-Jazzworldquest.com Reviews the Roberto Magris Trio CD "Kansas City Outbound" - May 27, 2009
Each time I am about to listen to a new album signed by pianist Robert Magris I expect to hear that subtle "European" touch he is infusing his songs.
No mistake, Kansas City Outbound where the Italian pianist honors American jazz is not an exception. Along with famous standards, Magris included four originals. I would mention the beautiful Rainbow Eyes a balladesque fusion between the jazz of two continents and the intense, nervous Iraqi Blues. Magris, wonderfully joined here by Art Davis’ quite robust and deep bass lines, has a sense of keeping the listener alert and surprised, switching rhytms and tempos, blending classical touches with modern sonorities. The tonal contrasts and consonances between piano and bass are deligtful throughout the album and particulary on the intimate Darn That Dream or on A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, where the theme is captured in its essence while the rhytm brings an interesting modern twist One can feel the music of this album as a view to the mainstream jazz, filtered by a sensitive "magrisian" manner, spiced up with "new age" inflexions and unexpected grooves. Although it may not be apropriate to characterize the album as an "intelligent soulful jazz improvization" it is hard to oversee the precision of performers combined with the emotional drive that makes the jazz a lively music.
No mistake, Kansas City Outbound where the Italian pianist honors American jazz is not an exception. Along with famous standards, Magris included four originals. I would mention the beautiful Rainbow Eyes a balladesque fusion between the jazz of two continents and the intense, nervous Iraqi Blues. Magris, wonderfully joined here by Art Davis’ quite robust and deep bass lines, has a sense of keeping the listener alert and surprised, switching rhytms and tempos, blending classical touches with modern sonorities. The tonal contrasts and consonances between piano and bass are deligtful throughout the album and particulary on the intimate Darn That Dream or on A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, where the theme is captured in its essence while the rhytm brings an interesting modern twist One can feel the music of this album as a view to the mainstream jazz, filtered by a sensitive "magrisian" manner, spiced up with "new age" inflexions and unexpected grooves. Although it may not be apropriate to characterize the album as an "intelligent soulful jazz improvization" it is hard to oversee the precision of performers combined with the emotional drive that makes the jazz a lively music.
James Hale-Jazz Chronicle Reviews the Roberto Magris Trio New CD "Kansas City Outbound" - March 24, 2009
Farewell, Dr. Art
Yesterday's mail brought an advance copy of Italian pianist Roberto Magris' new recording, Kansas City Outbound – the last recording to feature the great bassist Art Davis. My liner notes for the recording are re-printed below.
Usually, a liner note assignment entails getting inside the music and attempting to help the artist communicate his/her intentions to the listener. Contextualize, in other words. Kansas City Outbound was a different matter because it involved two intertwined stories: Magris' brief relationship with Davis, just prior to the bassist's death, and the mystery of Philadelphia pianist William Langford (aka Hassan Ibn Ali or The Legendary Hassan).
Kansas City Outbound has another backstory, too. Originally intended for release on Soul Note, it was still in production when the venerable Italian label and its parent – Black Saint – were sold to CamJazz. Fortunately, Magris' disk didn't fall between the cracks; it's now released on a label created by the pianist's agent, Paul Collins. It's available from CD Baby or directly from Collins.
Copyright © 2009 by James Hale
As musical relationships go, the one between pianist Roberto Magris and bassist-turned-psychologist Art Davis was short, but intense and oh so sweet.
They met in Los Angeles – Davis’ adopted home since 1986 – in October 2006, when Magris’ agent Paul Collins secured him a number of dates in the U.S. Davis – who continued to keep a full schedule as a bassist in addition to teaching and running a non-profit organization – joined the pianist’s quartet for two evenings at Catalina’s Jazz Club in Hollywood. They played a third time in a trio at the Jazz Bakery, and wrapped up with a set of duets in Santa Monica, where Davis had a long-standing Sunday gig at the Ritz Carlton.
“It all turned out very cool, onstage and offstage,” recalls Magris. “On one side I think that Dr. Art felt my awareness, respect and knowledge of the jazz tradition, and on the other side I felt that he really appreciated my pianism.”
Magris returned to his home in Italy, but eight months later he reunited with the 72-year-old bassist in Kansas City, along with drummer Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson – the 21-year veteran of life on the road with B-3 master Jimmy Smith. Together, they played a tribute to the recently departed Jay McShann at the American Jazz Museum and reconvened the following day in the studio.
The title track catches Magris in a John Coltrane state of mind, improvising with some dark, dense chords reminiscent of McCoy Tyner and drawing Davis back to his collaboration with Trane on Africa/Brass, Ascension, Olé! Coltrane and the alternate takes of A Love Supreme. With a muscular tone and unerring, majestic touch, Davis reminds us why he was the only bassist with an open invitation to jam with Trane’s classic quartet, and an ongoing favorite of Alice Coltrane’s after her husband’s death.
Magris says he chose “I Fall In Love Too Easily” to take advantage of Davis’ “slow, rolling walk,” which is much in evidence here – stark contrast to the pianist’s angular phrasing and unexpected accents.
The otherworldly introduction to “Iraqi Blues” seems to speak to lost souls, and Magris says: “There is no political statement behind the title except the aim to recall the memory of people who died there, no matter who was right and who was wrong.” A strong touchpoint in his conception was Stanley Cowell’s 1969 “Blues For The Viet Cong.”
Billy Strayhorn’s gorgeous “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing” was brought to mind by Davis’ recording of it with Herbie Hancock on the bassist’s 1995 recording A Time Remembered. Magris’ solo take on it is rendered stately and timeless by his extraordinarily precise fingering and light touch.
The scene shifts to the next day – when the young Kansas City-based drummer Zack Albetta joined Magris and Davis – and, as before, Magris opens the session with an improvisation that he relates to the influence of Denny Zeitlin.
When he recorded it on his 1978 Artists House album From California With Love Andrew Hill rendered his composition “Reverend Du Bop” as a meandering abstraction. Here, Magris tightens the focus while respecting Hill’s signature obtuse angles. Davis is extremely judicious in his note selection before switching to arco for one piquant chorus.
“Rainbow Eyes” is dedicated to the pianist’s beloved, and again, Strayhorn’s influence is much in evidence. Strays for lovers? Always.
Davis sets out the theme of Thelonious Monk’s “Bemsha Swing,” and the trio (with Jackson back on drums) bounces it between them – having so much fun, says Magris, that they almost forgot the arrangement they had worked out.
“Lonely Woman” – Benny Carter’s, not Ornette Coleman’s – was a gift left to Magris by saxophonist Herb Geller after they recorded the 2003 Soul Note release Il Bello Del Jazz together. He plays it pretty here; edging toward a stride style with deliberate phrasing.
Davis begins “Darn That Dream” with a distracted-sounding solo – like a man waking from confusing sleep – and he continues to set up tension through the piece with accompaniment that slips out of phase with Magris’ lead.
“Alone Together” is the sound of a band grooving hard. Davis is way up in the mix, setting a bustling pace and swinging effortlessly.
“Bye Bye Baby” maintains the pace, with Magris striking an unusually bravura stance that finds him chewing up the changes like Oscar Peterson as he duets with Albetta.
Peterson, Tyner, Cowell, Hill, Monk, Ellington… the roll call of great pianists present in spirit in Kansas City on these two days continues with one other who Davis felt Magris conjured the first time they met: “the Legendary Hassan.” Hassan Ibn Ali (born William Langford in 1931) is little more than a legend a couple of decades after his death. His recorded legacy is a mere single disc made with Davis and drummer Max Roach in 1964 and released under Roach’s name. A second recording with saxophonist Odean Pope was never released and the tapes are rumored to have been lost in a fire. But, like Robert Johnson, Hassan’s legacy can’t be contained by two shadowy recording sessions. A ubiquitous – albeit mysterious – figure on Philadelphia’s jazz scene in the ‘50s, Hassan is credited by Coltrane biographer Lewis Porter with opening the saxophonist’s ears to new harmonic possibilities. Jimmy Heath has said, “Hassan was Cecil Taylor before Cecil Taylor.”
“’You play like Hassan,’ Dr. Art told me,” says Magris. “’Your sound and concept remind me of him.’ I’d never heard the name before. I’d completely missed him, even though I’d listened to most of the pianists from the history of jazz, and studied many of them, too. When I was a young musician I learned day by day, listening to LPs and checking out names and styles, including some of the most obscure and forgotten ones, but I’d never heard of Hassan. Dr. Art said that the session with Hassan was one of the best sessions he ever played.”
Art Davis’ words carried authority, just like the man himself carried authority. His stand against discrimination at the New York Philharmonic shone a light on the continuing racism in U.S. symphonies, and his application of cello fingering to the double bass helped revolutionize the way the instrument was played. A giant figure, Davis died just three weeks after this, his last recording session.
“I still keep the image of him standing in the studio in front of me,” says Magris. “I am very proud to have shared a stage with him and to have these recordings. I think that Hassan and Max Roach would enjoy them.”
POSTED BY JAMES HALE AT 12:58 PM
Yesterday's mail brought an advance copy of Italian pianist Roberto Magris' new recording, Kansas City Outbound – the last recording to feature the great bassist Art Davis. My liner notes for the recording are re-printed below.
Usually, a liner note assignment entails getting inside the music and attempting to help the artist communicate his/her intentions to the listener. Contextualize, in other words. Kansas City Outbound was a different matter because it involved two intertwined stories: Magris' brief relationship with Davis, just prior to the bassist's death, and the mystery of Philadelphia pianist William Langford (aka Hassan Ibn Ali or The Legendary Hassan).
Kansas City Outbound has another backstory, too. Originally intended for release on Soul Note, it was still in production when the venerable Italian label and its parent – Black Saint – were sold to CamJazz. Fortunately, Magris' disk didn't fall between the cracks; it's now released on a label created by the pianist's agent, Paul Collins. It's available from CD Baby or directly from Collins.
Copyright © 2009 by James Hale
As musical relationships go, the one between pianist Roberto Magris and bassist-turned-psychologist Art Davis was short, but intense and oh so sweet.
They met in Los Angeles – Davis’ adopted home since 1986 – in October 2006, when Magris’ agent Paul Collins secured him a number of dates in the U.S. Davis – who continued to keep a full schedule as a bassist in addition to teaching and running a non-profit organization – joined the pianist’s quartet for two evenings at Catalina’s Jazz Club in Hollywood. They played a third time in a trio at the Jazz Bakery, and wrapped up with a set of duets in Santa Monica, where Davis had a long-standing Sunday gig at the Ritz Carlton.
“It all turned out very cool, onstage and offstage,” recalls Magris. “On one side I think that Dr. Art felt my awareness, respect and knowledge of the jazz tradition, and on the other side I felt that he really appreciated my pianism.”
Magris returned to his home in Italy, but eight months later he reunited with the 72-year-old bassist in Kansas City, along with drummer Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson – the 21-year veteran of life on the road with B-3 master Jimmy Smith. Together, they played a tribute to the recently departed Jay McShann at the American Jazz Museum and reconvened the following day in the studio.
The title track catches Magris in a John Coltrane state of mind, improvising with some dark, dense chords reminiscent of McCoy Tyner and drawing Davis back to his collaboration with Trane on Africa/Brass, Ascension, Olé! Coltrane and the alternate takes of A Love Supreme. With a muscular tone and unerring, majestic touch, Davis reminds us why he was the only bassist with an open invitation to jam with Trane’s classic quartet, and an ongoing favorite of Alice Coltrane’s after her husband’s death.
Magris says he chose “I Fall In Love Too Easily” to take advantage of Davis’ “slow, rolling walk,” which is much in evidence here – stark contrast to the pianist’s angular phrasing and unexpected accents.
The otherworldly introduction to “Iraqi Blues” seems to speak to lost souls, and Magris says: “There is no political statement behind the title except the aim to recall the memory of people who died there, no matter who was right and who was wrong.” A strong touchpoint in his conception was Stanley Cowell’s 1969 “Blues For The Viet Cong.”
Billy Strayhorn’s gorgeous “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing” was brought to mind by Davis’ recording of it with Herbie Hancock on the bassist’s 1995 recording A Time Remembered. Magris’ solo take on it is rendered stately and timeless by his extraordinarily precise fingering and light touch.
The scene shifts to the next day – when the young Kansas City-based drummer Zack Albetta joined Magris and Davis – and, as before, Magris opens the session with an improvisation that he relates to the influence of Denny Zeitlin.
When he recorded it on his 1978 Artists House album From California With Love Andrew Hill rendered his composition “Reverend Du Bop” as a meandering abstraction. Here, Magris tightens the focus while respecting Hill’s signature obtuse angles. Davis is extremely judicious in his note selection before switching to arco for one piquant chorus.
“Rainbow Eyes” is dedicated to the pianist’s beloved, and again, Strayhorn’s influence is much in evidence. Strays for lovers? Always.
Davis sets out the theme of Thelonious Monk’s “Bemsha Swing,” and the trio (with Jackson back on drums) bounces it between them – having so much fun, says Magris, that they almost forgot the arrangement they had worked out.
“Lonely Woman” – Benny Carter’s, not Ornette Coleman’s – was a gift left to Magris by saxophonist Herb Geller after they recorded the 2003 Soul Note release Il Bello Del Jazz together. He plays it pretty here; edging toward a stride style with deliberate phrasing.
Davis begins “Darn That Dream” with a distracted-sounding solo – like a man waking from confusing sleep – and he continues to set up tension through the piece with accompaniment that slips out of phase with Magris’ lead.
“Alone Together” is the sound of a band grooving hard. Davis is way up in the mix, setting a bustling pace and swinging effortlessly.
“Bye Bye Baby” maintains the pace, with Magris striking an unusually bravura stance that finds him chewing up the changes like Oscar Peterson as he duets with Albetta.
Peterson, Tyner, Cowell, Hill, Monk, Ellington… the roll call of great pianists present in spirit in Kansas City on these two days continues with one other who Davis felt Magris conjured the first time they met: “the Legendary Hassan.” Hassan Ibn Ali (born William Langford in 1931) is little more than a legend a couple of decades after his death. His recorded legacy is a mere single disc made with Davis and drummer Max Roach in 1964 and released under Roach’s name. A second recording with saxophonist Odean Pope was never released and the tapes are rumored to have been lost in a fire. But, like Robert Johnson, Hassan’s legacy can’t be contained by two shadowy recording sessions. A ubiquitous – albeit mysterious – figure on Philadelphia’s jazz scene in the ‘50s, Hassan is credited by Coltrane biographer Lewis Porter with opening the saxophonist’s ears to new harmonic possibilities. Jimmy Heath has said, “Hassan was Cecil Taylor before Cecil Taylor.”
“’You play like Hassan,’ Dr. Art told me,” says Magris. “’Your sound and concept remind me of him.’ I’d never heard the name before. I’d completely missed him, even though I’d listened to most of the pianists from the history of jazz, and studied many of them, too. When I was a young musician I learned day by day, listening to LPs and checking out names and styles, including some of the most obscure and forgotten ones, but I’d never heard of Hassan. Dr. Art said that the session with Hassan was one of the best sessions he ever played.”
Art Davis’ words carried authority, just like the man himself carried authority. His stand against discrimination at the New York Philharmonic shone a light on the continuing racism in U.S. symphonies, and his application of cello fingering to the double bass helped revolutionize the way the instrument was played. A giant figure, Davis died just three weeks after this, his last recording session.
“I still keep the image of him standing in the studio in front of me,” says Magris. “I am very proud to have shared a stage with him and to have these recordings. I think that Hassan and Max Roach would enjoy them.”
POSTED BY JAMES HALE AT 12:58 PM
Review of Kansas City Outbound by Walter Kolosky - March 17, 2009
I now have several Roberto Magris albums under my reviewer's belt. One thing has become quite clear. The pianist and composer can be counted on to consistently offer interesting and engaging music. His trio's performance of "Kansas City Outbound" does nothing but bolster that view. The approach is totally modern. Of his many piano-playing influences, it is McCoy Tyner's that is most heard on this performance. There are touches of Tyner in Magris' introductory chords and in his fluid runs. Art Davis's walking bass and Jimmy Jackson's steady beat provide the sturdy backbone of this short bluesy swing piece. The trio is in sync from Kansas City onward. As you find yourself totally taken in, and are looking forward to more, the tune suddenly fades away. You wonder where the rest of the song is. Always leave them wanting more, is what I say.
Reviewer: Walter Kolosky @ Jazz.com
Reviewer: Walter Kolosky @ Jazz.com
PCAMI* Welcomes Gaea Schell - January 23, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 23, 2009
CONTACT: PAUL COLLINS, 816.377.1950
PCAMI* is pleased to announce the addition of Gaea Schell to our prolific musical family. Gaea is from Alberta, Canada and began playing piano at the age of five. Initially interested in the classical harp, Gaea’s interests turned to jazz piano after being inspired by such legends as Charlie Parker, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson among others. After graduating from the jazz program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Gaea moved to Los Angeles and quickly became absorbed in the jazz scene performing with notable such as John Stowell, Ingrid Jensen, Nancy King, Dan Faehnle, Tony Dumas and Albert “Tootie” Heath of the legendary Heath Brothers.
Gaea was privileged to receive a Canada Council for the Arts grant in 1999 that took her to New York to study with internationally renowned pianist composer Richie Beirach. Gaea acknowledges that the real learning comes from performing with those who have spent time perfecting their art and who have worked with other jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Kelly, Joe Henderson among others and able to understand the jazz tradition and feel swing.
Gaea has worked in diverse musical contexts as a solo artist, in a trio, quartet, big band formats and including orchestral performances. Gaea teaches music and performs regularly in Los Angeles, at festivals around the world and as band leader with her own trio and quartet. Recently, she was the featured performer at the San Jose Jazz Festival. Gaea is also in demand for performance and recording sessions as a pianist for other artist around the country. With two highly acclaimed CD’s on the market entitled “Dream Away” and “For All We Know”, Gaea is working on material for her highly anticipated third CD.
Albert “Tootie” Heath says, “She plays the heck out of the piano with them small hands.”###
Contact Paul Collins, PCAMI* @ paulcollins@paulcollinsartistmanagement.com for more information, interviews or to discuss performance opportunities.
JANUARY 23, 2009
CONTACT: PAUL COLLINS, 816.377.1950
PCAMI* is pleased to announce the addition of Gaea Schell to our prolific musical family. Gaea is from Alberta, Canada and began playing piano at the age of five. Initially interested in the classical harp, Gaea’s interests turned to jazz piano after being inspired by such legends as Charlie Parker, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson among others. After graduating from the jazz program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Gaea moved to Los Angeles and quickly became absorbed in the jazz scene performing with notable such as John Stowell, Ingrid Jensen, Nancy King, Dan Faehnle, Tony Dumas and Albert “Tootie” Heath of the legendary Heath Brothers.
Gaea was privileged to receive a Canada Council for the Arts grant in 1999 that took her to New York to study with internationally renowned pianist composer Richie Beirach. Gaea acknowledges that the real learning comes from performing with those who have spent time perfecting their art and who have worked with other jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Kelly, Joe Henderson among others and able to understand the jazz tradition and feel swing.
Gaea has worked in diverse musical contexts as a solo artist, in a trio, quartet, big band formats and including orchestral performances. Gaea teaches music and performs regularly in Los Angeles, at festivals around the world and as band leader with her own trio and quartet. Recently, she was the featured performer at the San Jose Jazz Festival. Gaea is also in demand for performance and recording sessions as a pianist for other artist around the country. With two highly acclaimed CD’s on the market entitled “Dream Away” and “For All We Know”, Gaea is working on material for her highly anticipated third CD.
Albert “Tootie” Heath says, “She plays the heck out of the piano with them small hands.”###
Contact Paul Collins, PCAMI* @ paulcollins@paulcollinsartistmanagement.com for more information, interviews or to discuss performance opportunities.
PCAMI* Announces "New" CD Release - November 14, 2008
PCAMI* announces the release of the new CD by the Roberto Magris Trio entitled "Kansas City Outbound", December 7, 2008
Roberto Magris Interviewed by Marc Myers @ Jazzwax.com - May 23, 2008
May 23, 2008
Marc Myers is a New York journalist and historian. His thoughts on jazz and jazz recordings appear here daily.
An e-Chat With Roberto Magris
Few European musicians have as much adoration and reverence for the American jazz tradition as the Italian pianist Roberto Magris. Enormously curious about American culture and always eager to reinterpret neglected standards, Roberto loves performing with American jazz legends, and he brings a special sensitivity to every song he plays. Roberto's passion for jazz legends and jazz history continues to grow. His forthcoming album, Kansas City Outbound, features legendary bassist Art Davis, who died in July 2007 shortly after the album was recorded.
My favorite Roberto Magris album up to now has been Il Bello Del Jazz, which was recorded in 2003 but wasn't released until 2006. What makes this CD so special is the teaming of Roberto and the legendary alto saxophonist Herb Geller. Recorded in Roberto's home town of Trieste, Italy, everything about this album is fabulous and exciting. In addition to a handful of originals by Roberto and Geller, the album includes terrific standards including Benny Carter's Key Largo and Stephen Sondheim's Pretty Women. These two musicians together sound magical.
Roberto and I struck up a friendship several months ago via email after Roberto sent along his unreleased solo piano recording. Yesterday I e-interviewed Roberto, who's back in Trieste [pictured] after performing at a festival in Bucharest, Romania. He ruminated on why jazz is interpreted differently in various parts of Italy and reflected on one-time bandmates Herb Geller, Kai Winding, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Sal Nistico and Art Davis. He also provided details about his soon-to-be released CD, an impressionistic tribute to Jay McShann and Kansas City jazz:
JazzWax: Is there a distinctly Italian approach to jazz?
Roberto Magris: Yes, I think so. But I am more of a Middle-European jazz musician than a purely Italian one. My musical experience took place not only in Italy but also in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Czechia and Germany. Before the Iron Curtain came down, there was a unique jazz stream from those countries that I experimented with, and I was one of the few Western musicians to play concerts there and collaborate with local jazz musicians on a regular basis. So I tend to identify with Central and Eastern European musicians, especially saxophonist Tony Lakatos, one of my favorites.
JW: What exactly sets you apart from mainstream Italian jazz musicians?
RM: I think I have a special sense of dancing melodies, a more rhythmic approach and the tendency to be more of a risk-taker in solos within the harmonic frame. Actually, the jazz scene in much of Italy tends to be orientated toward experimental jazz, with some exceptions, of course, like trumpeter Enrico Rava and pianist Enrico Pierannunzi. So, I don't feel completely connected to the Italian jazz scene. I'm from Trieste, on the Adriatic Sea, and feel I have greater connection to traditional American jazz played in Central and Eastern Europe.
JW: Alto saxophonist Herb Geller played on your 2006 release, Il Bello Del Jazz. He rarely plays in the U.S. now. Why do you think that is?
RM: My impression is that Herb doesn't like to travel too far from Hamburg, Germany, where he lives. He has played in California from time to time over the last few years. But for the most part, he feels very comfortable in his new hometown, where he's highly respected, loved and appreciated. I think Herb would be open to returning to the U.S. to play if a good festival invited him. At this point, he's a grandmaster who simply likes to communicate with his sharp but sweet sound.
JW: Because Herb has been gone from the U.S. scene for some time, he's a bit of mystery to many fans here. What's he like?
RM: He is a gentleman, a very nice guy, full of anecdotes and stories. He still remembers all of his small group and big-band gigs. He remains saddened by the sudden death of his wife, Lorraine [pictured], in 1958, and the passing of close friends like Scott LaFaro and Clifford Jordan. I was especially surprised to see how proficient he was on the computer.
JW: How so?
RM: Herb collects standards and transcribes them into his computer. He has a huge, impressive collection. It's like a massive computerized fake book. He's particularly keen on compositions by Billy Strayhorn and Benny Carter. Herb is always open to new things, provided they are within the jazz tradition. He especially likes melody and rhythm, and doesn't care much for modal jazz. He's really a treasure, and I cannot understand how he can be so renowned yet underrated at the same time. [pictured: Roberto and Herb Geller]
JW: Are there other legends you'd like to play with?
RM: Oh sure. Yusef Lateef, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano and Jimmy Heath, for starters.
JW: In the early 1980s, you played with Kai Winding, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Sal Nistico—who were nearing the end of their careers. What were they like?
RM: Kai Winding was a real gentleman but he was already ill. Despite being sick, his playing was beautiful and his phrasing was elegant. I believe I played behind him during his last concert. He died just a short period after that in 1983. "Lockjaw" [pictured] was always dressed out of this world. I still remember his funny personal taste for elegant clothes. Nistico had very hard problems with drug addiction, even though his playing was very good. He was on a continuous trip. I remember he was interested only in getting drugs between the concert sets.
JW: When is your new CD coming out?
RM: Kansas City Outbound (Soul Note) will be released in a few months. I recorded the album in two sessions early last year in Kansas City with bassist Art Davis [pictured]. On drums is Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson, who for more than 20 years toured with organist Jimmy Smith. "Junebug" also has performed with McCoy Tyner, George Benson, Christian McBride and Carlos Santana. I also used local Kansas City drummer Zack Albetta for one of the sessions. My agent, Paul Collins, wanted to give him a chance to play and record with Art.
JW: How did the album's concept come about?
RM: In early 2007, we played a concert at the Blue Room near the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City. It was a special tribute to pianist Jay McShann, who had passed away in December 2006. My agent is a close friend of the McShanns. So we were able to meet Jay's family, and I got to play McShann's piano in his home, which was so exciting. I also received a few of his original scores as a gift from the McShann family. Art Davis was positive, happy and satisfied with our sound. Sadly, it turned out to be his final recording session.
JW: Why did you choose the Kansas City theme?
RM: I was so impressed with the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City and seeing the jazz district there [pictured] that I didn't want to miss an opportunity to pay tribute to the city and the music that was born there.
JW: What songs are on the CD?
RM: There are two totally improvised pieces, Kansas City Outbound, which has a Coltrane feel, and Kansas City Inbound, which I later found out has touches of pianist Denny Zeitlin. We also recorded I Fall in Love Too Easily; two originals of mine called Rainbow Eyes and Iraqi Blues; Monk's Bemsha Swing; Andrew Hill's Reverend Du Bop; and two more standards: Darn That Dream and Alone Together. I also recorded two solo piano interludes: ”Billy Strayhorn's A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing and Benny Carter's Lonely Woman.
JW: Speaking of solo piano, you recently recorded a solo album. It hasn't been released yet. How come?
RM: I just need to find a label that wants to release it. Solo piano albums are a harder sell. For me, the solo works are part of my personality and experience.
JW: Do you plan a tour of the U.S. soon?
RM: I plan to play in Los Angeles and San Francisco this year with saxophonists Paul Carr and Tony Lakatos [pictured, left, with Roberto], Marcus Shelby on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums. Then I hope to come to New York to play next year.
JazzWax tracks: Roberto Magris' Il Bello Del Jazz is available here on CD. For more information on the Soul Note label, go here. For more information about Roberto, go here. Il Bello Del Jazz is a very pretty album, with Magris displaying an enormous range as soloist and while accompanying Geller, who gives the date a smart, edgy West Coast feel.
Marc Myers is a New York journalist and historian. His thoughts on jazz and jazz recordings appear here daily.
An e-Chat With Roberto Magris
Few European musicians have as much adoration and reverence for the American jazz tradition as the Italian pianist Roberto Magris. Enormously curious about American culture and always eager to reinterpret neglected standards, Roberto loves performing with American jazz legends, and he brings a special sensitivity to every song he plays. Roberto's passion for jazz legends and jazz history continues to grow. His forthcoming album, Kansas City Outbound, features legendary bassist Art Davis, who died in July 2007 shortly after the album was recorded.
My favorite Roberto Magris album up to now has been Il Bello Del Jazz, which was recorded in 2003 but wasn't released until 2006. What makes this CD so special is the teaming of Roberto and the legendary alto saxophonist Herb Geller. Recorded in Roberto's home town of Trieste, Italy, everything about this album is fabulous and exciting. In addition to a handful of originals by Roberto and Geller, the album includes terrific standards including Benny Carter's Key Largo and Stephen Sondheim's Pretty Women. These two musicians together sound magical.
Roberto and I struck up a friendship several months ago via email after Roberto sent along his unreleased solo piano recording. Yesterday I e-interviewed Roberto, who's back in Trieste [pictured] after performing at a festival in Bucharest, Romania. He ruminated on why jazz is interpreted differently in various parts of Italy and reflected on one-time bandmates Herb Geller, Kai Winding, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Sal Nistico and Art Davis. He also provided details about his soon-to-be released CD, an impressionistic tribute to Jay McShann and Kansas City jazz:
JazzWax: Is there a distinctly Italian approach to jazz?
Roberto Magris: Yes, I think so. But I am more of a Middle-European jazz musician than a purely Italian one. My musical experience took place not only in Italy but also in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Czechia and Germany. Before the Iron Curtain came down, there was a unique jazz stream from those countries that I experimented with, and I was one of the few Western musicians to play concerts there and collaborate with local jazz musicians on a regular basis. So I tend to identify with Central and Eastern European musicians, especially saxophonist Tony Lakatos, one of my favorites.
JW: What exactly sets you apart from mainstream Italian jazz musicians?
RM: I think I have a special sense of dancing melodies, a more rhythmic approach and the tendency to be more of a risk-taker in solos within the harmonic frame. Actually, the jazz scene in much of Italy tends to be orientated toward experimental jazz, with some exceptions, of course, like trumpeter Enrico Rava and pianist Enrico Pierannunzi. So, I don't feel completely connected to the Italian jazz scene. I'm from Trieste, on the Adriatic Sea, and feel I have greater connection to traditional American jazz played in Central and Eastern Europe.
JW: Alto saxophonist Herb Geller played on your 2006 release, Il Bello Del Jazz. He rarely plays in the U.S. now. Why do you think that is?
RM: My impression is that Herb doesn't like to travel too far from Hamburg, Germany, where he lives. He has played in California from time to time over the last few years. But for the most part, he feels very comfortable in his new hometown, where he's highly respected, loved and appreciated. I think Herb would be open to returning to the U.S. to play if a good festival invited him. At this point, he's a grandmaster who simply likes to communicate with his sharp but sweet sound.
JW: Because Herb has been gone from the U.S. scene for some time, he's a bit of mystery to many fans here. What's he like?
RM: He is a gentleman, a very nice guy, full of anecdotes and stories. He still remembers all of his small group and big-band gigs. He remains saddened by the sudden death of his wife, Lorraine [pictured], in 1958, and the passing of close friends like Scott LaFaro and Clifford Jordan. I was especially surprised to see how proficient he was on the computer.
JW: How so?
RM: Herb collects standards and transcribes them into his computer. He has a huge, impressive collection. It's like a massive computerized fake book. He's particularly keen on compositions by Billy Strayhorn and Benny Carter. Herb is always open to new things, provided they are within the jazz tradition. He especially likes melody and rhythm, and doesn't care much for modal jazz. He's really a treasure, and I cannot understand how he can be so renowned yet underrated at the same time. [pictured: Roberto and Herb Geller]
JW: Are there other legends you'd like to play with?
RM: Oh sure. Yusef Lateef, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano and Jimmy Heath, for starters.
JW: In the early 1980s, you played with Kai Winding, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Sal Nistico—who were nearing the end of their careers. What were they like?
RM: Kai Winding was a real gentleman but he was already ill. Despite being sick, his playing was beautiful and his phrasing was elegant. I believe I played behind him during his last concert. He died just a short period after that in 1983. "Lockjaw" [pictured] was always dressed out of this world. I still remember his funny personal taste for elegant clothes. Nistico had very hard problems with drug addiction, even though his playing was very good. He was on a continuous trip. I remember he was interested only in getting drugs between the concert sets.
JW: When is your new CD coming out?
RM: Kansas City Outbound (Soul Note) will be released in a few months. I recorded the album in two sessions early last year in Kansas City with bassist Art Davis [pictured]. On drums is Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson, who for more than 20 years toured with organist Jimmy Smith. "Junebug" also has performed with McCoy Tyner, George Benson, Christian McBride and Carlos Santana. I also used local Kansas City drummer Zack Albetta for one of the sessions. My agent, Paul Collins, wanted to give him a chance to play and record with Art.
JW: How did the album's concept come about?
RM: In early 2007, we played a concert at the Blue Room near the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City. It was a special tribute to pianist Jay McShann, who had passed away in December 2006. My agent is a close friend of the McShanns. So we were able to meet Jay's family, and I got to play McShann's piano in his home, which was so exciting. I also received a few of his original scores as a gift from the McShann family. Art Davis was positive, happy and satisfied with our sound. Sadly, it turned out to be his final recording session.
JW: Why did you choose the Kansas City theme?
RM: I was so impressed with the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City and seeing the jazz district there [pictured] that I didn't want to miss an opportunity to pay tribute to the city and the music that was born there.
JW: What songs are on the CD?
RM: There are two totally improvised pieces, Kansas City Outbound, which has a Coltrane feel, and Kansas City Inbound, which I later found out has touches of pianist Denny Zeitlin. We also recorded I Fall in Love Too Easily; two originals of mine called Rainbow Eyes and Iraqi Blues; Monk's Bemsha Swing; Andrew Hill's Reverend Du Bop; and two more standards: Darn That Dream and Alone Together. I also recorded two solo piano interludes: ”Billy Strayhorn's A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing and Benny Carter's Lonely Woman.
JW: Speaking of solo piano, you recently recorded a solo album. It hasn't been released yet. How come?
RM: I just need to find a label that wants to release it. Solo piano albums are a harder sell. For me, the solo works are part of my personality and experience.
JW: Do you plan a tour of the U.S. soon?
RM: I plan to play in Los Angeles and San Francisco this year with saxophonists Paul Carr and Tony Lakatos [pictured, left, with Roberto], Marcus Shelby on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums. Then I hope to come to New York to play next year.
JazzWax tracks: Roberto Magris' Il Bello Del Jazz is available here on CD. For more information on the Soul Note label, go here. For more information about Roberto, go here. Il Bello Del Jazz is a very pretty album, with Magris displaying an enormous range as soloist and while accompanying Geller, who gives the date a smart, edgy West Coast feel.
Alphabetization of the "Nu Jazz" an Interview with composer and pianist Robert Magris by Stephen Bocioaca-jazzworldquest.com - April 7, 2007
"There are no great differences anymore between Europe and North America
in music in my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities
coming from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or
bad music, without geographical borders"
Stephen Bocioaca: DMA Urban Jazz Funk and later on Alfabeats, stand
in contrast to straight ahead classic jazz. When you first started
the project did you feel you took a risk (to alienate straight
ahead jazz fans) or it appeared like an opportunity?
Roberto Magris: I've always liked the Hammond organ players like
Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, John Patton etc. so when it came the
acid jazz season I was so happy to feel that such an organ sound
was on the spotlight again. So I wasn't afraid to miss something
but simply I catched the opportunity to play a certain genre of
jazz (soul jazz) that I've always appreciated. Of course, that
kind of rhythm (acid jazz), the hip-hop with the rap lyrics and
also the use of some digital technology (loops etc.) were an added
value to the music to me.
Stephen Bocioaca: How was Alfabeats received by jazz fans and
audiences around the world? Are you encouraged to continue with
Alfabeats recording new albums and touring?
Roberto Magris: When I noticed that the "acid jazz" stream reached
an artistic end and when I felt a little bit fed up with all those
digital sounds, I decided to move the band into a new "acoustic"
sound, but I had some difficulties with some bandmates. So, we
splitted and I re-founded the band - together with the drummer
Paolo Prizzon and rapper Max M'Bassado Marzio (both from the DMA
experience) and 2 new musicians, guitarist Luca Boscagin and
bassist Paolo Andriolo - under the name of Alfabeats Nu Jazz. From
the beginning people enjoyed such a changing of atmosphere, with
more aggressive rhythms and a variety of musical influences from
jazz to hip-hop, progressive rock and ambient too. The feedbacks
were so positive that I had to take my time to decide how and
where to get our new CD "Stones" released. At last, some friends
and my manager in the U.S., Paul Collins (from the
www.paulcollinsartismanagement.com ) were so enthusiastic that we
decided together to get it released in the U.S. by independent
label Oasis. No doubt that we'll keep on alfabeating around...
Stephen Bocioaca: Can Alfabeats evolve to a sort of musical
laboratory where other contemporary or ethnic sounds and
influences can come into mix? Without comparing, can Alfabeats
become a sort of "elektric" version of the Europlane Orchestra?
Roberto Magris: I think Alfabeats will always follow the present
times and society with its urban rhythms and illusions... Not only
my compositions and improvisational mood, but also Max's poetry is
very important too in the Alfabeats project. And the variety of
rhythms and grooves too. My personal musical experience began in
the crazy '70s, with a lot of jazz, rock and jazz-rock... too...
so I really have a "progressive" approach to music with the
Alfabeats and with the Europlane as well. In this period I'm
especially concentrated in playing the acoustic piano, without any
keyboards, and I'm looking for a dried and more essential approach
to music, in the sense of melody, harmony and rhythm. I feel that
the Alfabeats have no specific "European" influences, in the sense
of musical culture, but just range from different styles and
musical approaches (jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, progressive)
looking for a personalized mixture good for the body and good for
the brain of the listeners. Europlane is a jazz laboratory with a
different concept, rooted in the European jazz tradition, and
trying to export worldwide such a point of view, similarly to
Vienna Art Orchestra, for example (even if the musical approach is
quite different).
Stephen Bocioaca: How different the collective chemistry and the
music-making process is with Alfabeats than with Europlane
Orchestra?
With the Alfabeats I need very much the collaboration of drummer
Paolo Prizzon, who is charged to find the "right" grooves and
rhythms for each song, and of rapper poet Max Mbassado Marzio who
sets the mood with his stories. I'm very much influenced by the
lyrics while composing; see for example "Red Cap & the Bad Loop",
which make me select the key to press (the jazz key, the rock key,
the ethno key...). It's very much a workshop, like an "old time"
progressive band. On the other side, with Europlane, I mainly dig
my own straight jazz experience and I like to plan everything
before: the choice of the program, the arrangements, the soloists
etc. Nothing stiff, but I like to be a real bandleader and music
organizator. Indeed with the Europlane I've always recorded
"concept albums", like, for example, "Check In" featuring Tony
Lakatos (Soulnote 2005) or "Il Bello del Jazz" featuring Herb
Geller (Soulnote 2006) and just in couple of months I'll have my
newest 2007 album "Current Views" released by Soulnote too
(website: www.blacksaint.com)
Stephen Bocioaca: Some voices are criticizing the expansion of
jazz schools arguing that they produce too much quantity and less
quality.
I'd say that it's thank to the music schools that now we have so
many excellent professional musicians all around the world (we
couldn't imagine it in the '70s) and the general level of
musicians is so high. Yes I talk about the technical and musical
levels, that are fantastic. And it's a joy to find so many
excellent musicians everywhere around the world and to have the
possibility to play together with them without barriers, thanks to
a common musical background. And this is thanks to the music
schools. If the musical and technical level is very high, that's a
great thing for all the "music" I'd say, mostly in such a
technological world....
Stephen Bocioaca: In an interview with Boston Herald (Monday,
September 11, 2006), Branford Marsalis commented: "The times are
different now. The talent level is severely diminished and that
stuff that has replaced it has really put jazz in a bind because
the music seems to lack any kind of substance in regards to
human-ness or humanity. It's very professorial, like think-tank
music. "Jazz is in trouble. But the reason it's in trouble is not
because the music's dying, but because the people who are playing
don't have a lot of talent. We have great players in terms of
playing their instruments, but in terms of some kind of
understanding of jazz, we don't have a lot of talent right now."
Do You think that Marsalis is right?
I don't agree with Marsalis, I'm sorry. If we talk about "art" the
story may be different, as Marsalis says. But in my opinion,
certain lack of artistry in music is simply a result of the
"spirit of times". That's the world today.. we have globalization,
everything is almost the same everywhere.. how can we have a new
Charlie Parker or a new Jimi Hendrix today? I'd say the only way
for a musician to find his artistry, is to look inside his
experience for his own personal resources. Like George Harrison
I'd say that "We live in a material world (with a digital brain)"
and we have to compare this to the "naif" Woodstock heroes from
the '60s... and to John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler
from the '60s too... The world is different and the concept of art
is and will be more and more different.... (what kind of art is
the computerized music?).
Marsalis is right when he speaks about great technique without
genius. He perfectly knows all the styles and the history of jazz
but, in my little opinion, he cannot be compared to masters such
as Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, just to mention a
few names of the '60s generation, about artistry and creativity...
so I can't see any reason for him to declare that young musicians
have completely lost their talent and jazz awareness today. On the
other side, it's also clear that a new Mozart is missing, even if
the Conservatories are packed with students. I'd suggest, let's
try to better understand what it's happening now to us, to our
society and to our music and maybe we'll find some new concept of
"art" if we are open minded enough to cross our cultural heritage
and share our experience with the young generation not as a
teacher but simply as an older colleague.
That's the way Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane have
shown to us and it's still the approach of people like Ornette
Coleman and Roy Haynes, for example, or my own much older friends
Herb Geller and Art Davis and the many other living legends of
jazz still on the scene today. Last but not least, one of the best
results of having all that music students at jazz schools now
(it's obvious that the most of them won't become nor famous nor
stars but just will keep alive the flame of their interest in jazz
all their life) is that we find to have grown a generation of
"quality" jazz listeners and that we have now an audience not only
of jazz fans but also of people who have attended some jazz
courses, who can play some jazz, who knows (better than in the
past) what we're playing about... So, that's not definitely a bad
situation, in my opinion.
Stephen Bocioaca: What are your impressions of the artistic and
creative content of the current jazz and fusion scene in Europe
and North America? What new talents can you see there?
I can find many interesting musicians in the current jazz and not
only jazz scene. A first name is Roy Hargrove, who plays great
music either with his straight jazz group either with his RH
Factor, then Joshua Redman, Greg Osby... No, there are no great
differences anymore between Europe and North America in music in
my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities coming
from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or bad
music, without geographical borders.
Stephen Bocioaca: What chances are for European jazz musicians to
play more in North America? What do you think that should and can
be done to promote it? Do you think there's enough "market" for
European jazz?
In my little experience Americans like professionism at the most.
If Europeans plays at the same high standard of Americans they are
immediately accepted. On the other side, in Europe, jazz is quite
strong too and I'm very happy to say this, but there is still a
big difference. In America there is much more selection and the
average jazz musician has a higher standard than in Europe.
However, in Europe everybody can find his own little space, even
if having nothing to say, and that's good for musicians and bad
for the audience. However, I'd say that the level of the audience
in the U.S. is the same in Europe and in Japan too... and the show
business is definitely international, like the credit cards. When
you consider that there is not enough market for jazz, yes, I
think there's enough market for European jazz... and that's a god
new in a sad story...
Stephen Bocioaca: Internet became a powerful promotional tool for
musicians, yet there are many independent musicians on both sides
of the Atlantic who think that their Internet presence and
promotion didn't bring them the benefits they were expecting, in
terms of sales and bookings. How beneficial was Internet for your
projects?
Internet is definitely important for my activity even if I think
that it's hard to spend time and energy to promote a new CD when
the most of people won't buy it in the shops and will try to
download it from the net. Probably we must figure out the
possibility that the artist will directly sell to the customers
the file songs they want to listen but.... what about "concept
albums"? Internet it's like a rodeo, not easy to ride... even if
everybody uses it, now. One thing is for sure: Internet has become
a fourth part of my life (1/4 music, 1/4 driving to the gig, 1/4
at the p.c., and the rest to be divided trying to survive....)
More about Roberto Magris:
www.paulcollinsartistmanagement.com Roberto Magris at JWQ
in music in my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities
coming from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or
bad music, without geographical borders"
Stephen Bocioaca: DMA Urban Jazz Funk and later on Alfabeats, stand
in contrast to straight ahead classic jazz. When you first started
the project did you feel you took a risk (to alienate straight
ahead jazz fans) or it appeared like an opportunity?
Roberto Magris: I've always liked the Hammond organ players like
Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, John Patton etc. so when it came the
acid jazz season I was so happy to feel that such an organ sound
was on the spotlight again. So I wasn't afraid to miss something
but simply I catched the opportunity to play a certain genre of
jazz (soul jazz) that I've always appreciated. Of course, that
kind of rhythm (acid jazz), the hip-hop with the rap lyrics and
also the use of some digital technology (loops etc.) were an added
value to the music to me.
Stephen Bocioaca: How was Alfabeats received by jazz fans and
audiences around the world? Are you encouraged to continue with
Alfabeats recording new albums and touring?
Roberto Magris: When I noticed that the "acid jazz" stream reached
an artistic end and when I felt a little bit fed up with all those
digital sounds, I decided to move the band into a new "acoustic"
sound, but I had some difficulties with some bandmates. So, we
splitted and I re-founded the band - together with the drummer
Paolo Prizzon and rapper Max M'Bassado Marzio (both from the DMA
experience) and 2 new musicians, guitarist Luca Boscagin and
bassist Paolo Andriolo - under the name of Alfabeats Nu Jazz. From
the beginning people enjoyed such a changing of atmosphere, with
more aggressive rhythms and a variety of musical influences from
jazz to hip-hop, progressive rock and ambient too. The feedbacks
were so positive that I had to take my time to decide how and
where to get our new CD "Stones" released. At last, some friends
and my manager in the U.S., Paul Collins (from the
www.paulcollinsartismanagement.com ) were so enthusiastic that we
decided together to get it released in the U.S. by independent
label Oasis. No doubt that we'll keep on alfabeating around...
Stephen Bocioaca: Can Alfabeats evolve to a sort of musical
laboratory where other contemporary or ethnic sounds and
influences can come into mix? Without comparing, can Alfabeats
become a sort of "elektric" version of the Europlane Orchestra?
Roberto Magris: I think Alfabeats will always follow the present
times and society with its urban rhythms and illusions... Not only
my compositions and improvisational mood, but also Max's poetry is
very important too in the Alfabeats project. And the variety of
rhythms and grooves too. My personal musical experience began in
the crazy '70s, with a lot of jazz, rock and jazz-rock... too...
so I really have a "progressive" approach to music with the
Alfabeats and with the Europlane as well. In this period I'm
especially concentrated in playing the acoustic piano, without any
keyboards, and I'm looking for a dried and more essential approach
to music, in the sense of melody, harmony and rhythm. I feel that
the Alfabeats have no specific "European" influences, in the sense
of musical culture, but just range from different styles and
musical approaches (jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, progressive)
looking for a personalized mixture good for the body and good for
the brain of the listeners. Europlane is a jazz laboratory with a
different concept, rooted in the European jazz tradition, and
trying to export worldwide such a point of view, similarly to
Vienna Art Orchestra, for example (even if the musical approach is
quite different).
Stephen Bocioaca: How different the collective chemistry and the
music-making process is with Alfabeats than with Europlane
Orchestra?
With the Alfabeats I need very much the collaboration of drummer
Paolo Prizzon, who is charged to find the "right" grooves and
rhythms for each song, and of rapper poet Max Mbassado Marzio who
sets the mood with his stories. I'm very much influenced by the
lyrics while composing; see for example "Red Cap & the Bad Loop",
which make me select the key to press (the jazz key, the rock key,
the ethno key...). It's very much a workshop, like an "old time"
progressive band. On the other side, with Europlane, I mainly dig
my own straight jazz experience and I like to plan everything
before: the choice of the program, the arrangements, the soloists
etc. Nothing stiff, but I like to be a real bandleader and music
organizator. Indeed with the Europlane I've always recorded
"concept albums", like, for example, "Check In" featuring Tony
Lakatos (Soulnote 2005) or "Il Bello del Jazz" featuring Herb
Geller (Soulnote 2006) and just in couple of months I'll have my
newest 2007 album "Current Views" released by Soulnote too
(website: www.blacksaint.com)
Stephen Bocioaca: Some voices are criticizing the expansion of
jazz schools arguing that they produce too much quantity and less
quality.
I'd say that it's thank to the music schools that now we have so
many excellent professional musicians all around the world (we
couldn't imagine it in the '70s) and the general level of
musicians is so high. Yes I talk about the technical and musical
levels, that are fantastic. And it's a joy to find so many
excellent musicians everywhere around the world and to have the
possibility to play together with them without barriers, thanks to
a common musical background. And this is thanks to the music
schools. If the musical and technical level is very high, that's a
great thing for all the "music" I'd say, mostly in such a
technological world....
Stephen Bocioaca: In an interview with Boston Herald (Monday,
September 11, 2006), Branford Marsalis commented: "The times are
different now. The talent level is severely diminished and that
stuff that has replaced it has really put jazz in a bind because
the music seems to lack any kind of substance in regards to
human-ness or humanity. It's very professorial, like think-tank
music. "Jazz is in trouble. But the reason it's in trouble is not
because the music's dying, but because the people who are playing
don't have a lot of talent. We have great players in terms of
playing their instruments, but in terms of some kind of
understanding of jazz, we don't have a lot of talent right now."
Do You think that Marsalis is right?
I don't agree with Marsalis, I'm sorry. If we talk about "art" the
story may be different, as Marsalis says. But in my opinion,
certain lack of artistry in music is simply a result of the
"spirit of times". That's the world today.. we have globalization,
everything is almost the same everywhere.. how can we have a new
Charlie Parker or a new Jimi Hendrix today? I'd say the only way
for a musician to find his artistry, is to look inside his
experience for his own personal resources. Like George Harrison
I'd say that "We live in a material world (with a digital brain)"
and we have to compare this to the "naif" Woodstock heroes from
the '60s... and to John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler
from the '60s too... The world is different and the concept of art
is and will be more and more different.... (what kind of art is
the computerized music?).
Marsalis is right when he speaks about great technique without
genius. He perfectly knows all the styles and the history of jazz
but, in my little opinion, he cannot be compared to masters such
as Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, just to mention a
few names of the '60s generation, about artistry and creativity...
so I can't see any reason for him to declare that young musicians
have completely lost their talent and jazz awareness today. On the
other side, it's also clear that a new Mozart is missing, even if
the Conservatories are packed with students. I'd suggest, let's
try to better understand what it's happening now to us, to our
society and to our music and maybe we'll find some new concept of
"art" if we are open minded enough to cross our cultural heritage
and share our experience with the young generation not as a
teacher but simply as an older colleague.
That's the way Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane have
shown to us and it's still the approach of people like Ornette
Coleman and Roy Haynes, for example, or my own much older friends
Herb Geller and Art Davis and the many other living legends of
jazz still on the scene today. Last but not least, one of the best
results of having all that music students at jazz schools now
(it's obvious that the most of them won't become nor famous nor
stars but just will keep alive the flame of their interest in jazz
all their life) is that we find to have grown a generation of
"quality" jazz listeners and that we have now an audience not only
of jazz fans but also of people who have attended some jazz
courses, who can play some jazz, who knows (better than in the
past) what we're playing about... So, that's not definitely a bad
situation, in my opinion.
Stephen Bocioaca: What are your impressions of the artistic and
creative content of the current jazz and fusion scene in Europe
and North America? What new talents can you see there?
I can find many interesting musicians in the current jazz and not
only jazz scene. A first name is Roy Hargrove, who plays great
music either with his straight jazz group either with his RH
Factor, then Joshua Redman, Greg Osby... No, there are no great
differences anymore between Europe and North America in music in
my opinion, even if each artist has its own peculiarities coming
from his race and culture, but it's simply a matter of good or bad
music, without geographical borders.
Stephen Bocioaca: What chances are for European jazz musicians to
play more in North America? What do you think that should and can
be done to promote it? Do you think there's enough "market" for
European jazz?
In my little experience Americans like professionism at the most.
If Europeans plays at the same high standard of Americans they are
immediately accepted. On the other side, in Europe, jazz is quite
strong too and I'm very happy to say this, but there is still a
big difference. In America there is much more selection and the
average jazz musician has a higher standard than in Europe.
However, in Europe everybody can find his own little space, even
if having nothing to say, and that's good for musicians and bad
for the audience. However, I'd say that the level of the audience
in the U.S. is the same in Europe and in Japan too... and the show
business is definitely international, like the credit cards. When
you consider that there is not enough market for jazz, yes, I
think there's enough market for European jazz... and that's a god
new in a sad story...
Stephen Bocioaca: Internet became a powerful promotional tool for
musicians, yet there are many independent musicians on both sides
of the Atlantic who think that their Internet presence and
promotion didn't bring them the benefits they were expecting, in
terms of sales and bookings. How beneficial was Internet for your
projects?
Internet is definitely important for my activity even if I think
that it's hard to spend time and energy to promote a new CD when
the most of people won't buy it in the shops and will try to
download it from the net. Probably we must figure out the
possibility that the artist will directly sell to the customers
the file songs they want to listen but.... what about "concept
albums"? Internet it's like a rodeo, not easy to ride... even if
everybody uses it, now. One thing is for sure: Internet has become
a fourth part of my life (1/4 music, 1/4 driving to the gig, 1/4
at the p.c., and the rest to be divided trying to survive....)
More about Roberto Magris:
www.paulcollinsartistmanagement.com Roberto Magris at JWQ
John Kelman, Senior Editor, All Aout Jazz.com Reviews Roberto Magris-Alfabeats Nu Jazz "New" CD Entitled "Stones" - March 7, 2007
For those who think that authentic, urban-informed jazz is the unique purview of North American musicians, one need only look to Stones. Emerging from the ashes of the more electronica-centric Italian group DMA, the equally all-Italian Alfabeats Nu Jazz makes music that sounds like it could be coming from the streets of any large American city—or does it?
The Alfabeats member who will be best known to American audiences is Roberto Magris, whose mainstream Europlane group released the critically well-received Il Bello Del Jazz (Soul Note, 2006). Here the talented pianist is found just as often on electric piano and organ as the acoustic variety. While Alfabeats is an electric band—not just literally, in that bassist Paolo Andriolo and guitarist Luca Boscagin play the plugged-in versions of their instruments, but also in the sense that this group is charged—this is no electronica outfit that utilizes the samplers and turntables some jazz fans find anathematic and very arguably un-jazzy.
First and foremost, Alfabeats is a playing band, albeit one with a language that extends far beyond the conventional definition of jazz to include elements of soul, R&B, funk... even hints of progressive rock and classic ‘70s Brit-rock. Regardless of how the group amalgamates a seemingly disparate group of influences, groove is priority number one. Whether it’s the hip-hop-centric rhythm of “Syeeda’s Flute in Wonderland,” with its reference to John Coltrane, the more balladic funk of the title track, or the rocking “Islamic Spires,” this is music that’s sure to move the body without sacrificing any appeal for the mind.
Outside of a couple of passages where he delivers his message in Italian, one would be hard-pressed to hear any trace of an accent from rap vocalist Max “Mbassado” Marzio. Not that there would be anything wrong with that, but combined with the rest of the group’s overall sound, it lays total waste to any claims of stylistic propriety. Far from the vapid (or sometimes downright offensive) lyrics of so much rap music, Marzio delivers poetry with a purpose, as on the cautionary tale “Red Cap & The Bad Loop.”
The group never overstays its welcome, but Magris and Boscagin deliver strong solos throughout, buoyed by Andriolo and drummer Paolo Prizzon’s visceral grooves. The language never gets too complicated, but it’s clear, even on the straightforward “Floppy Generation Blues,” that everyone—not just Magris—possesses a rich vernacular.
Stones is an exciting debut that will no doubt appeal to a younger demographic. But it’s just as certain to attract more seasoned jazzers who don’t have a knee-jerk reaction against rap or the idea of straying away from convention.
Visit Alfabeats Nu Jazz on the web.
Alfabeats Nu Jazz at All About Jazz.
Track listing: Syeeda's Flute in Wonderland; Stones; Islamic Spires; Red Cap & The Bad Loop; L.A.P.D.; Terra Nuda; Reaching the Holy Land; Get Coltranized; Floppy Generation Blues.
Personnel: Max “Mbassado” Marzio: rap vocals; Luca Boscagin: electric guitar; Roberto Magris: piano and organ; Paolo Andriolo: electric bass; Paolo Prizzon: drums, percussion.
The Alfabeats member who will be best known to American audiences is Roberto Magris, whose mainstream Europlane group released the critically well-received Il Bello Del Jazz (Soul Note, 2006). Here the talented pianist is found just as often on electric piano and organ as the acoustic variety. While Alfabeats is an electric band—not just literally, in that bassist Paolo Andriolo and guitarist Luca Boscagin play the plugged-in versions of their instruments, but also in the sense that this group is charged—this is no electronica outfit that utilizes the samplers and turntables some jazz fans find anathematic and very arguably un-jazzy.
First and foremost, Alfabeats is a playing band, albeit one with a language that extends far beyond the conventional definition of jazz to include elements of soul, R&B, funk... even hints of progressive rock and classic ‘70s Brit-rock. Regardless of how the group amalgamates a seemingly disparate group of influences, groove is priority number one. Whether it’s the hip-hop-centric rhythm of “Syeeda’s Flute in Wonderland,” with its reference to John Coltrane, the more balladic funk of the title track, or the rocking “Islamic Spires,” this is music that’s sure to move the body without sacrificing any appeal for the mind.
Outside of a couple of passages where he delivers his message in Italian, one would be hard-pressed to hear any trace of an accent from rap vocalist Max “Mbassado” Marzio. Not that there would be anything wrong with that, but combined with the rest of the group’s overall sound, it lays total waste to any claims of stylistic propriety. Far from the vapid (or sometimes downright offensive) lyrics of so much rap music, Marzio delivers poetry with a purpose, as on the cautionary tale “Red Cap & The Bad Loop.”
The group never overstays its welcome, but Magris and Boscagin deliver strong solos throughout, buoyed by Andriolo and drummer Paolo Prizzon’s visceral grooves. The language never gets too complicated, but it’s clear, even on the straightforward “Floppy Generation Blues,” that everyone—not just Magris—possesses a rich vernacular.
Stones is an exciting debut that will no doubt appeal to a younger demographic. But it’s just as certain to attract more seasoned jazzers who don’t have a knee-jerk reaction against rap or the idea of straying away from convention.
Visit Alfabeats Nu Jazz on the web.
Alfabeats Nu Jazz at All About Jazz.
Track listing: Syeeda's Flute in Wonderland; Stones; Islamic Spires; Red Cap & The Bad Loop; L.A.P.D.; Terra Nuda; Reaching the Holy Land; Get Coltranized; Floppy Generation Blues.
Personnel: Max “Mbassado” Marzio: rap vocals; Luca Boscagin: electric guitar; Roberto Magris: piano and organ; Paolo Andriolo: electric bass; Paolo Prizzon: drums, percussion.
Marc Medwin of Bagatellen Reviews Roberto Magris Europlane New CD "IL Bello Del Jazz" - February 20, 2007
The work of Italian pianist Roberto Magris is new to me; I undertook investigation only after I heard that he would be releasing a disc with the incomparable Arthur Davis, apparently due to drop sometime later this year. However, Magris’ most recent release proved to be one of the best “straight-ahead” albums I’ve heard recently.
His playing is never showy or needlessly virtuosic, and yet he is extraordinarily nuanced in his approach to the keyboard; just listen to the way he accompanies the other musicians, notably veteran composer/instrumentalist Herb Geller. Magris is constantly sensitive to the wide dynamic and subtle color shifts in Geller’s playing, as can be heard to fantastic effect in “Stray Form.” On Geller’s solo, piano and drums lay out leaving only Geller and bassist Rudi Engel; on their return, Magris concentrates initially on higher register comping, the sound he elicits more harp-like than pianistic. Yet, his playing on “Some Other Spring”, largely a vehicle for piano and saxophone, weds Monk’s timing, and even a few of his characteristic descending runs, with Bill Evans’ harmonic language. It is wonderful to hear these two musicians interacting on such a personal way, Geller’s warm and richly vibrant tones in perfect symbiosis with the stark beauty of Magris’ chordal structures.
Europlane is versatile, engaging a wide array of styles with conviction and authority. “Parker’s Pen” is just plain fun, effortlessly “bop” with Darko Jurkovic invoking Billy Bauer’s sophistication and fluidity and Gabriele Centis embodying the space between swing and all that would follow.
The program is as varied as the players’ knowledge and appreciation of history is broad. This is an enjoyable set from a group with whom I have been privileged to become acquainted.
His playing is never showy or needlessly virtuosic, and yet he is extraordinarily nuanced in his approach to the keyboard; just listen to the way he accompanies the other musicians, notably veteran composer/instrumentalist Herb Geller. Magris is constantly sensitive to the wide dynamic and subtle color shifts in Geller’s playing, as can be heard to fantastic effect in “Stray Form.” On Geller’s solo, piano and drums lay out leaving only Geller and bassist Rudi Engel; on their return, Magris concentrates initially on higher register comping, the sound he elicits more harp-like than pianistic. Yet, his playing on “Some Other Spring”, largely a vehicle for piano and saxophone, weds Monk’s timing, and even a few of his characteristic descending runs, with Bill Evans’ harmonic language. It is wonderful to hear these two musicians interacting on such a personal way, Geller’s warm and richly vibrant tones in perfect symbiosis with the stark beauty of Magris’ chordal structures.
Europlane is versatile, engaging a wide array of styles with conviction and authority. “Parker’s Pen” is just plain fun, effortlessly “bop” with Darko Jurkovic invoking Billy Bauer’s sophistication and fluidity and Gabriele Centis embodying the space between swing and all that would follow.
The program is as varied as the players’ knowledge and appreciation of history is broad. This is an enjoyable set from a group with whom I have been privileged to become acquainted.
Chris Mann Reviews Roberto Magris' Alfabeats Nu Jazz new CD "Stones" - February 12, 2007
… Stones by Alfabeats Nu Jazz
I heard the music of this band some weeks ago and it instantly sounded fresh and very groove-laden. Once founder, keyboard player and composer Roberto Magris had mailed me the 2006 release “Stones” and his press kit, I started to realise that I’ve been missing some very good music coming out of Italy… That music includes his own “Il Bello del Jazz” and 4 albums released by the current band in its pre-2003 incarnation DMA.
It’s immediately obvious from Syeeda’s Flute in Wonderland that Magris is equally at home on piano and organ, and the organ sound on this funky number is somehow retro but up-to-date at the same time. Max Marzio’s rap vocals fit on top of this acid jazz groove nicely and you’ll be nodding your head to this right away, as you will to the insistent and urgent L.A.P.D., the irresistible Get Coltranized and the riotous Floppy Generation Blues. The jazz and hip-hop blend so well you soon stop thinking about it. The rap on Terra Nuda is in Italian and for broad-minded listeners who can get to MC Solaar and other European rap artists, this will please.
You’ll hear some great guitar playing too – Luca Boscagin burns on Floppy Generation Blues and Paolo Andriolo’s electric bass solo on the same song gives me just what I’m looking for! A rock guitar sound opens the majestic title track and the complex, atmospheric Islamic Spires, where it doubles Magris’ melody line on the organ.
You have to hear Red Cap & the Bad Loop for yourself. I just smile whenever I hear it – an urban nursery rhyme. As for the atmospheric Reaching the Holy Land, with its haunting percussion (and what sounds like a didgeridoo) I find it moving and I’m totally drawn in. It’s very hard to play this just once…
To hear this music for yourself, go to CD Baby and if you want to hear more about Roberto Magris visit www.allaboutjazz.com (search for Magris). To keep up with this fine band, visit www.alfabeats.net
I heard the music of this band some weeks ago and it instantly sounded fresh and very groove-laden. Once founder, keyboard player and composer Roberto Magris had mailed me the 2006 release “Stones” and his press kit, I started to realise that I’ve been missing some very good music coming out of Italy… That music includes his own “Il Bello del Jazz” and 4 albums released by the current band in its pre-2003 incarnation DMA.
It’s immediately obvious from Syeeda’s Flute in Wonderland that Magris is equally at home on piano and organ, and the organ sound on this funky number is somehow retro but up-to-date at the same time. Max Marzio’s rap vocals fit on top of this acid jazz groove nicely and you’ll be nodding your head to this right away, as you will to the insistent and urgent L.A.P.D., the irresistible Get Coltranized and the riotous Floppy Generation Blues. The jazz and hip-hop blend so well you soon stop thinking about it. The rap on Terra Nuda is in Italian and for broad-minded listeners who can get to MC Solaar and other European rap artists, this will please.
You’ll hear some great guitar playing too – Luca Boscagin burns on Floppy Generation Blues and Paolo Andriolo’s electric bass solo on the same song gives me just what I’m looking for! A rock guitar sound opens the majestic title track and the complex, atmospheric Islamic Spires, where it doubles Magris’ melody line on the organ.
You have to hear Red Cap & the Bad Loop for yourself. I just smile whenever I hear it – an urban nursery rhyme. As for the atmospheric Reaching the Holy Land, with its haunting percussion (and what sounds like a didgeridoo) I find it moving and I’m totally drawn in. It’s very hard to play this just once…
To hear this music for yourself, go to CD Baby and if you want to hear more about Roberto Magris visit www.allaboutjazz.com (search for Magris). To keep up with this fine band, visit www.alfabeats.net
Budd Kopman @ eJazzNews.com Reviews Roberto Magris "New" CD "Il Bello Del Jazz" - December 9, 2006
Il Bello Del Jazz is surely one of the most entrancing
mainstream albums of the year. This group swings so
effortlessly and with such sureness that its music
transcends such labels as mainstream and becomes the simple
the Ellingtonian “good.” While this release sounds entirely
different than Apparition, it has that same smile-inducing
warmth that comes from musicians who have lived this music
and are playing from within it.
Herb Geller, regardless of his age (77), is a joy to listen
to. Having grown up in the Swing Era with Benny Carter as
his idol, Geller exudes that same ease and nonchalance that
Carter (a truly amazing multi-instrumentalist, from reeds to
trumpet) had, mixed with the sweetness of Johnny Hodges. His
tone has a soft edge, and he knows exactly when to add just
the right amount of vibrato.
It is unclear why Roberto Magris decided to call Geller, who
has been living in Germany since 1958, and was nowhere near
Magris' native Trieste, Italy. Whatever the reason, the
recording session centered around a heavy bag of scores that
Geller brought, saying that he wanted to do some tunes he
had not recorded before. Magris gladly accepted, and in fact
some of the tracks are unrehearsed takes directly recorded
as they were played.
Magris is a clean and crystalline pianist who, while at ease
with many modern styles, drops so completely in the swinging
groove that one would think he was of the same generation as
Geller. The most impressive part of what Magris does is the
way he leads the rhythm section behind Geller. While his
soloing is tasteful and to the point—and always lets that
Italian sunshine through—his comping and interaction with
bassist Rudi Engl and drummer Gabriele Centis provides a
solid center upon which Geller can soar.
A perfect example of this cohesion is the Geller original
“Stray Form.” After having full band support to state the
theme, Geller begins his improvisation with just bass
backing, and when the piano enters, the magic begins, only
to be bettered when the rhythm section double-times and
swings madly, only to duplicate the whole feel during a
Magris solo. Marvelous. Guitarist Darko Jurkovic is a
wonderful surprise, playing inventive and surprising solos
using a Stanley Jordan-like hammer-on technique on four
tracks.
Il Bello Del Jazz is a superior effort from a group of
musicians who clearly were having a good time making this
music.
Track listing: No Sadness; Stray Form; Some Other Spring;
Key Largo; A New town Is A Blue Town; Here I’ll Stay; Ah
Moore; Il Bello Del Jazz; Pretty Woman; Parker’s Pen;
Deception.
Personnel: Roberto Magris: piano; Herb Geller: alto
saxophone; Darko Jurkovic: guitar; Rudi Engel: bass;
Gabriele Centis: drums.
mainstream albums of the year. This group swings so
effortlessly and with such sureness that its music
transcends such labels as mainstream and becomes the simple
the Ellingtonian “good.” While this release sounds entirely
different than Apparition, it has that same smile-inducing
warmth that comes from musicians who have lived this music
and are playing from within it.
Herb Geller, regardless of his age (77), is a joy to listen
to. Having grown up in the Swing Era with Benny Carter as
his idol, Geller exudes that same ease and nonchalance that
Carter (a truly amazing multi-instrumentalist, from reeds to
trumpet) had, mixed with the sweetness of Johnny Hodges. His
tone has a soft edge, and he knows exactly when to add just
the right amount of vibrato.
It is unclear why Roberto Magris decided to call Geller, who
has been living in Germany since 1958, and was nowhere near
Magris' native Trieste, Italy. Whatever the reason, the
recording session centered around a heavy bag of scores that
Geller brought, saying that he wanted to do some tunes he
had not recorded before. Magris gladly accepted, and in fact
some of the tracks are unrehearsed takes directly recorded
as they were played.
Magris is a clean and crystalline pianist who, while at ease
with many modern styles, drops so completely in the swinging
groove that one would think he was of the same generation as
Geller. The most impressive part of what Magris does is the
way he leads the rhythm section behind Geller. While his
soloing is tasteful and to the point—and always lets that
Italian sunshine through—his comping and interaction with
bassist Rudi Engl and drummer Gabriele Centis provides a
solid center upon which Geller can soar.
A perfect example of this cohesion is the Geller original
“Stray Form.” After having full band support to state the
theme, Geller begins his improvisation with just bass
backing, and when the piano enters, the magic begins, only
to be bettered when the rhythm section double-times and
swings madly, only to duplicate the whole feel during a
Magris solo. Marvelous. Guitarist Darko Jurkovic is a
wonderful surprise, playing inventive and surprising solos
using a Stanley Jordan-like hammer-on technique on four
tracks.
Il Bello Del Jazz is a superior effort from a group of
musicians who clearly were having a good time making this
music.
Track listing: No Sadness; Stray Form; Some Other Spring;
Key Largo; A New town Is A Blue Town; Here I’ll Stay; Ah
Moore; Il Bello Del Jazz; Pretty Woman; Parker’s Pen;
Deception.
Personnel: Roberto Magris: piano; Herb Geller: alto
saxophone; Darko Jurkovic: guitar; Rudi Engel: bass;
Gabriele Centis: drums.
All About Jazz -Glenn Astarita Reviews Roberto Magris "New" CD "Il Bello Del Jazz" - December 9, 2006
Italian jazz pianist Roberto Magris spotlights
American alto saxophonist Herb Geller on this recently
issued release. The album features Magris singing
notes and the band's buoyant fusion of swing and
samba along with Geller's emotionally-charged lines
and flotation-like melodies. At times Geller conjures
up remembrances of tenor sax great Stan Getz via his
fluent delivery and warm-toned phrasings.
In addition, the saxophonist's harmonically
alluring and lushly arranged take on Sondheim's
"Pretty Woman" is worth its weight in gold.
Nothing flashy or groundbreaking, but Magris and his
ensemble have forged an intimate working relationship
here, on this radiantly enacted modern-mainstream jazz
effort.
Herb Geller: alto sax;
Darko Jurkovic: guitar(selected tracks);
Roberto Magris: piano;
Rudi Engel:bass;
Gabrielle Centis: drums
American alto saxophonist Herb Geller on this recently
issued release. The album features Magris singing
notes and the band's buoyant fusion of swing and
samba along with Geller's emotionally-charged lines
and flotation-like melodies. At times Geller conjures
up remembrances of tenor sax great Stan Getz via his
fluent delivery and warm-toned phrasings.
In addition, the saxophonist's harmonically
alluring and lushly arranged take on Sondheim's
"Pretty Woman" is worth its weight in gold.
Nothing flashy or groundbreaking, but Magris and his
ensemble have forged an intimate working relationship
here, on this radiantly enacted modern-mainstream jazz
effort.
Herb Geller: alto sax;
Darko Jurkovic: guitar(selected tracks);
Roberto Magris: piano;
Rudi Engel:bass;
Gabrielle Centis: drums
Alessandro Armando @ JazzItalia Reviews Roberto Magris Europlane "Il Bello Del Jazz" - November 9, 2006
Roberto Magris racconta, con il suo ultimo disco Il bello del jazz, non solo un incontro, quello con il saxofonista Herb Geller, ma anche un'intuizione, una sensazione.
Nuovamente, come è stato per molti lavori precedenti del pianista triestino e in particolare in Check In (Soulnote 2005), Magris imprime il taglio di Europlane, sia alla sua composizione che nell'esecuzione. La sensazione proposta dai cinque musicisti in questo lavoro, registrato già nel 2003, è appunto il "bello" del jazz: non un giudizio, non una ponderata scelta critica, non un'inseguita idea, ma più semplicemente una musica che si ascolta con la facilità che si prova quando ci si avvicina a ciò che piace, che si ritiene di poter descrivere esaurientemente con la abusata vaghezza del termine "bello".
La precisione, l'armonia, la pacatezza del pianoforte di Magris, mai dominante, permettono di iniziare a scoprire che cosa ci sia di bello nel jazz. Non esauriscono il jazz (non lo si pretendeva!), non sfiorano le profondità estetiche della musica afroamericana, non rendono omaggi indimenticabili, a chi già non dimenticato lo era di suo, non innovano, ma con straordinaria "cortesia" accompagnano, avvicinano. Perché Magris disegna un palco e un suono, grazie soprattutto ad una ritmica perfetta con Rudi Engel al contrabbasso e Gebriele Centis alla batteria, che ha la forza di farsi ascoltare per ricordarne senza retorica la sua naturalezza, la sua semplicità, il suo "bello", il suo gusto.
Nuovamente, come è stato per molti lavori precedenti del pianista triestino e in particolare in Check In (Soulnote 2005), Magris imprime il taglio di Europlane, sia alla sua composizione che nell'esecuzione. La sensazione proposta dai cinque musicisti in questo lavoro, registrato già nel 2003, è appunto il "bello" del jazz: non un giudizio, non una ponderata scelta critica, non un'inseguita idea, ma più semplicemente una musica che si ascolta con la facilità che si prova quando ci si avvicina a ciò che piace, che si ritiene di poter descrivere esaurientemente con la abusata vaghezza del termine "bello".
La precisione, l'armonia, la pacatezza del pianoforte di Magris, mai dominante, permettono di iniziare a scoprire che cosa ci sia di bello nel jazz. Non esauriscono il jazz (non lo si pretendeva!), non sfiorano le profondità estetiche della musica afroamericana, non rendono omaggi indimenticabili, a chi già non dimenticato lo era di suo, non innovano, ma con straordinaria "cortesia" accompagnano, avvicinano. Perché Magris disegna un palco e un suono, grazie soprattutto ad una ritmica perfetta con Rudi Engel al contrabbasso e Gebriele Centis alla batteria, che ha la forza di farsi ascoltare per ricordarne senza retorica la sua naturalezza, la sua semplicità, il suo "bello", il suo gusto.
Edward Kane @ Jazz Review .com Reviews Roberto Magris Europlane "Il Bello Del Jazz" - November 9, 2006
Italian pianist Roberto Magris leads a pan-European quintet on the fine new CD Il Bello Del Jazz. Most notable among the group's members is the fine alto saxophonist Herb Geller, a veteran of the West Coast jazz scene of the fifties and sixties who has long resided in Germany. The date is split more or less evenly between originals penned by either Magris or Geller on the one hand and standards on the other. The tracks more or less alternate in mood between hard bop and what could be described as a cross between impressionism and cool jazz.
Roberto Magris is a joy to listen to. The album begins with a pretty solo piano introduction that sets up his composition "No Sadness" perfectly, and on subsequent tracks he adapts to the challenges of each piece nicely--expertly handling the bop changes of Geller's "Stray Form," playing some nice blues and gospel tinged licks on Benny Carter's "Key Largo" and Adler and Ross's "A New Town Is A Blue Town," laying down nice accompaniment throughout. Geller's playing is equally remarkable, achieving airy tones on the ballads, then playing with a tenor-like robustness on the harder stuff. The rhythm team of bassist Rudi Engel, drummer Gabriele Centis and (on four tracks) guitarist Darko Jurkovic are always right there as well. Well worth seeking out.
Roberto Magris is a joy to listen to. The album begins with a pretty solo piano introduction that sets up his composition "No Sadness" perfectly, and on subsequent tracks he adapts to the challenges of each piece nicely--expertly handling the bop changes of Geller's "Stray Form," playing some nice blues and gospel tinged licks on Benny Carter's "Key Largo" and Adler and Ross's "A New Town Is A Blue Town," laying down nice accompaniment throughout. Geller's playing is equally remarkable, achieving airy tones on the ballads, then playing with a tenor-like robustness on the harder stuff. The rhythm team of bassist Rudi Engel, drummer Gabriele Centis and (on four tracks) guitarist Darko Jurkovic are always right there as well. Well worth seeking out.
Craig Hurst @ Jazz Review .com Reviews Roberto Magris Europlane "Il Bello Del Jazz" - November 9, 2006
The recording Check In fronted by Italian pianist and composer Roberto Magris is a magnificent collection of original compositions “book ended” with standards by Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer. Recorded in September of 2003, Check In comprises 8 tunes covering nearly an hour of wonderfully swinging straight ahead jazz.
The CD kicks off with an up tempo free form improvisation between the two tenors trading 8s accompanied only by the drums. This mix leads right into a burning rendition of the Johnny Mercer classic “I Remember You.” Each of the saxophonists plays neatly off each other in an intricate counterpoint of melodic invention. The head played by the two saxophonists leads right into a piano solo by leader Roberto Magris. Magris wastes no time demonstrating his solid technique at the keyboard as he winds deftly from one end to the other in creating an exciting solo. Not to be outdone tenor saxophonist Michael Erian also contributes a buoyant invention.
Stand out original tunes on Check In includes the Magris’ “Blues for my Sleeping Baby” and “African Mood.” With both tenors playing the head in unison, “Blues for my Sleeping Baby” sounds strongly reminiscent of Charles Mingus’ writing. This is even more strongly evident with occasional stop time measures catching the listener’s ear momentarily off guard as part of developing melodic interest. “African Mood” is a modal vamp that brings to mind the modal work of McCoy Tyner and especially Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage.” The soprano saxophone solos are both soothing melodic forays that weave trance-like lines over the slow moving harmonies below.
“Luci Lontane” is a slower more laid back tune that again provides an excellent vehicle for the dual saxophonists as they demonstrate their abilities to create interesting lines of counterpoint around each other’s melodies. “What Blues,” another modal tune is laid out with a simple 4 bar riff played in harmony by the two saxes. Both saxophonists stretch right out in very comfortable sounding solos, letting it all hang out with hanging it out over the edge.
The three standards that close the recording are excellent examples of the fine musicianship on Check In. “Why Did I Choose You” provides the ensemble an opportunity to play a lush ballad and create musical statements that are meaningful and profound. Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You” is another fun romp with tenor and soprano saxes playing the head with a smooth and refined delivery. Solos likewise flow like fine wine from the saxophones of Lakatos and Erian and there is no lack of swing anywhere in the ensemble. Magris again demonstrates his improvisational artistry creating a compelling solo. The final tune “Che Cosa C’E’” played only by Magris, bassist Robert Balzar and drummer Gabriele Centis is delightful coda to the previous set of tunes, and allows leader Magris to truly have the last word on this recording.
Check In by Roberto Magris Europlane is a CD that packs a lot of listening delight. The musicianship is superb, the original tunes are inventive, and the interpretations of standards are refreshing. For lovers of good straight ahead jazz, Check In would be a most welcome addition to a jazz CD collection.
The CD kicks off with an up tempo free form improvisation between the two tenors trading 8s accompanied only by the drums. This mix leads right into a burning rendition of the Johnny Mercer classic “I Remember You.” Each of the saxophonists plays neatly off each other in an intricate counterpoint of melodic invention. The head played by the two saxophonists leads right into a piano solo by leader Roberto Magris. Magris wastes no time demonstrating his solid technique at the keyboard as he winds deftly from one end to the other in creating an exciting solo. Not to be outdone tenor saxophonist Michael Erian also contributes a buoyant invention.
Stand out original tunes on Check In includes the Magris’ “Blues for my Sleeping Baby” and “African Mood.” With both tenors playing the head in unison, “Blues for my Sleeping Baby” sounds strongly reminiscent of Charles Mingus’ writing. This is even more strongly evident with occasional stop time measures catching the listener’s ear momentarily off guard as part of developing melodic interest. “African Mood” is a modal vamp that brings to mind the modal work of McCoy Tyner and especially Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage.” The soprano saxophone solos are both soothing melodic forays that weave trance-like lines over the slow moving harmonies below.
“Luci Lontane” is a slower more laid back tune that again provides an excellent vehicle for the dual saxophonists as they demonstrate their abilities to create interesting lines of counterpoint around each other’s melodies. “What Blues,” another modal tune is laid out with a simple 4 bar riff played in harmony by the two saxes. Both saxophonists stretch right out in very comfortable sounding solos, letting it all hang out with hanging it out over the edge.
The three standards that close the recording are excellent examples of the fine musicianship on Check In. “Why Did I Choose You” provides the ensemble an opportunity to play a lush ballad and create musical statements that are meaningful and profound. Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You” is another fun romp with tenor and soprano saxes playing the head with a smooth and refined delivery. Solos likewise flow like fine wine from the saxophones of Lakatos and Erian and there is no lack of swing anywhere in the ensemble. Magris again demonstrates his improvisational artistry creating a compelling solo. The final tune “Che Cosa C’E’” played only by Magris, bassist Robert Balzar and drummer Gabriele Centis is delightful coda to the previous set of tunes, and allows leader Magris to truly have the last word on this recording.
Check In by Roberto Magris Europlane is a CD that packs a lot of listening delight. The musicianship is superb, the original tunes are inventive, and the interpretations of standards are refreshing. For lovers of good straight ahead jazz, Check In would be a most welcome addition to a jazz CD collection.
The "New" Alfabeats Nu Jazz CD entitled "Stones" released today by Roberto Magris - November 8, 2006
The new CD by Roberto Magris group Alfabeats Nu Jazz is available worldwide today at CD Baby.com.
This highly anticipated new CD is sure to please those that love lyrics, a good beat and good music. Purchase your copy NOW at CD Baby .com
Listen to sample tracks, write your comments or purchase by "clicking" on the link below. Enjoy!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/alfabeatsnujazz
This highly anticipated new CD is sure to please those that love lyrics, a good beat and good music. Purchase your copy NOW at CD Baby .com
Listen to sample tracks, write your comments or purchase by "clicking" on the link below. Enjoy!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/alfabeatsnujazz
Roberto DeVirtis from AltriSuoni Reviews Roberto Magris Europlane's "New" CD " IL Bello Del Jazz" - October 5, 2006
Dopo aver raccolto consensi unanimi con il fortunato "Check In", l'Europlane di Roberto Magris abbandona il Vecchio Continente e la Mitteleuropea e vola oltre oceano, puntando dritto verso il Nuovo Mondo, per consolidare il prestigio del pianista negli Stati Uniti, dove è già molto apprezzato.
Secondo Magris "Il Bello del Jazz" - titolo del nuovo cd pubblicato dalla Soul Note - sta nel fascino che emana la musica dei tempi andati, sia essa il jazz della West Coast oppure lo swing degli anni Quaranta: musica intramontabile che resiste molto bene alla prova degli anni e che, con gli opportuni 'ritocchi', risulta ancor oggi valida.
Gradito ospite di questa operazione è Herb Geller, l'altosassofonista tedesco che proprio negli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta ha vissuto in prima persona la stagione del west coast jazz, suonando tra gli altri con Shelly Manne e Shorty Rodgers. Con Magris, Geller ha vagliato la possibilità di incidere materiale che non gli era mai capitato di registrare prima, come "Key Largo" di Benny Carter (uno dei suoi principali ispiratori) e "Ah Moore" di Al Cohn.
Swingando deliziosamente sulle note di "Here I'll Stay" di Lerner e Weil oppure strizzando l'occhio ai ritmi latini con la sua "No Sadness", Magris si trova nella condizione ideale e spensierata di chi può permettersi di "scomparire" come accompagnatore dietro agli altri musicisti per poi ricomparire imperiosamente con interventi solistici di pregevolissima fattura.
Il dialogo con Geller viaggia sui binari della perfetta sintonia e i componenti dell'Europlane si cercano e conoscono a memoria, lasciando all'ascoltatore l'impressione di suonare con estrema facilità e regalando quasi un'ora di musica rilassata e godibilissima.
Secondo Magris "Il Bello del Jazz" - titolo del nuovo cd pubblicato dalla Soul Note - sta nel fascino che emana la musica dei tempi andati, sia essa il jazz della West Coast oppure lo swing degli anni Quaranta: musica intramontabile che resiste molto bene alla prova degli anni e che, con gli opportuni 'ritocchi', risulta ancor oggi valida.
Gradito ospite di questa operazione è Herb Geller, l'altosassofonista tedesco che proprio negli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta ha vissuto in prima persona la stagione del west coast jazz, suonando tra gli altri con Shelly Manne e Shorty Rodgers. Con Magris, Geller ha vagliato la possibilità di incidere materiale che non gli era mai capitato di registrare prima, come "Key Largo" di Benny Carter (uno dei suoi principali ispiratori) e "Ah Moore" di Al Cohn.
Swingando deliziosamente sulle note di "Here I'll Stay" di Lerner e Weil oppure strizzando l'occhio ai ritmi latini con la sua "No Sadness", Magris si trova nella condizione ideale e spensierata di chi può permettersi di "scomparire" come accompagnatore dietro agli altri musicisti per poi ricomparire imperiosamente con interventi solistici di pregevolissima fattura.
Il dialogo con Geller viaggia sui binari della perfetta sintonia e i componenti dell'Europlane si cercano e conoscono a memoria, lasciando all'ascoltatore l'impressione di suonare con estrema facilità e regalando quasi un'ora di musica rilassata e godibilissima.
Randy McElligott of "It's All About Music" in Ottawa, Canada Interviews Roberto Magris - September 26, 2006
Here Roberto's interview with Randy McElligott from Ottawa, Canada.
Click on the link below and look for the interview in "yellow"
http://www.mcran.com/
Enjoy!
Click on the link below and look for the interview in "yellow"
http://www.mcran.com/
Enjoy!