Roberto Magris
Roberto Magris (born 19 June 1959) is an Italian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Roberto Magris | |
---|---|
Born | Trieste, Italy | 19 June 1959
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, A&R director |
Instruments | Piano |
Years active | 1978–present |
Labels | Soul Note, JMood |
Early life
Magris was born in Trieste, Italy, on 19 June 1959.[1] He had piano lessons between the ages of four and sixteen.[2] He became interested in jazz after hearing the Oscar Peterson album The Way I Really Play in 1977.[2]
Later life and career
In the 1980s, he led the jazz trio Gruppo Jazz Marca and recorded three albums, Comunicazione Sonora (1982) [3], Aria di Città (1983) [4] and Mitteleuropa (1986) [5], re-issued in 2006 by the English Label Arision.[6] In 1987 he founded his Italian quartet, which operated for nearly 20 years, performing tours in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America and recording two albums, Life in Israel (issued by Jazzis)[7] and Maliblues.[8] In the 1990s he founded the acid-jazz groups DMA Urban Jazz Funk and Alfabeats Nu Jazz, performing in Europe and in America and recording two albums, Up to the Beat (2003) and Stones (2006).[9] In 1998 Magris formed the Europlane Orchestra[10] (a central-European jazz venture sponsored by INCE-CEI Central European Initiative[11] including several jazz musicians from various European countries.[10] With the Europlane Orchestra he recorded 3 albums,[10] Live At Zooest[12], Plays Kurt Weill[13] and Current Views (issued by Soul Note).[10]
In 2005, Magris partnered with Hungarian saxophonist Tony Lakatos on the album Check-In (issued by Soul Note).[14][15] In 2006 Magris collaborated with bassist Art Davis and drummer Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson on the album Kansas City Outbound (issued by JMood).[16] That same year, he collaborated with alto saxophonist Herb Geller on the album Il Bello del Jazz (issued by Soul Note)[17] and some years later, the JMood released a more album with Herb Geller entitled An Evening with Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio – Live in Europe 2009.[18][19]
In the United States, Magris has become the musical director of JMood Records and has also recorded two albums in tribute to the trumpeter Lee Morgan,[20][21][22] two albums on trio with Elisa Pruett and Albert "Tootie" Heath devoted to the music of pianist Elmo Hope,[23][24] and another to the legacy of alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.[25] He has also recorded one album in Los Angeles with Idris Muhammad and saxmen Paul Carr and Michael O'Neill, Mating Call,[26] one album with Philadelphian Sam Reed,[27] one double CD set in tribute to the bebop era, Aliens in a Bebop Planet, [28] three albums with his trio from Kansas City (Enigmatix,[29][30][31] Need to Bring Out Love[32]and World Gardens[33][34]), Roberto Magris Sextet Live in Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery[35][36][37] with a group including Brian Lynch, Sun Stone featuring Ira Sullivan[38][39][40] and Suite!,[41][42][43][44] recorded in Chicago with a group including trumpeter Eric Jacobson and tenor saxophonist Mark Colby.
In Europe, Magris has performed at festivals and jazz clubs with the MUH Trio (Roberto Magris/František Uhlíř/Jaromir Helešic Trio), which has its base in Prague and recorded the albums Prague After Dark in 2016 [45][46] and A Step into Light in 2020 [47] (both issued by JMood).
Magris has performed concerts on piano solo and for jazz piano, orchestra, and strings with the Big Band Ritmo Sinfonica from Verona and the Orchestra Giovanile del Veneto, recording the album Restless Spirits - Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona plays the music of Roberto Magris (issued by Velut Luna).[48]
Critic Edward Blanco at AllAboutJazz called Magris "one of the finest piano players on the planet".[49]
Playing style
Jazz critic Ira Gitler wrote: "As a pianist, [Magris] reflects some of his most admired models – Wynton Kelly, Tommy Flanagan, Bill Evans, Kenny Drew, Jaki Byard, Randy Weston, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, Don Pullen and Steve Kuhn – (a varied group indeed) in his own way. There is a quick, supple right hand and the rich harmonies of the two-handed transition in his playing that don’t necessarily summon up instant comparisons to any of the above or others."[50]
Discography
- Life in Israel, with Larry Smith, Marco Castelli, Ofer Israeli, Luigi Rossi and Davide Ragazzoni (Jazzis, 1990)
- Music of Today, with Martin Klingeberg, Achim Goettert-Zadek, Marco Castelli, Joerg Drewing, Albrecht Riermeier, Rudi Engel and Davide Ragazzoni (Splasch, 1992)
- Maliblues (Map, 1994)
- Check-In, with Tony Lakatos, Michael Erian, Robert Balzar, Gabriele Centis and Fulvio Zafret (Soul Note, 2005)
- Il Bello del Jazz, with Herb Geller, Darko Jurkovic, Rudi Engel and Gabriele Centis (Soul Note, 2006)
- Current Views, with Philip Catherine, Bill Molenhof, Roberto Ottaviano, Vitold Rek a.o. (Soul Note, 2009)
- Kansas City Outbound with Art Davis and Jimmy „Junebug“ Jackson (JMood Records|JMood, 2008)
- Mating Call, with Paul Carr, Michael O'Neill, Elisa Pruett and Idris Muhammad (JMood, 2010)
- Canzoni Italiane in Jazz (Pop-Eye, 2011)
- Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 1, with Brandon Lee, Logan Richardson, Elisa Pruett and Albert "Tootie" Heath (JMood, 2012)
- One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 1, with Elisa Pruett and Albert "Tootie" Heath (JMood, 2012)
- Aliens in a Bebop Planet, with Matt Otto, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Pablo Sanhueza and Eddie Charles (JMood, 2012)
- Ready for Reed - Sam Reed Meets Roberto Magris, with Sam Reed, Kendall Moore, Steve Lambert, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2013)
- Cannonball Funk'n Friends, with Hermon Mehari, Jim Mair, Dominique Sanders and Alonzo Scooter Powell (JMood, 2013)
- One Night in with Hope and More Vol. 2, with Elisa Pruett, Brian Steever and Albert "Tootie" Heath (JMood, 2013)
- Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 2, with Hermon Mehari, Jim Mair, Peter Schlamb, Elisa Pruett, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2013)
- An Evening with Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio – Live in Europe 2009, with Herb Geller a.o. (JMood, 2014)
- Enigmatix, with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Pablo Sanhueza and Monique Danielle (JMood, 2015)
- Need to Bring Out Love, with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Julia Haile and Monique Danielle (JMood, 2016)
- Live in Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery - Roberto Magris Sextet with Brian Lynch, Jonathan Gomez, Chuck Bergeron, John Yarling and Murph Aucamp (JMood, 2017)
- World Gardens, with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2018)
- Sun Stone, with Ira Sullivan, Mark Colby, Shareef Clayton, Jamie Ousley, Rodolfo Zuniga (JMood, 2019)
- Suite!, with Mark Colby, Eric Jacobson, Eric Hochberg, Greg Artry, PJ Aubree Collins (JMood, 2019)
with the MUH Trio (Magris/Uhlir/Helesic Trio)
- Prague After Dark, with František Uhlíř and Jaromir Helešic (JMood, 2017)
- A Step into Light, with František Uhlíř and Jaromir Helešic (JMood, 2020)
with the Gruppo Jazz Marca
- Comunicazione Sonora (IAF, 1982 - re-issued by Arision, 2005)
- Aria di Città (IAF, 1983 - re-issued by Arision, 2009)
- Mitteleuropa (Gulliver, 1986 - re-issued by Arision, 2006)
with the Europlane Orchestra
- Live at Zooest (Zooest, 1998)
- Plays Kurt Weill, with Ines Reiger (Pull, 2000)
with the Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona
with the DMA Urban Jazz Funk
- DMA Urban Jazz Funk - Up to the Beat (Map, 2003)
with the Alfabeats Nu Jazz
- Stones (Oasis, 2006)
References
- Nastos, Michael G. "Roberto Magris". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Roberto Magris: Forging Ahead". allaboutjaz.com. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- Comunicazione Sonora at All Music All Music
- Aria di Città at All Music All Music
- Mitteleuropa at Rateyourmusic.com Rateyourmusic.com
- Arision Recordings Rateyourmusic.com
- Jazzis Records Discography Jazzis Records
- Nuovo Jazz Italiano by Roberto Franchina Nuovo Jazz Italiano
- Alfabeats Nu Jazz at All About Jazz All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris & The Europlane Orchestra: Current Views All About Jazz
- Europlane Orchestra members Europlane Orchestra
- Live At Zooest at Discogs Discogs
- Plays Kurt Weill at All About Jazz All About Jazz
- Ray Comiskey (July 29, 2005). "Roberto Magris Europlane feat. Tony Lakatos: Check-In". The Irish Times.
- Jack Bowers Roberto Magris Europlane: Check-In All About Jazz
- Jerry D’Souza Roberto Magris: Kansas City Outbound All About Jazz
- Budd Kopman Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello Del Jazz All About Jazz
- Jack Bowers An Evening With Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio All About Jazz
- C. Michael Bailey An Evening With Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio AllAboutJazz
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Quintet: Morgan Rewind Vol. 1 All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Septet: Morgan Rewind Vol. 2 All About Jazz
- Sean J. O'Connell Roberto Magris: Morgan Rewind Vol. 2 Down Beat
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Trio: One Night In With Hope and More Vol. 1 All About Jazz
- C. Michael Bailey Roberto Magris Trio: One Night In With Hope and More Vol. 2 All About Jazz
- Jack Bowers Roberto Magris Quintet: Cannonball Funk'n Friends All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Quintet: Mating Call All About Jazz
- Jack Bowers Sam Reed Meets Roberto Magris: Ready For Reed All About Jazz
- John Ephland Roberto Magris Space Trek: Aliens in a Bebop Planet Down Beat
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Enigmatix All About Jazz
- Jack Bowers Roberto Magris: Enigmatix All About Jazz
- Carlo Wolff Roberto Magris: Enigmatix Down Beat
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Need To Bring Out Love All About Jazz
- Marc Myers Roberto Magris: World Gardens JazzWax
- Raul D’Gama Rose Roberto Magris: World Gardens JazzdaGama
- Carlo Wolff Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery Down Beat
- Randy Freedman Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery Chicago Jazz Magazine
- Raul D’Gama Rose Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery JazzdaGama
- Yves Sportis Roberto Magris Sextet: Sun Stone Jazz Hot
- Marc Myers Roberto Magris Sextet: Sun Stone JazzWax
- Jerome Wilson Roberto Magris: Sun Stone All About Jazz
- Dan McClenaghan Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
- Karl Ackermann Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
- Hrayr Attarian Roberto Magris: Suite! Chicago Jazz Magazine
- C. Michael Bailey MUH Trio: Prague After Dark All About Jazz
- Jack Bowers MUH Trio: Prague After Dark All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco MUH Trio: A Step into Light All About Jazz
- Raul D’Gama Rose Big Band Ritmo Sinfonica from Verona: Restless Spirits All About Jazz
- Edward Blanco Review of Magris album Roberto Magris: Need to Bring Out Love All About Jazz
- Mick Carlon Roberto Magris: Eyes to the (Swinging) Future, A Complementary, but not Conflicting, Approach to Jazz JazzTimes, October 8, 2015
External links
- Roberto Magris at JMood Records JMood Records
- Mike Jeffers Interview with Roberto Magris Chicago Jazz Magazine