Roberto Magris

Roberto Magris (born 19 June 1959) is an Italian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Roberto Magris
Born (1959-06-19) 19 June 1959
Trieste, Italy
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger, A&R director
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1978–present
LabelsSoul 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

with the MUH Trio (Magris/Uhlir/Helesic Trio)

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

References
  1. Nastos, Michael G. "Roberto Magris". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. "Roberto Magris: Forging Ahead". allaboutjaz.com. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  3. Comunicazione Sonora at All Music All Music
  4. Aria di Città at All Music All Music
  5. Mitteleuropa at Rateyourmusic.com Rateyourmusic.com
  6. Arision Recordings Rateyourmusic.com
  7. Jazzis Records Discography Jazzis Records
  8. Nuovo Jazz Italiano by Roberto Franchina Nuovo Jazz Italiano
  9. Alfabeats Nu Jazz at All About Jazz All About Jazz
  10. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris & The Europlane Orchestra: Current Views All About Jazz
  11. Europlane Orchestra members Europlane Orchestra
  12. Live At Zooest at Discogs Discogs
  13. Plays Kurt Weill at All About Jazz All About Jazz
  14. Ray Comiskey (July 29, 2005). "Roberto Magris Europlane feat. Tony Lakatos: Check-In". The Irish Times.
  15. Jack Bowers Roberto Magris Europlane: Check-In All About Jazz
  16. Jerry D’Souza Roberto Magris: Kansas City Outbound All About Jazz
  17. Budd Kopman Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello Del Jazz All About Jazz
  18. Jack Bowers An Evening With Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio All About Jazz
  19. C. Michael Bailey An Evening With Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio AllAboutJazz
  20. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Quintet: Morgan Rewind Vol. 1 All About Jazz
  21. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Septet: Morgan Rewind Vol. 2 All About Jazz
  22. Sean J. O'Connell Roberto Magris: Morgan Rewind Vol. 2 Down Beat
  23. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Trio: One Night In With Hope and More Vol. 1 All About Jazz
  24. C. Michael Bailey Roberto Magris Trio: One Night In With Hope and More Vol. 2 All About Jazz
  25. Jack Bowers Roberto Magris Quintet: Cannonball Funk'n Friends All About Jazz
  26. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris Quintet: Mating Call All About Jazz
  27. Jack Bowers Sam Reed Meets Roberto Magris: Ready For Reed All About Jazz
  28. John Ephland Roberto Magris Space Trek: Aliens in a Bebop Planet Down Beat
  29. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Enigmatix All About Jazz
  30. Jack Bowers Roberto Magris: Enigmatix All About Jazz
  31. Carlo Wolff Roberto Magris: Enigmatix Down Beat
  32. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Need To Bring Out Love All About Jazz
  33. Marc Myers Roberto Magris: World Gardens JazzWax
  34. Raul D’Gama Rose Roberto Magris: World Gardens JazzdaGama
  35. Carlo Wolff Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery Down Beat
  36. Randy Freedman Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery Chicago Jazz Magazine
  37. Raul D’Gama Rose Roberto Magris Sextet: Live In Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery JazzdaGama
  38. Yves Sportis Roberto Magris Sextet: Sun Stone Jazz Hot
  39. Marc Myers Roberto Magris Sextet: Sun Stone JazzWax
  40. Jerome Wilson Roberto Magris: Sun Stone All About Jazz
  41. Dan McClenaghan Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
  42. Edward Blanco Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
  43. Karl Ackermann Roberto Magris: Suite! All About Jazz
  44. Hrayr Attarian Roberto Magris: Suite! Chicago Jazz Magazine
  45. C. Michael Bailey MUH Trio: Prague After Dark All About Jazz
  46. Jack Bowers MUH Trio: Prague After Dark All About Jazz
  47. Edward Blanco MUH Trio: A Step into Light All About Jazz
  48. Raul D’Gama Rose Big Band Ritmo Sinfonica from Verona: Restless Spirits All About Jazz
  49. Edward Blanco Review of Magris album Roberto Magris: Need to Bring Out Love All About Jazz
  50. Mick Carlon Roberto Magris: Eyes to the (Swinging) Future, A Complementary, but not Conflicting, Approach to Jazz JazzTimes, October 8, 2015

[1][2]

  1. Roberto Magris at JMood Records JMood Records
  2. Mike Jeffers Interview with Roberto Magris Chicago Jazz Magazine
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