Magris x three: the latest offerings

Even by jazz standards (no pun intended), piano man Roberto Magris' creativity knows almost no bounds judging from his prolific output to date. Scarcely had I digested the last two, the consummately excellent "Alien on a BeBop Planet"
, and "One Night in With Hope and More, Vol.1", when Magris and his varied, ever-changing list of collaborators has sprung forth not two, but three new discs. The discs continue thematically in veins similar to that which he has previously mined; there is, instead of the Lee Morgan Tribute (which has so far taken up two full-lengths) a Cannonball Adderly tribute disc, and instead of Kansas City (though that storied jazz locale still features indirectly) there's a Philly exploration, aided by the Philly alto master (and Odean Pope Saxophone Choir alum) Sam Reed.

Of the trio, my favourite is in fact the Reed disc, titled  "Ready for Reed". For fans of straight-up post-bop with appropriate and finely balanced twists, this is an essential addition to your collection. Reed is in great form, and the simpatico between himself, the leader and the band as a whole shines through - almost to the point where it seems, only seems, mind you, that there is no leader. But of course, this is a Magris disc.

There's also - wait for it! - a follow-up

 to the One Night in with Hope project. Through out all these musical explorations, Magris not only keeps it fresh with the compositions and expositions, but manages, as always, to get maximum commitment and verve out of his musical cohorts. It begins in bouncy style with Herbie Nichols' "Third World" and runs through selections from Mal Waldron, Elmo Hope, of course, and -as to be expected - a couple of originals from Magris himself.


Music aficionados can continue in gratitude to the Italian-born instrumentalist as he mines the great troves of bop and post-bop tradition and takes them out for some fresh spins. Hail Magris!

Resident Be-Bop Alien: Roberto Magris' latest

There's a whole lot to be said for consistency. Over the course of the last two decades (at least), piano man Roberto Magris has - across vastly changing line-ups, formats and styles - has presented a unified body of work that briliantly showcases the very vital links between conventional bebop and contemporary inventions. In other words, he's kept going forward, even when he reaches back.

this latest double-disc is no exception - brimming with a sense of adventure and delivered with uniform skill and passion amongst all the players.

Sam Reed
Kendall Moore
Dominique Sanders
Steve Lambert
Brian Steever
Pablo Sanhueza

Through his jovial andassertive yet inclusive leadership, the crew plays with clear relish in their jaunt across this supposedly "alien" landscape, gathering in the process a rich trove of bebop era classics.

As an ardent student of the idiom, Magris manages to not only inject new life into the established material, but even further he manages to make the genre itself breathe anew, as if drawing it out of some time capsule after generations of being lost to the listening public. 

Of course, Magris is never content to merely retread or rehash the works of other, so in addition to the Fats Navarro gem "Nostalgia" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps"
there are whimsically titled Magris originals like "Blues Clues on The Lunar Sand" and "Cosmic Storyville"

Magris' pianism is no matter of whimsy however. As much as his playing hits new heights, he appropriately plumbs new depths, crossing bewtween lighter and darker motifs with signature dexterity. His take on "Giant Steps" is especially signal here - all that one can say is that you will be pleasantly surprised.

And that level of reward is typical for this entire double-disc - another home run for the Magris-Collins JMood camp. The audio notebook closing this disc promises more explorations and we can  hardly wait., .
Ready for Reed