ROBERTO MAGRIS – International jazz pianist and composer 

Musical director of JMood Records, Kansas City - USA 

Born in Trieste, in Italy, in 1959, after a career of forty-five years with concerts all over the world, he is a renowned and appreciated musician on the international jazz scene today. He has 42 recordings to his credit, including 3 CDs for the Soulnote/Black Saint label and 26 CDs in the USA for the Kansas City's JMood label, together with musicians such as Art Davis (bassist for John Coltrane), Albert Tootie Heath, Ira Sullivan, Idris Muhammad, Herb Geller, Brian Lynch (2 Grammy Award Winner), Mark Colby, Tony Lakatos, Eric Jacobson, Sam Reed, Paul Carr, Jim Mair, Eric Hochberg, Hermon Mehari, Logan Richardson, Kendall Moore, Brandon Lee, Alfredo Chacon, Rodolfo Zuniga and others. In the USA, he has mostly frequented the jazz scenes of Kansas City, of which he is also an honorary citizen, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, and has directed numerous groups and played as a bandleader in famous jazz venues such as The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, The Blue Room in Kansas City, WDNA Jazz Gallery in Miami, The Jazz Showcase in Chicago, The Jazz Estate in Milwaukee, The Caspe Terrace in Des Moines, The Love Jazz Club in Omaha, The Schwartz’s Jazz Point in Cincinnati. His CDs Live in Miami, Shuffling Ivories, Match Point and Duo & Trio, were voted by several American critics among the Best Jazz Albums of 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and his CD Suite! passed the first round of selection for the Jazz Grammy Award nomination in 2019. In Europe, he has directed the Europlane Orchestra (a central-European jazz venture sponsored by INCE-Central European Initiative), his Italian quartet, the Gruppo Jazz Marca, the Alfabeats Nu Jazz band and, in the period 2016-2020, he was active with the MUH Trio (Magris-Uhlir-Helesic Trio), with a hundred concerts and 2 CDs recorded in Prague, where the trio had its base. In 2024 he re-started after two decades his Roberto Magris Europlane group with some of the best musicians from Central Europe and recorded live the Cd Freedom is peace. In the same year he also recorded the Cd Lovely day(s), the first solo piano album in his career, the Cd Let’s change! in Chicago, and started a new collaboration with Croatian saxophonist Denis Razz, recording the album In Action. In 2025 Magris has released his first solo piano album Lovely Day(s). Numerous interviews and reviews of his CDs were published by the major jazz magazines and websites, including Down Beat, JazzTimes, Cadence, Jazziz, All About Jazz, New York City Jazz Record, Jazzwax, Riffides, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Jazz Inside, Jazzhot , Jazz Journal International, Jazzwise, Citizen Jazz, Jazzpodium, Concerto, Union Disk  Japan and many others. A profile of Magris is also included in the book The Jazz Stories Project, published in the USA by Cadence Media LLC in 2018.

 “The most interesting bop/post-bop pianist on the current European scene” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal) 

“One of the finest piano players on the planet” (Edward Blanco, All About Jazz)

 

For private consultation contact Roberto Magris at robertomagrisjazz@gmail.com

ROBERTO MAGRIS – DISCOGRAPHY 

As Leader and Co-Leader

  • ''Life in Israel'', with Ofer Israeli, Larry Smith a.o. (Jazzis, 1990) 
  • ''Music of Today'', with Achim Goettert, Joerg Drewing, Albrecht Riermeier, Martin Klingeberg, Rudi Engel a.o. (Splasch, 1992) 
  • ''Maliblues'' (Map, 1994) 
  • ''Check-In'', with Tony Lakatos, Michael Erian, Robert Balzar a.o. (Soul Note, 2005) 
  • ''Il bello del Jazz'', with Herb Geller (Soul Note, 2006) 
  • ''Current Views'', with Philip Catherine, Bill Molenhof, Roberto Ottaviano a.o. (Soul Note, 2009) 
  • ''Kansas City Outbound'' with Art Davis and Jimmy „Junebug“ Jackson (JMood, 2008) 
  • ''Mating Call'', with Paul Carr, Michael O'Neill, Elisa Pruett and Idris Muhammad (JMood, 2010) 
  • ''Canzoni Italiane in Jazz'', with Maria Dal Rovere a.o. (Pop-Eye, 2011) 
  • ''Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 1'', with Brandon Lee, Logan Richardson, Elisa Pruett and Albert Tootie Heath (JMood, 2012) 
  • ''One Night in With Hope and More, Vol. 1'', with Elisa Pruett and Albert Tootie Heath (JMood, 2012) 
  • ''Aliens In A Bebop Planet'', with Matt Otto, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Pablo Sanhueza and Eddie Charles (JMood, 2012) 
  • ''Ready for Reed - Sam Reed Meets Roberto Magris'', with Sam Reed, Kendall Moore, Steve Lambert, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2013) 
  • ''Cannonball Funk'n Friends'', with Hermon Mehari, Jim Mair, Dominique Sanders and Alonzo Scooter Powell (JMood, 2013) 
  • ''One Night In With Hope And More, Vol. 2'', with Elisa Pruett, Brian Steever and Albert Tootie Heath (JMood, 2013) 
  • ''Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 2'', with Hermon Mehari, Jim Mair, Peter Schlamb, Elisa Pruett, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2013) 
  • ''An Evening with Herb Geller & The Roberto Magris Trio – Live in Europe 2009'', with Herb Geller a.o. (JMood, 2014) 
  • ''Enigmatix'', with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Pablo Sanhueza and Monique Danielle (JMood, 2015) 
  • ''Need To Bring Out Love'', with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Julia Haile and Monique Danielle (JMood, 2016) 
  • ''Live in Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery - Roberto Magris Sextet'' with Brian Lynch, Jonathan Gomez, Chuck Bergeron, John Yarling and Murph Aucamp (JMood, 2017) 
  • ''World Gardens'', with Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza (JMood, 2018) 
  • ''Sun Stone'', with Ira Sullivan, Mark Colby, Shareef Clayton, Jamie Ousley, Rodolfo Zuniga (JMood, 2019) 
  • ''Suite!'', with Mark Colby, Eric Jacobson, Eric Hochberg, Greg Artry, PJ Aubree Collins (JMood, 2019)
  • "Live in Melbourne", with Ettore Martin, Rob Severini, Enzo Carpentieri (RSP, 2000)
  • "Shuffling Ivories", duo with Eric Hochberg (JMood, 2021)
  • "Match Point", with Alfredo Chacon, Dion Kerr, Rodolfo Zuniga (JMood, 2021)
  • "Duo & Trio", with Mark Colby a.o. (JMood, 2022)
  • "High Quote", with Matt Otto, Monique Danielle, Jim Mair a.o. (JMood, 2023)
  • “Love is passing thru”, with Ettore Martin, Danilo Gallo, Enzo Carpentieri (JMood, 2024)
  • “Freedom is peace”, with Tony Lakatos, Florian Brambock, Lukas Oravec, Rudi Engel, Gasper Bertoncelj (JMood, 2024)
  • “Lovely Day(s)”, solo piano (JMood, 2025)
  • “In Action - Roberto Magris / Denis Razz Quartet”, with Denis Razz, Karlo Ilič, Rajko Ergič (JMood, 2026)

 with the MUH Trio (Magris/Uhlir/Helesic Trio) 

  • ''Prague After Dark'', with František Uhlíř and Jaromir Helešic (JMood, 2017) 
  • ''A Step Into Light'', with František Uhlíř and Jaromir Helešic (JMood, 2020)

with the Gruppo Jazz Marca

  • ''Gruppo Jazz Marca - Comunicazione Sonora'' (IAF, 1982 - re-issued by Arision, 2005) 
  • ''Gruppo Jazz Marca - Aria di Città'' (IAF, 1983 - re-issued by Arision, 2009) 
  • ''Gruppo Jazz Marca - Mitteleuropa'' (Gulliver, 1986 - re-issued by Arision, 2006) 

with the Europlane Orchestra 

  • '' Live at Zooest'', with František Uhlíř, Darko Jurkovic, Marko Lackner, Lojze Krajncan, Julius Baros a.o. (Zooest, 1998) 
  • ''Plays Kurt Weill'', with Ines Reiger a.o. (Pull, 2000) 

with the Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona 

  • ''Restless Spirits - Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona plays the music of Roberto Magris'' (Velut Luna, 2009) 

with the DMA Urban Jazz Funk 

  • ''DMA Urban Jazz Funk - Up to the Beat'' (Map, 2003) 

with the Alfabeats Nu Jazz 

  • ''Alfabeats Nu Jazz - Stones'' (Oasis, 2006) 

REVIEWS – Articles and reviews of Magris’ concerts and Cd’s have been published along the years in Down Beat, JazzTimes, Cadence, All About Jazz, New York City Jazz Record, Jazzwax, Rifftides, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Jazz Inside, Jazziz, Jazz Journal UK, Jazz Podium, Concerto, Jazz Hot, Jazzwise, Orkester Journalen, Jazzrytmit, Jazzflits, Jazzmozaiek, Jazz’Halo, Doctor Jazz, World Music Report, Salt Peanuts, The Walker’s, Jazz Life, Jazz Magazine, Musica Jazz, Jazzit, Music Magazine, Jazzthetik, Goldmine, Allmusic, Jazzman, Jazz Notes, The Wire, Cuadernos de Jazz, Jazz Review, Blu Jazz, Jazzitalia, Acid Jazz, New Age & New Sounds, The Los Angeles Times, Herald Tribune, Capital Times, Pittsburgh Tribune, Tennessee Tribune, 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, Il Fatto Quotidiano, La Discussione, Liberazione, Il Secolo d’Italia, Il Quotidiano del Sud, Meridiani and in many other newspapers and magazines.

INTERVIEWS – Magris’ main interviews were published by Jazz Hot (France 2021), All About Jazz (Italy 2021), The Wall Street International (Italy 2021), Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society (USA 2020), Disk Union (Japan 2020), Music Magazine (Italy 2019), Cadence (USA 2016), Chicago Jazz Magazine (USA 2016), Jazzit (Italy 2016), JazzTimes (USA 2015), Jazz Journal (UK 2015), Concerto (Austria 2015), Musica (Italy 2015), “Artist of the month” at JazzdaGama.com (Canada 2015), “Musician of the day” at All About Jazz (USA 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), Jazzconvention (Italy 2015), JazzWax (USA 2008), Jazz World Quest (Canada 2007), Jazzit (Italy 2006), Musica Jazz (Italy 2005), All About Jazz (USA 2004). Magris’ profile and recordings are quoted in several International jazz books.