Roberto Magris / Denis Razz Quartet: In Action

It is not easy for a European jazz artist to establish a notable profile in the United States, but Italian pianist Roberto Magris has done just that, in part via the tried and true "just show up" method of operation. It is necessary to show up with the drive, determination and talent to pull the success off.

He shows up in his work with Kansas City's JMood Records. He shows up as a bandleader in venues in Chicago and Los Angeles, Miami, and, of course, his stateside home base of Kansas City. Album releases? Magris has more than 40 albums in his discography, with the especially notable Lovely Day(s), 2025), Love Is Passing Through (2024), and Suite (2019), all on JMood Records. The talent and determination side of the method of the quest is evident with a spin of any of these three albums. Magris is a distinctive and adept player of bebop and beyond, though he remains tethered to the tradition. But chance-taking seems to be his default position.

In Action finds Magris in the company of a tight-knit crew of four Croatian compadres: alto and soprano saxophonist Denis Razz, bassist Karlo Ilic, and drummer Rajko Ergić. The album covers a lot of stylistic ground, opening with John Coltrane's "Some Other Blues," from the 1961 Atlantic Records album Coltrane Jazz. With saxophonist Razz out front on a crisp, sharp-edged tone on his alto sax, it sounds like A Charlie Parker tune. Magris on piano displays a zinging elegance before the band shifts to a pianoless interlude. Magris reenters with a splashy, almost Erroll Garner-ish solo, exuding pure joy.

After two tunes that lean toward the tradition, the music veers into a freer, almost exotica mode, Magris opening with a dark, atmospheric vibe via electric keyboard on his original tune, "Source of Life." When the music shifts to an ensemble mode, it shifts into a probing free jazz territory.

This generous two-CD set explores the off-center artistry of Sun Ra on the pulsing, upbeat "Disciple 27-II" and the brooding "Lanquidity," featuring bassist IIlic shifting to electric guitar," in addition to Wayne Shorter's' "Black Niles," that follows, fittingly, "Source of Life."

On "You Taught My Heart to Sing," from pianist McCoy Tyner's pen, saxophonist Razz plays the melody with respect, with heart and soul as he and the band lay down perhaps the loveliest, most enchanting seven minutes on the record, while the Magris-penned "Hill Of Illusions" chugs along with dance-inducing groove. Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom" levitates into a world music atmosphere, with Illic contributing exotic (to Western ears) sound of the oud to the mix.

Magris wrote or co-wrote six of the tunes here. Saxophonist Razz wrote or co-wrote a pair and helped out the leader with two more. Drummer Ergic pitched in, too, as did bassist Ilic. They have served up a strongly cohesive album, in spite of the array of different styles explored here.. Magris' musical vision is strong. So is his ability to choose his collaborators for the creation of an enduring artistic statement.

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