Giovanni Tommaso
June 2002

"I think that the major problem when you record an album is to make it sound as if all the musicians know each other well... this is exactly the hardest thing to do in a record."

CD Reviews
To Chet
Kick Off
Third Step

By Javier Antonio Quiñones Ortiz

Before his historic presentation at the Heineken Jazz Fest 2002, Giovanni Tommaso called WDNA 88.9 FM during the Friday edition of 88 Jazz Place on Friday, May 3 ’02. Tommaso will be the forerunner of an exchange program between the Heineken Jazz Fest, Umbria Jazz and the Berklee College of music, whereupon each year an Italian jazz artist will be featured at the Heineken Jazz Fest and a Puerto Rican jazz act will enjoy the same opportunity at Umbria Jazz.

All About Jazz: Talking to you is a rare pleasure and opportunity...

Giovanni Tommaso: Thank you for inviting me.

AAJ: For those who might not be familiarized with who Giovanni Tommaso is, it should be noted that he is a premiere jazz bass player and his area of operations stems from Italy, throughout Europe and then the rest of the world. He has been associated with many distinguished jazz figures and has done magnificent work in jazz, particularly within cinematic related endeavors. Let’s jump right in and talk about Secondo Tempo and the process of putting it together, as well as the inspiration for this project.

GT: As you said, it is called Secondo Tempo, which means “Second Part” and its inspiration is from Italian soundtrack music. I really love cinema and last year my record company C.A.M. Jazz released and album called La dolce vita which was dedicated to the same idea. The album did very well. In fact, this next June it will be featured in Jazziz magazine as one of the Top 10 albums of the world, which made me extremely proud and happy, so my record company asked me to record another album based on the same concept, hence the title. I have a wonderful group of special guests in the album such as Joe Lovano, who is originally from Italy as well, and Terry Lynne Carrington who is a fantastic drummer from the West Coast of the U.S., a talented pianist Antonio Farao and a great trombonist Luca Begonia.

AAJ: In this album in particular, one of the things that caught my attention, both emotionally and intellectually, is the fact that even when the ensemble speaks with skewed and new ideas, the overall feeling of the original harmonic and melodic background of the beautiful compositions you rearrange here, remains familiar. In other words, although the interactions are not strictly traditional, the feel remains so. Nonetheless, this project comes from a cinematic background and, since there is a primary connection between jazz and the 7th Art in your craft, why don’t you educate us with some of your background?

GT: First of all, if you allow me to say it, your comments are very apropos. You sound like a jazz critic. That is very acute what you just said because that is exactly what I tried with the best of my ability to do, i.e., to use what came from far away in order to make it sound like real modern jazz music, so, my compliments to you.

AAJ: Well, thank you. You guys pulled it off. You even did so through different contexts as the album is not just a uniform take on any particular jazz sensitivity. It is seasoned with different feels, including some Latin stuff there too.

GT: Yes, a little bit. In fact, I think that the major problem when you record an album is to make it sound as if all the musicians know each other well. Earlier you spoke about interaction, and this is exactly the hardest thing to do in a record. Musically, I knew Joe Lovano way before he did a record with me, but this is the first time for the five of us to come together. This is an original meeting. I worked hard to give the music to everyone, make them feel comfortable, write arrangements that one could jump right on and I am glad that you noticed that.
As far as my background, I started playing very young and that was many years ago as I am not a young kid anymore. I am from a small town called Lucca, which few know. Perhaps you know who the famous opera composer Giacomo Puccini is, or the famous Baroque composer Luigi Boccherini, both are from Lucca, which is a musical town. I left it when I was 18 to go to New York to experiment and see what the scene was. I learned a lot over there and met fantastic musicians. Years after that, when they came to Europe, they would call me for gigs. In those days the musicians didn’t bring the entire band because there was not much money involved ­I am talking about the early ‘60’s­, so, as a result, I had the wonderful opportunity to play with people like Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Chet Baker and so on. It was very important for me to grow through the experience of these wonderful jazz musicians.

AAJ: From thereon you became quite a jazz figure in Italy and throughout Europe, you did projects in Jazz Rock, you have had your own groups also have recorded extensively. But you have also done scores for cinematic projects and television and this would be a good point to round up your background and return to Secondo Tempo. This is not a strange work for you as you have been involved in this type of work from several points of view.

GT: In fact, in the early ‘70’s I started writing for TV and I became specialized in silent movies. The Italian public TV stations would broadcast Buster Keaton, Harlow, Charlie Chaplin, etc. I became specialized in writing original compositions for such films and ended up writing the music for over 60 films. So, you can say that I developed an experience in that kind of composing. All of these experiences came out when I recorded the latest two albums. Some times that is destiny and you end up doing things you work for.

AAJ: What are some of the unique challenges that you have faced dealing with this relationship of music, jazz in particular, and cinematic scoring? You obviously have the experience but I wonder if by now this has become a somewhat natural or instinctive process or are there rational and emotional processes that challenge you while you are going through this?

GT: Well some of this is unconscious I would say. When I was a teenager, I was not a very good student but I did go to the movies and saw a lot of films and everything came together after many years passed. I feel that, somehow, this was my destiny to be involved with music and cinema.

AAJ: Although cinema is quite an inspiration in your career, you are also an educator and, as such, connected with the Berklee College of Music in the North East as well as the Heineken Jazzfest in Puerto Rico. Why don’t we talk about the alliance of the Umbria Jazz and Puerto Rico?

GT: Yes, in fact about three years ago, I was invited by Luis Álvarez, the director of the Heineken Jazzfest, as part of a cultural exchange, to see how they managed the festival and the clinics. We do something very similar. During the past 17 years, I have been directing this program called “Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics.” Our clinics are given during a festival called Umbria Jazz Festival, which happens to be one of the most famous in Europe. We go on for about two weeks in the Summer and we have faculty coming from Berklee in Boston. They also give out some scholarships and, for two weeks, we have very intensive programs in different instruments, different classes and instruction for ensembles of all kinds. At the end, we have a concert at the main square. You are talking about a very ancient medieval town. It is a beautiful location and we have the kids performing outside. It is something very exciting.

AAJ: It is my understanding that you also teach at a musical conservatory in Italy.

GT: Yes I teach, on and off, at a musical conservatory where I teach jazz music.

AAJ: Tell me about the state of the market and the situation with jazz in Italy, for example, the kind of students that you have, the scene, the business, the clubs…

GT: I think in our country jazz is very popular. In every little town, you do have some sort of a festival, even if it is small festival in small towns and big ones in larger cities. In Italy, jazz seems to be accepted as an art form and is being supported by public money, which is very important too. Now such education is public too because you can study jazz in the conservatory, and the conservatories are supported by the state, which is public money. That is a very good thing. After all these years, jazz has been accepted officially. Actually, just a couple of months ago I played at the opera theatre in Rome, Teatrodell’Opera, which is a beautiful theatre, so as you can see jazz has been accepted very well.

Bio: Born in Lucca, Italy, Giovanni Tommaso is a double bass player, composer, arranger and bandleader, widely acknowledged as the premiere jazz bassist in Italy, as well as one of Europe’s finest. He has directed the Umbria Jazz Clinics since 1985. As a former teacher of jazz at the Conservatorio de Perugia, he is also an important contributor in the evolution of European and international jazz. Luis Bacalov has counted Tommaso in his quartet for several years, as they won an Oscar award for best sound track music for the film “Il postino.”

Tommaso has had the privilege of playing with significant jazz figures such as: Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Gil Evans, Mary Lou Williams, Don Byas, Joe Henderson, Jerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Johnny Griffin, Art Framer, Barney Kessel, Frank Rosolino, Conte Candoli, Hampton Hawes, Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Mal Waldron, Tony Scott, George Coleman, Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Lionel Hampton, Martial Solal, George Gruntz, Daniel Humair, Franco Ambrosetti, Rene Thomas, Bobby Jaspar.

Selective Discography: Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: Secondo Tempo CAM Records (Special guests: Joe Lovano & Terri Lyne Carrington)
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: La Dolce Vita CAM Records (with Enrico Rava)
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: Via G.T. Red Records
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: To Chet Red Records
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: Over the Ocean Red Records
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: Strane Stelle Strane BMG
Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: Third Step BMG
Quinteto di Lucca RCA
Six albums for Perigeo RCA
Chet Baker and Ennio Morricone RCA
John Lewis: A Milanese Story Atlantic
Lee Konitz and Giovanni Tommaso RCA
Gato Barbieri: Last Tango in Paris United Artists
Mal Waldron, Giovanni Tommaso, P. Pignatelli, Johnny Griffin HORO
Frank Rosolino & Conte Candoli RCA
Max Roach & Steve Lacy Japanese release
Two albums with Barney Kessel RCA
Kay Winding EDIPAN
Enrico Rava ECM
Enrico Rava’s String Band Soul Note
Two albums with D’Andrea, Gato, et al. Red Records