20.00: Shai Maestro Trio

L’univers du Jazz se dote régulièrement de nouveaux talents, techniciens talentueux très souvent, garants de l’émotion et du plaisir plus rarement. L’exercice est ponctué d’un apprentissage délicat et complexe, d’une maîtrise du temps peu commune et d’une ouverture d’esprit permanente.

C’est en accompagnant Avishai Cohen dès ses 19 ans que Shai Maestro a fait ses armes. Après cinq années à parcourir les scènes les plus prestigieuses aux quatre coins de la planète, l’heure de l’indépendance a sonné, le temps de la création est venu.
Nourri de culture traditionnelle, classique et jazz, Shai Maestro a peaufiné son piano et son talent de compositeur et il a aussi su s’entourer de la meilleure des façons : Ziv Ravitz à la batterie (Lee Konitz, Esperanza Splading …) et Jorge Roeder à la contrebasse (Roy Haynes, Gary Burton, Julian Lage …). Un Trio envoûtant sur disque, magique sur scène.

(.)Shai Maestro’s piano acts as a gorgeous signpost to which virtually all of these musicians [on Avishai Cohen’s new record, Seven Seas,] can return. His melodic sensibility and crisp tone are beacons in the often swirling, escalating and cascading whorls of melodies and interchange. Nenad Georgievski – All About Jazz

Shai Maestro – piano, compositions

Jorge Roeder – contrebasse

Ziv Ravitz – batterie

21.30: Danilo Rea/Flavio Boltro

The Italians love opera, and this is also true for Danilo Rea, the pianist who seems predestined for his national passion, having studied classical piano at the music academy Santa Cecilia in his home town Rome. Even after having devoted himself to jazz, he didn’t focus exclusively on American standards like so many jazz musicians do, but concentrated more on merging the musical tradition of his native country with the vocabulary of jazz. This can be heard clearly on his ACT – debut A Tribute To Fabrizio De Andre’ that was chosen as Best Piano Album 2010 by the italian jazz magazine Musica Jazz.
It was through his favourite composer Puccini that Rea discovered his love for opera music. After lirico in 2004, on Opera, he now fully dedicates himself to Italian music. For this artistic adventure, Danilo Rea joins forces with world-class North Italian trumpeter Flavio Boltro, who suits the project perfectly. Not only has he studied classical music at the academy in Turin and worked with symphony orchestras, but he is also open to different genres and willing to experiment with them.
From the very first note Rea and Boltro prove themselves to be excellent lyricists, who are not afraid of high drama or big emotions, but their focus remains on the melody of the original songs: Despite the respect for these opera classics that is evident throughout the entire album, there is also lots of space for musical innovation. Being two of the most creative improvisers of the scene, Rea and Boltro constantly come up with exciting rhythmic variations – opera and jazz merge into one another without ever sounding contrived or unnatural. A prime example is Rossini’s Sinfonia dal Guglielmo Tell with its up-tempo feel where the focus is on the dramatics of the song. Rea and Boltro succeed in creating the ideal combination of outstanding technique, astonishing arrangements and convincing improvisation. The source of inspiration for this expedition into the world of Italian opera was Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, known as the favourite hideaway of many jazz and classical artists. Four of the ten pieces they played there on the 9th of December 2010 were recorded with a live audience. According to Rea the concerts at Schloss Elmau always have a magical atmosphere. The same can be said about this fascinating duo album.

23.00: Biondini – Godard – Niggli

New and exciting elements and aspects are usually created in the middle of different cultures. Luciano Biondini and Michel Godard met first in the band of Rabih Abou Khalil. Later followed the project TubaTuba. Finally they met again in the trio with cellist Ernst Reijseger. From there comes the new trio with swiss drummer Lucas Niggli.

The Alps are the middle of the three different cultures of these outstanding musicians. But the music of Biondini, Godard and Niggli doesn’t have the Alps as topic but turns around them. Accordeonist Luciano Biondini melts Mediterranean music with patters from Argentina. Tubist Michel Godard tells stories beyond today and the past. And drummer Lucas Niggli moves behind his drums between fine patterns and heavy-duty rhythms. The three musicians use their compositions as perfect diving boards into exciting stories. There they tickle the borders of their outstanding techniques and forms of expression. The result is music for the soul, full of energy, poetry and fine wit.

Seb Cornelissen (dr)

Luciano Biondini – accordéon

Michel Godard – tuba, serpent

Lucas Niggli – batterie