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Jazz Articles about Sergio Armaroli
Sergio Armaroli: The Musical Omnivore
by Mark Corroto
Sergio Armaroli is an Italian composer, percussionist, vibraphonist, teacher and visual artist whose music can be found on multiple labels including ezz-thetics, Leo Records, Dodicilune, Ictus Records and Da Vinci Classics. His 2025 releases include Deconstructing Ayler In The Universe (Dodicilune), And I Entered Into Sleep (Die Schachtel), and the ezz-thetics discs Introducing A Very Heavy Person First Visit, Follow A Very Heavy Person First Visit, At Sotto Il Mare First Visit and The Art Of Sound(s). Because ...
Continue ReadingPierre Favre & Sergio Armaroli, Andrea Centazzo, Francesca Gemmo: The Art Of Sound(s)
by Mark Corroto
It would not be prudent to overlook history when considering the music created by the improvising artists of The Art of Sound(s). As William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest: “By that destiny to perform an act / Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come in yours and my discharge." In other words, this 2024 recording could not exist without the accumulated experiences and creative legacies of its four musicians. At the center stands Swiss drummer Pierre Favre, ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli / Francesca Gemmo / Barry Guy: At Sotto Il Mare First Visit
by John Sharpe
Deep hinterlands distinguish the three protagonists on this exceptionally simpatico date and imbue it with a sharpened sense of purpose. You might call it freely improvised, but as the liner notes reveal, unplanned might be a better descriptor. Italian vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli, who seems to be the principal mover, reportedly gave short verbal instructions before the music began. And while his exact words are not provided, they may account for the cohesion of what follows. Or perhaps not. Practiced improvisers, ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli Quintet: Follow A Very Heavy Person
by Mark Corroto
Time, as a concept, transforms into an endless playground in the hands of Sergio Armaroli. In Follow A Very Heavy Person, the quintet expands upon the foundations laid in Introducing A Very Heavy Person, delving deeper into the sonic and philosophical dimensions of John Cage and Kenneth Patchen's 1942 experimental radio play, The City Wears A Slouch Hat. Emerging from the same recording session, this second volume extends and reinvents its predecessor's exploration of simultaneity, improvisation and the ephemeral nature ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli: Introducing A Very Heavy Person, First Visit
by Mark Corroto
If you reject the assumption that time is linear, the ability to conceive of a time machine is simple. Assume for this discussion that the concepts of past, present, and future are a false dichotomy. In other words, the past and the future simultaneously occur with the present. Composer and percussionist Sergio Armaroli accepts this premise and his quintet accomplishes a rather time-less travel through twelve tracks. Let's back up a bit. In his career, Armaroli has been ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli, Evan Parker: Dialog
by Neri Pollastri
Album molto singolare, questo di Sergio Armaroli e Evan Parker: pensato inizialmente come improvvisazione dal vivo da registrare in studio durante la prevista tournée italiana 2022 del sassofonista britannico, trasformatosi poi in duetto a distanza dopo la cancellazione della sua trasferta, si è alla fine concretizzato come un call and response, visto che Parker non si trovava a proprio agio nel dialogo diretto a distanza. Così, Armaroli ha registrato sei brani improvvisati al vibrafono e li ha inviati all'amico inglese, ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli: I Dream I Was An European
by Neri Pollastri
Un disco a suo modo “perfetto," questo di Sergio Armaroli, che si circonda di abituali e splendidi collaboratori come Giancarlo Schiaffini e Roger Turner, vi aggiunge un monumento dell'improvvisazione come Phil Minton, e con loro esegue nove sue composizioni nelle quali l'improvvisazione la fa da padrona. La “perfezione" sta soprattutto nelle individualità, anzi nei colori e nelle espressività che ciascuna di esse porta in dote: due percussioni timbricamente opposte e dalle invenzioni complementari, il vibrafono di Armaroli e ...
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