I played a really nice concert as guest artist with pianist/composer Antonio Ciacca and his 4tet last night. in Lanciano Italy as part of  Estate Musicale Frentana 2011. We played many of Antonio’s compositions, and a few standards as well. Antonio is a fine writer, who takes already known songs, and song forms and makes them his own, by re-harmonizing, and re-arranging them. A very effective technique that many of us jazz musicians do. The musicians in the band played really well. Saxophonist Paulo Recchia, bassist Giuseppe Bassi, and drummer Francesco Ciniglio all swung really hard for the entire concert with Antonio, and I. It was a pleasure to work with them all for the first time. Those first time playing experiences are really the ones I love, as it reaffirms how the music is a universal language, and you can get on the stage with musicians you don’t know, never played with, did not rehearse with, can barely speak with because of the language barrier, and the magic can happen. It is what makes me excited about music. It is was what is so motivating about playing jazz. In the classical world there are always many rehearsals before a concert. In the jazz world, if you have good players, you need not even rehearse sometimes, and the music can just evolve. it is a beautiful thing. I love what I do. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Thursday the 21rst of July I will do the Farro Sabina Jazz Festival near Rome, with Antonio and a completely different rhythm section. I am sure this will a similar or even more powerful experience. Can’t wait!!

I will blog it after the concert.

 

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