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magnificent statue of neptune in piazza maggiore, bologna
at cantina bentivoglio with the andrea ferrario band: CLICK PIC to play video (opens in YouTube)
the piano awaits at ristorante guado in carpi
hannah chillin' at risto guado
me jammin' at risto guado: CLICK PIC to play video (opens in YouTube)
carpi awaits the giro
comptetitors parade along alberto pio
New month, new possibilities, new video and audio footage of my performing debut in Italy! After a 123-day unintentional absence from the piano, I finally got my chance to creatively mix up the black and white keys again last night, Friday 2nd. The occasion was the fourth of five nights at the superb Bolognese jazz club, Cantina Bentivoglio, for the Andrea Ferrario band. After some MySpace introductions, Andrea very kindly invited me along to play some tunes with the band, and since we had an extra extended weekend due to Thursday being International Workers' Day in Italy, we decided to get the train down to Bologna, stay overnight and soak up the atmosphere of Bologna and Bolognese jazz.
The train journey from Carpi to Bologna was easy, although there was a delay waiting for our connecting train in Modena. We arrived in Bologna late afternoon, checked into our hotel (cheap but nice enough) and took to the streets of this historic and beautiful city. The Cantina Bentivoglio is situated in the student area of the city close to the university, which, being the oldest in Europe, has roots that can be traced as far back as 1076. The city is surrounded by a series of three walled gates, built at various stages in the city's history for protective purposes. In the centre of the city is the Piazza Maggiore ("Major Square") where there is the most magnificent statue of Neptune, which was created by a Flemish sculptor with the fantastic name of Jean Boulogne de Douai in the 16th century.
The Cantina Bentivoglio gets its name from the Bentivoglio family, who ruled Bologna as an autonomy between 1401 and 1506, after which point the city was forceably returned to papal rule. The cantina is a lively restaurant on two levels, with the jazz club stage being on the lower level. The owner of the cantina is a 100% committed jazz fan, who has been responsible for arranging for performances by the likes of Max Roach, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano and on this coming Tuesday 6th, Dave Liebman, amongst many others (check out the website), whilst also supporting local talent - Andrea's run of five nights is a good example of the sadly-not-so-common-anymore "band residency". Any musician who has had the opportunity to have a residence at one particular venue knows the incredible benefits that it can produce. Jazz recording history is also full to the brim with audio evidence of the magic that can be created when musicians are allowed to occupy a performance space for more than one night.
After enjoying the band performance from the "musicians' table" right at the front of the stage, I was able to play three tunes with the band at the start of their 3rd set. Luckily Hannah was on hand to record some audio and video footage of this important moment in my recent musical life. To sit at a piano again after four and a half months - to even see one up-close! - was a cathartic moment to say the least. Below are mp3's of the three tunes I played with the band, and to the left you can click on the picture of me with the band to view the video of "Au Privave" on YouTube. Enjoy...
1. Stella by Starlight
2. Ornithlogy
3. Au Privave [minus the first minute or so]
The feeling after having played is impossible to describe. It was so good to use my fingers, hands and body in the production of music again, and I've now made some important contacts on the Italian jazz scene. Hopefully this will open the floodgates after the drought of the previous months.
Sun 4th May 2008
Well, things really are hotting up after last Friday's jam session. I returned home to find a series of new email contacts courtesy of the Italian MySpace jazz community, and - most importantly considering my current location - one from a musician local to Carpi regarding a jam session at a venue that is amazingly no more than 10 minutes walk from our apartment!!! The venue is the "Ristorante Guado", which I have walked or been driven past many times since we arrived here. I had no idea that on Thursday nights it becomes the venue for a jam session run by jazz pianist Stefano Calzolari. I don't know any more than that for the time being, but I know where I'm going to be going after work on Thursday night! More postings as things develop further and I hope you are all enjoying the mp3 and video clips...
Sat 10th May 2008
Thursday night was jam session night at Ristorante Guado, or "Risto Guado" for short. After finishing work at 9:30pm we stopped off at home briefly on our way to watch, and hopefully participate in, the aforementioned jam session. It was our first time at Risto Guado, and it's a medium-size pizzeria with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Mindful of the fact that neither of us have managed to master much of the Italian language during the last four months, one of Hannah's English student very kindly translated a message for me to present to the musicians in the band, introducing myself and asking permission to play a couple of tunes. As luck would have it, it turned out that the bass player, the deeply grooving Stefano Cappa, already knew my face from MySpace, so I was off to a good start!
The audience numbers were disappointingly low, although considering the fact that the night doesn't seem to be advertised anywhere except inside the restaurant itself, I'm not too surprised. We've never seen as much as a flyer or poster anywhere in town advertising the event, and I've been keeping my eyes wide open for anything jazz related! All the same, I was there to play, and the fact that there's a grand piano practically on my doorstep is reason enough to be happy. I played five tunes in total, and as before with the Andrea Ferrario Band in Bologna, thankfully Hannah was there to document proceedings on audio and video. Click on the headings below to listen to mp3's of the tracks, and click the picture to the left to view the video (again linked to YouTube)...
1. Love For Sale [excerpt]
2. Come Rain or Come Shine [excerpt]
3. Round Midnight
4. Blue Monk
5. Take The A Train [excerpt]
I have definitely discovered in these last few years that to be able to have an outlet for pianistic creativity is paramount, and after the musical wilderness of the last four months, it's good to be back!
Thurs 22nd May 2008
Today the Giro d'Italia 2008 passed through the town of Carpi. In fact, the cyclists passed under the windows of our school as they paraded along Corso Alberto Pio. I missed it because I was teaching at the time, but Hannah was able to take a few snaps for the website. It's an important honour for Carpi to chosen as one of the stages along the 2,125 mile course (Carpi was stage 12 of 21). It was incredible to see so many people crammed into this small town we currently call our home. The usually quiet streets were buzzing with activity and enthusiasm for the approaching race.
The stage, from Forli (where our Ryan Air plane landed back in January and from where we'll be returning to the UK in mid-August) to Carpi, was won by an Italian cyclist, Daniele Bennati, but in second place was Mark Cavendish from Britain. The winning cyclist covered the 171-km stage in a little over four hours. The race was on Italian TV and to see the incredible stamina and dedication these athletes put into their task is awe-inspiring. I was never much of a cycling fan before, but I must confess to having been won over by the sport somewhat more recently!