Personnel:
Alessandro Lanzoni (p), Gabriele Evangelista (b), Jeff Ballard (d)
Reference: FSNT-708
Bar code: 8427328437080
What captivates and inspires me most in making music is the freedom of expression—an inexhaustible source that often takes the form of improvisation. I believe that the great strength of musical language, compared to spoken language, is that it is free from certain constraints: words, beyond their sound, also carry meaning and imagery, which can easily give rise to mental patterns and stereotypes. Instrumental music, instead, offers us nothing but sound, presenting itself as something far more elusive to rationalize.
And yet the human mind still tends to do so, compelled to divide it into genres, to create fashions, technical models, and other devices that risk impoverishing and homogenizing the individuality that music so deeply needs to remain alive and authentic. From here stem the recent critiques of the word improvisation, critiques I share wholeheartedly: the musician does not really invent anything new. To improvise simply means to remain in the present, to be oneself—drawing upon one’s cultural and musical heritage, bringing experience into play, and reacting to what is heard in the act of playing (whether alone or with others). It is an attempt to establish a genuine dialogue between ourselves (our intention) and the sound that emerges, giving birth to a single entity which—if freed from our demonstrative purposes, and thus from our ego—becomes music in its purest and most authentic form.
In pursuing this vision, I have found in Jeff Ballard and Gabriele Evangelista the perfect partners for such a journey of exploration. To be able to attune with them and give rise to this collective dialogue is a joy. It requires patience, trust, and courage. After all, musical dialogue is not so far from friendship or love: it too is founded on trust. And this is the very feeling I experience when playing with this trio—the total freedom to leap, to risk, with the certainty of always being heard and supported.
For this, my heartfelt thanks go to Jeff and Gabriele for what we have been able to bring to life in this album. To Jordi Puyol, for his passion and the esteem he shows me, I am deeply grateful—without him, this work would not have been possible. Thanks as well to all the technical collaborators at Fresh Sound! And finally, to you, who will listen to our music and, by doing so, offer us your essential support—thank you.
—Alessandro Lanzoni
