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Earconnector talks to the saxophonist and member of the Italian Instabile Orchestra 
Being a (jazz) musician for a number of years, how has this shaped your view of things, of the world, of the human condition?
I played my first gig at age 18 so, being now 54, I can say that I’ve been a jazz musician for 36 years. This, with everything that goes along with: travelling, meeting and sharing experiences with other musicians/friends from all over etc., certainly makes you a more open minded kind of person and your life richer. I think that the sensibility that made me a jazz musician is still there and, probably in a more mature way, the passion, both civil and political, for a fairer world and human condition is the same of when I was younger.
You’ve lived abroad, in Holland and in the US, what is it like being a jazz musician from Italy in these places?
At this point in your life, do you feel at home in Milan?
I lived in Amsterdam for a couple of years in the late seventies, and then in 93/94 I lived for a while in Los Angeles. I wouldn’t speak about being a musician from Italy there, but generally being a musician from abroad. In Holland in those years the jazz scene was exciting, but being a non-Dutch resident musician could be difficult in term of getting gigs. As for L.A., life there has always been hard for jazz musicians, even Americans. Most of them must have a day job to live so it’s very difficult. Anyway, of course, these experiences have been very important in my life both as a man and as musician
I was born and grew up in Milan, and at this point of my life I can say that I feel at home in this city, even if the scene in town, and in general in Italy, it’s not particularly exciting in these last 5 or 6 years.
Do you identify with an Italian (or perhaps European/Southern European) perspective, or perhaps dialect, of jazz? Or do you consider yourself more of a global, world- jazz musician?
I definitely consider myself more of a global, world-jazz musician.
What do you work on at the moment?
At the moment I’m working at the music for a CD that a friend is going to produce, which is going to be a little different from what I’m used to do. I mean that it’s going to be a more “electric” kind of recording with keyboards (Fender piano and Hammond) and guitar, plus bass (upright and maybe electric), drums and percussion. We are trying to have Nels Cline on guitar. I used to play sometime with Nels in my L.A. days.
What have been your most important lessons learnt?
The most important lesson, for me, is to always be true to you and do what you really feel to do with your music, no matter how hard it could be.
What do you listen to at the moment?
At the moment I’m listening to the Coltrane Quartet Live at the Half Note, the last live recordings of Trane’s Quartet, and the last Liberation Music Orchestra CD “Not In Our Name”.
Playing tenor saxophone, is the instrument’s history, I mean all the great things that have been said on this particular horn, very much on your mind?
Playing tenor saxophone, the legacy of this horn is constantly on your shoulders. I play baritone saxophone, too, and on this horn I know that somehow I am more personal than with the tenor. I like baritone very much, but I love the tenor, so I keep thinking my music for the tenor saxophone even if Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Trane, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Dewey Redman, Michael Breker, Joe Lovano etc. are still there and always will be.
Can you describe your musical thinking when you (don’t) play?
This question is a little difficult for me. I’m a very instinctive kind of musician. When I play I don’t really think about something but I try to let me go to the music flow and the exchange with the other musicians. I can say that when I write music, very often I start from the bass, and the I build up from bass lines. Not always of course but very often. When I don’t play I think about music. I hear music in my mind and/or try to figure out sounds of ensembles and projects.
Playing, recording with People like Cecil Taylor, and Dewey Redman also, what kind of issues, feelings, difficulties, new possibilities et cetera came up?
Well, playing with people like Cecil Taylor, Dewy Redman, Roswell Rudd, to begin with there is the sensation of being right there with part of the history of jazz. With Dewey and Roswell I could say that we had no problem at all. They both are very great human beings, too, besides being the musicians they are, and the musical language was pretty much the same and common with us.
Cecil Taylor is different. I worked with him with the Italian Instabile Orchestra. With us Cecil has always been very nice and friendly, but the first couple of days of rehearsal it has been very difficult to get into his musical perspective. But then, when during the last day of rehearsal before the concert he sat at the piano and started to play with the band it was incredible. The music started to build up with incredible power and energy. It was amazing!
How does being a member of the ‘Italian Instabile Orchestra’ influence your own projects? And vice versa, to what extent is your voice in the ‘Instabile’ influenced by your own work?
I wrote for a large ensemble the first time for the Italian Instabile Orchestra. Having such a band to work on some compositions of yours is a great experience and opportunity to experiment, learn and check out your writing, which is extremely useful in your work with your personal projects. As for my voice in the Instabile, I try to bring in the Orchestra my concept, both as a composer and saxophone player, which is very strongly rooted into the Afro American legacy of this music. Quoting Evan Parker: “My roots are in my record player…..”
What hopes have you got for the future of jazz, in particular of the freer, more cutting-edge, sides of this music?
Well, my hope of course is that more people will have a chance to be exposed to this music and therefore create more audience and work possibilities for all musicians.
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