ROBERTO MAGRIS
INTERNATIONAL RECORDING ARTIST, JAZZ PIANIST, COMPOSER, ARRANGER
Born in Trieste (Italy) in 1959 and began his jazz career in the late ‘70s.
He has recorded 23 albums with his own groups and has played concerts in 41 different countries in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia, also performing at several top jazz festivals and jazz clubs in the world, including “Catalina Jazz Club” in Hollywood, “The Blue Room” in Kansas City, “The Jazz Bakery” in Los Angeles, “Porgy & Bess” in Vienna, “Unterfahrt” in Munich, “Bennett’s Lane” in Melbourne, “Montreal Jazz Festival”, “San Sebastian Jazz Festival”, “Ocho Rios Jamaica”, “Umbria Jazz” and many others.
In the ‘80s, Magris was the leader of a jazz trio named “Gruppo Jazz Marca” and recorded 3 LP’s that were reissued 25 years later on CD format, as collector’s items, by the English label Arision. In the ‘90s, he increased wider recognition on the European and International jazz scenes performing with the “Roberto Magris Quartet” and with the progressive jazz bands “DMA Urban Jazz Funk” and “Alfabeats Nu Jazz”.
In the period 1998-2002, he was the musical director of the “Europlane Orchestra”, a central-European jazz venture sponsored by INCE-CEI (Central European Initiative). Later on, he founded the “Roberto Magris Europlane” and recorded 3 CD’s released by the historical Italian jazz label Soulnote: “Check In” (with Tony Lakatos and Michael Erian), “Il Bello Del Jazz” (with Herb Geller, the West Coast jazz icon), and “Current Views” (with Philip Catherine, Bill Molenhof a.o.). In 2008, he was celebrated as a musical composer and arranger, also performing as a special guest, on the CD “Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona plays the music of Roberto Magris / Restless Spirits”, released by the Italian Velut Luna label.
In the last years, Magris has further developed his collaborations with Herb Geller and Tony Lakatos in Europe and has become the leading recording artist for JMood Records, the Kansas City jazz label. Since 2006, Magris has performed and recorded on a regular basis in the USA with such jazz legends as Art Davis (bassist for John Coltrane), Albert “Tootie” Heath, Idris Muhammad, Sam Reed and rising stars as Brandon Lee, Logan Richardson, Elisa Pruett, Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson, Matt Otto, Paul Carr, Michael O’Neill, Jim Mair, Hermon Mehari, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Pablo Sanhueza, Alonzo “Scooter” Powell a.o.. His discography on JMood Records include 10 CD’s: “Kansas City Outbound”, “Mating Call”, “Morgan Rewind vol. 1 & 2”, “One Night In With Hope And More vol. 1, 2 & 3 ”, “Cannonball Funk’N Friends”, “Aliens In A BeBop Planet”, “Ready For Reed” and "High Quote".
In the early days of his career, Magris performed as a sideman with jazz legends Kai Winding, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Sal Nistico. Along the years, he has also collaborated with Franco Ambrosetti, Florian Brambock, Ines Reiger, Frantisek Uhlir, the "Traditional Jazz Studio" from Prague, Ricardo Cavalli in Argentina and the African percussionists in Gabon.
About Magris’ style, jazz critic Ira Gitler wrote: “as a pianist he reflects some of his most admired models - Wynton Kelly, Tommy Flanagan, Bill Evans, Kenny Drew, Jaki Byard, Randy Weston, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, Don Pullen and Steve Kuhn (a varied group indeed) - in his own way. There is a quick, supple right hand and the rich harmonies of the two-handed transitions in his playing that don’t necessarily summon up instant comparisons to any of the above or others.”
FESTIVALS AND CONCERTS
Gulf Jazz Festival, Kuwait City and Manama (Kuwait and Bahrain 2013), IIC Los Angeles (USA 2010), North City Jazz Fest, Mitrovica (Kosovo 2010), Phoenix Jazz Club, Kansas City (USA 2010,2009), Ecuador Jazz Festival, Quito (Ecuador 2009), Porgy & Bess Vienna (Austria 2009, 2008, 1994), Novi Sad Jazz Festival (Serbia 2009), Ancona Jazz (Italy 2009,1992), Summer Jazz Festival Krakow and Muniak Jazz Club (Poland 2012,2009,2006), Jazz Time Rijeka (Croatia 2009,1998,1997,1994), The Jazz Bakery, Los Angeles (USA 2008, 2006), Distrito Jazz Bilbao (Spain 2008), Europa Jazz Fest Bucharest (Romania 2008), Manila Piazza Italia Expo (Philippines 2008), The Blue Room, Kansas City (USA 2007), Galway Jazz Festival (Ireland 2007), Nomme Jazz Festival, Tallinn (Estonia 2007), Nardis Jazz Club, Istanbul (Turkey 2007), Downtown Sambosi Jazz Festival, Budapest (Hungary 2007), Catalina’s Jazz Club, Los Angeles (USA 2006), Jazz at the Hermitage Garden, Moscow (Russia 2006), Umbria Jazz (Italy 2006), Notorious and Thelonious, Buenos Aires (Argentina 2006), Centre Culturel Francais, Libreville (Gabon 2006), Centro Cultural Ruta Maya, Managua (Nicaragua 2006), Granados Hall Asuncion and Encarnacion (Paraguay 2006), Aarau and Olten jazzclubs (Switzerland 2005), Hong Kong Performing Arts Festival and Guangzhou Xhinghai Festival (China 2004), Jakarta Festival (Indonesia 2004), Sofia Jazz Peak (Bulgaria 2004), Tashkent Jazz Festival and Samarcanda (Uzbekistan 2003), Melbourne Italian Jazz Festival and Bennett’s Lane Jazzclub (Australia 2003), Jazz en Lima (Perù 2003), Mar del Plata Jazz Festival (Argentina 2003), Jazz Tour Montevideo (Uruguay 2003), No Borders Music (Italy 2003), Kaunas Jazz and Vilnius (Lithuania 2002), Locarno Jazz (Switzerland 2002), Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival and Atlantic Jazz Festival Halifax (Canada 2001), Gostenhofer Jazztage Nuernberg (Germany 2001), Udine Jazz (Italy 2001), Half Note Athens (Greece 2001), Agharta Prague (Czech Rep. 2001), San Sebastian Jazz Festival (Spain 2000), Newport Jazz Festival Torino (Italy 2000), Ocho Rios Jazz Festival (Jamaica 2000), Curacao Jazz Festival (Dutch Antilles 1999), Juan Sebastian Bar Caracas (Venezuela 1999), Jazzkaar Tallin (Estonia 1999), Festival Guanajuato and Festival Olimpio Merìda (Mexico 1999), Festival Jazz Corinthos and Athens Music Festival (Greece 1998), Festival Cervantino, Festival Metepec and Festival Guanajuato (Mexico 1997), Moritzburg Jazz Festival Halle (Germany 1996), Atlantis Basler Jazz Woche (Switzerland 1995), Jazz in Raab (Austria 1994), Int.l Jazz Days Zagreb (Croatia 1993), Jazz Days Liberec (Czech Rep. 1992), Jazz Festival Wuerzburg (Germany 1992), Lange Jazz Nacht Lindau (Germany 1991), Festival Jazz Sant Cugat (Spain 1990), Jazz Ost-West Nuernberg (Germany 1990), Messina Jazz Meeting (Italy 1989), Pannonton Jazz Napok Budapest (Hungary 1989), Prerov Jazz Days (Czech Rep. 1988), Euro Jazz Ivrea (Italy 1988), Sibiu Jazz (Romania 1986), Jazz Festival Gottwaldov and Blansko Jazz Days (Czech Rep. 1986), Cegled Jazz Show (Hungary 1986), Int.l Jazz Festival Prague (Czech Rep. 1984)
INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS
Magris’ interviews were published by Blu Jazz (1992), All About Jazz USA (2004), Musica Jazz (2005), Jazzit (2006), Jazz Colours (2007), Jazz Magazine (2007), Jazz World Quest (2007), Jazz Wax (2008), All About Jazz Italy (2008), Jazz Convention (2010). Magris’ concerts and Cd reviews were published, along the years, by Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, New York City Jazz Record, Cadence, Jazz Hot, Jazz Podium, Jazzthetik, Goldmine, Allmusic, Jazzman, Jazz Notes, The Wire, Jazz Journal Int.l, Jazzwise, Concerto, Jazzrytmit, Cuadernos de Jazz, Jazzmozaiek, Jazz Flits, Jazz Reviw, Musica Jazz, Jazzit, Jazzitalia, Acid Jazz, New Age & New Sounds a.o. and by such newspapers as The Los Angeles Times, Herald Tribune, Capital Times, Pittsburgh Tribue, News & Observer, Herald Sun, La Nacion, Clarin, ABC, El Pais, Toronto Star, El Nacional, The Gleaner, Irish Times, Canberra Times, Jakarta Post, South China Morning Post, El Universal, Jerusalem Post, Nuernberger Zeitung, Mitteldeutsch Zeitung, Basler Zeitung, Tiroler Zeitung, Vjesnik, Novi List, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera Magazine, Libero, La Discussione, Liberazione, Il Secolo d’Italia a.o..
For private consultation contact Roberto Magris at rmagrisjazz@libero.it