Roberto Magris Europlane for Jazz: Freedom Is Peace

After twenty years making beautiful music elsewhere, the members of Italian-born pianist and composer Roberto Magris' stellar sextet, Europlane, have reunited to record a second album, Freedom Is Peace, a sequel to the ensemble's impressive debut, Check-In (Soul Note, 2005). As before, snugly swinging bop-centered jazz is the order of the day; and as before, Magris heads an all- star lineup of world-class musicians from half a dozen European countries.

To enhance its impetus and immediacy, Freedom Is Peace was recorded live in April 2024 at a concert in Bad Goisern, Austria. The audience seems to appreciate the message, as its reactions are clamorous and enthusiastic. Magris, relishing his dual role as innovative soloist and steadfast accompanist, shares the front line with Slovakian trumpeter Lukáš Oravec and saxophonists Tony Lakatos and Florian Bramböck (from Hungary and Austria, respectively), while German bassist Rudi Engel and Slovenian drummer Gasper Bertoncelj make sure the rhythm never flags, even when the engine is purring in low gear.

Magris wrote five of the album's typically engaging themes to complement others by Andrew Hill (the lustrous ballad "Laverne," a showcase for Lakatos' graceful soprano sax), Israeli singer and composer Boaz Sharabi ("When You Touch Me," a textbook study in medium-tempo swing) and the basically dark and ambiguous "Malay Tone Poem" by South African pianist Hotep Idris Galeta. The album's robust title song leads the parade, with blistering solos by Magris, Oravec, Lakatos (tenor sax) and Brambock (baritone) underscoring its exuberance and power. Magris' well-grooved "Island of Nowhere" leads to the "Malay Tone Poem" and "Laverne," which in turn precede another gem by Magris, the gently flowing "Something to Save from EU (You)" (neatly introduced by the leader's lyrical piano and Engel's arco bass and spotlighting Bertoncelj's splendid brush work). Magris' mid-tempo "Loose Fit" is as warm and cozy as the name suggests, after which the ensemble exits the way it came in, swinging freely and often through the concert's brash and upbeat finale, Magris' "Hip! For the Conference."

While the music may be broad and variable, what remains constant is that every member of Europlane brought his "A" game to this bright and pleasurable concert. When summing up, the phrase "worth waiting for" springs to mind, and the hope is that another two decades will not pass before Magris and his superlative sextet are heard from again.

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