Articles by Mario Calvitti
Steffen Basho-Junghans: The Dancer on the Hill
by Mario Calvitti
After a long period of silence due to health problems, and difficulties in finding a recording outlet for his work, German guitarist Steffen Basho-Junghans is back with a new album, released by the English label Architects of Harmonic Rooms & Records, only available on vinyl and as digital download, similar to what was done in 2009 for the album IS, the latest recorded so far by the guitarist. Basho-Junghans' music has always oscillated between two poles, one more ...
Continue ReadingSteffen Basho-Junghans: Guitar Excursions into the Unknown
by Mario Calvitti
On the occasion of the release of German guitarist Steffen Basho-Junghans' album The Dancer on the Hill (Architects of Harmonic Rooms & Records, 2020) after 10 years of discographic silence, All About Jazz contacted the artist for a short interview. All About Jazz: Your new album Dancer on the Hill comes out more than 10 years after the previous one, IS, which was published in 2009. Why was there such a long gap between recordings, after an intense ...
Continue ReadingAntoine Pierre: Suspended (Live at Flagey)
by Mario Calvitti
Although the Belgian music scene is rich and varied, it is much neglected outside its national borders, as evidenced by the case of Aka Moon, an extraordinary trio that has celebrated 25 years of activity, but is still practically ignored by the foreign media. Let's hope the same does not happen with this new young talent, the drummer Antoine Pierre, and his group Urbex, already among the main protagonists of the 2020 edition of the Brussels Jazz Festival.
Continue ReadingManfred Eicher: ECM 50 at Centre Culturel Flagey, Brussels
by Mario Calvitti
This article first appeared at italia.allaboutjazz.com. ECM 50Centre Culturel FlageyBrussels, BelgiumNovember 21-24, 2019 During the year marking the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the German record company ECM, there have been numerous music festivals in Europe and America dedicated to the official celebration of the event. One of the most important was certainly the one held at the end of November in Brussels, which saw the participation of numerous artists connected to ...
Continue ReadingThe indefatigable Bill Frisell
by Mario Calvitti
Since he first appeared on the international scene in the late '70s, Bill Frisell has shown considerable originality and strong individuality. Thanks to an instrumental voice that is both immediately recognizable and immensely versatile, he continues to stand out among the artists that have contributed to rewriting the role of guitar in jazz and beyond. Adept in jazz, blues, country, new classical, and pop music, Frisell has spent his entire career exploring all aspects of American music, redefining ...
Continue ReadingRalph Towner: The Accidental Guitarist
by Mario Calvitti
Ralph Towner is a rather atypical figure in the vast world of jazz guitar. His instruments of choice are the classical guitar, which when he started, in the '60s, was played almost exclusively by guitarists related to Brazilian music like Charlie Byrd, Laurindo Almeida and Bola Sete, and the 12-string guitar, very common in the folk world but virtually unknown to jazz. These choices led Towner to develop his signature instrumental technique without reference to any other guitarist. In doing ...
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