By Michele Merenda
The Tommaso Starace Quartet heated the public that hastened inside the imposing and cold block – but the sensation is only external as inside it is very comfortable – which hosts the National Theatre. On Friday 23rd February, the quartet composed by the leader Tommaso Starace (alto and soprano saxophone), Roger Beaujolais (vibraphone), Jerome Davies (contrabass) e Rob Barron (piano), for one hour and a half pleasantly entertained the audience with a various repertoire. Starting with great artists of the jazz world such as Dave Brubeck and John Handerson – it failed to the last moment the execution of Trickle Tinckle by Thelonius Monk – the combo, later, passed onto the extrapolation of tracks from their album titled “Tommaso Starace Plays the Photos of Elliot Erwitt”.
The feeling between the 32 years old from Milano – he has been living in the UK from 1994 – and Roger Beaujolais is excellent. A look is enough for understanding each other and to know when they have to start a solo or to stop it. It is not by chance, because they have been playing together for long time. Very good the feelings with the other two musicians, too; Davies and Barron interact perfectly, even if to the latter, sometimes, would be needed to tie his fingers! “Er, yes – Starace said afterwards - indeed Rob is very good at playing his instrument, but often he makes very long solos”. That is not a bad thing, though. Well, talking about an evening where they had the “counted minutes”, Tommaso had, sometimes, to stop his mate. At the end the public, of all ages, appreciated the humour which pervaded the performance of the four players, which communicated all their positive and pleasant personalities in every musical bar. Between a funambulism and a prolonged note, the members of the audience did not spare them their claps.
But, surprise surprise, Tommaso Starace was not satisfied with himself. “I have not given the best tonight – he said at the end – and from myself I expect always the maximum result. For this kind of pieces we would have needed drums, but we cannot use them in here. They are too noisy and, in the end, this is a theatre”.
Some notes may have “slipped” tonight, but nobody seems to have noticed it. And moreover, among you guys there is a great understanding.
Yes, it is true. I do not search only for good players, but also people with whom to have a dialogue. A quartet is like four people sitting at a table: if they talk altogether, there is something wrong. If they talk one at a time, maybe, it is better.
From Brubeck to Monk. You seem to appreciate piano players very much.
Yes. Piano is one of my favourite instruments. It must never be missing, because it is essential for my sound.
Yet, if Brubeck has always shown a formal elegance, Monk is appreciated only during this last period. Once he was not understood. Miles Davis said: “When I play that music, I feel like being on a stair slipping below my feet”.
I can understand him. The melodies of Monk are extraordinary, but they are also extremely difficult.
John Coltrane or Charlie Parker?
I would say Parker. Even though I like Coltrane very much for his sense of the rhythm. It is very particular, it seems “to float” among the notes. I have never approached free jazz, but there are very interesting things. Monk himself was nearby. But my favourite remains the contraltist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. He is the one who moves me more.
You seem quite influenced by the Third Stream, where players such as Mingus mixed various elements, also classic.
It is true. But I feel closer to the world of be-bop. You know, I literally love some nuances. If it was not for the sax, I would not play any music. I am a contraltist, but I often play the soprano sax because it is more melodic and it reminds me, almost, the human voice.
Some says that Italian jazz players, as preparation, are second only to the Americans. What do you think?
Well, I do not know. The good and prepared players are everywhere. Yes, there are Italian players with great expressiveness. We have played one of the tracks by Rosario Giuliano this evening, Bianco e Nero – White and Black – which has almost French tunes. I think it is a fantastic piece [for the audience, too – Author’s Note]. Sometimes there are some players who exaggerate with their “testosterone”; I mean, they gun all the grit they have in their bodies, but they do not obtain that typical expressivity of the black American players. However, I think of Liam Noble, the pianist of my second album, from which we have taken tonight’s pieces: he is a player of extraordinary sensibility.
Is the music lived and organised better in Italy or in England?
Here in England, without any doubt. My father is from Naples and my mother Australian, so I have always been interested in the understanding of these two cultures. And I can tell you that the organisation in the music field is totally different. It is just a matter of different mentality.
What about your second solo album?
It takes inspiration from some pictures by Elliott Erwitt. I am passionate with cinema and images. Photograph exhibitions, often, spark off a creative process in me. Erwitt is one of those artists who mostly developed this process inside me. He trades a wide variety of subjects such as conflict, love and humour. His images are harsh, which evoke musical emotions in me. I have selected eight contrasting images that I felt inspiring me different tunes. I would like to encourage the audience to take up both of these kinds of arts. Simultaneously. However, my third album will soon be out.
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