Jazz Articles about Roberto Magris

Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello Del Jazz

by Ken Kase
December 3, 2006

Italian pianist Roberto Magris has been engaging in projects that cover a wide variety of styles for over twenty years. But his best qualities as a pianist and composer have always been in the straight-ahead jazz idiom. Magris clearly has a strong command of his instrument, displaying an innate romanticism that recalls pianists of a bygone era and a penchant for well-written, if fairly conventional, compositions that are balanced out by a unique grouping of off-kilter standards.With West ...

Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello del Jazz

by Jim Santella
August 30, 2006

Pianist Roberto Magris leads a stellar mainstream quartet on this album, and guitarist Darko Jurkovic makes it a quintet on “No Sadness, “Parker's Pen, “Deception and “Il Bello del Jazz. Alto saxophonist Herb Geller provides a warm reflection that gives the ensemble a large portion of its lyrical texture. He and Magris come together with a natural love for melodic invention that swings comfortably.

The title track drives with a beautiful texture that proves seamless in its translation ...

Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello Del Jazz

by Jack Bowers
August 23, 2006

This album isn't entirely new to me, as pianist Roberto Magris was kind enough to share an advance copy more than a year ago, before the contract with Soul Note Records had been signed. On this auspicious occasion, Magris' Europlane quartet is accompanied by one of the world's outstanding alto saxophonists, American expatriate Herb Geller, who has lived in Hamburg, Germany, since 1965. To say that Geller, who was approaching his 75th birthday when the album was recorded in August, ...

Roberto Magris Europlane: Il Bello Del Jazz

by Jerry D'Souza
August 12, 2006

The Roberto Magris Europlane has had an evolving lineup that shifts from quartet to orchestra. On Il Bello Del Jazz, Magris settles for a quintet featuring Herb Geller. The leader is confident in several settings, from acid jazz to funk, free jazz and even rap. Here, he settles into the mainstream with what he calls a tribute to the form, exploring tunes that are comfortable in the niche. In addition to two contributions from Geller, some standards make for a ...

Roberto Magris Europlane: Check-In

by Jack Bowers
June 29, 2005

Here's a tight, swinging album by a group of world-class musicians who are all but unknown here in the States. Pianist Roberto Magris, from Trieste, Italy, is the leader, and his quintet, Europlane, is so named because its members hail from four European countries. The front line consists of tenor/soprano saxophonists Tony Lakatos (Hungary) and Michael Erian (Austria) backed by Magris, bassist Robert Balzar (Czech Republic) and drummer Gabriele Centis (Italy). A third Italian (I presume), conguero Fulvio Zafret, is ...

Roberto Magris: Check-in

by Dennis Hollingsworth
May 3, 2005

Roberto Magris is well-known in his native Italy and has been leading different versions of the group Europlane for a number of years. For this set, Check-In, he chose a quintet with two saxophones. Tony Lakatos, an excellent Hungarian musician some may recognize, is half of the two-horn front line. Like many other recent recordings from Europe, this disc demonstrates that jazz is more than alive and well across the pond.These compositions include three standards and five pieces ...

Roberto Magris Europlane: Check-in

by Jerry D'Souza
April 24, 2005

Roberto Magris leads more than one band, each of which defines a particular mood and approach. One of them is Europlane, the quintet which checks in with this recording on the Black Saint label (currently celebrating its 30th anniversary). This should bring the band wider recognition, considering the fact that the label has an international presence. Magris deserves the exposure; his music is deeply etched with grooves that sing of bop and the blues and the magic of African rhythm, ...