Take Five with Clarinetist Davide Sgarra

Meet Davide Sgarra

Davide Sgarra is an Italian jazz clarinetist and saxophonist based in Brooklyn, New York. Born and raised near Varese in northern Italy, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the Netherlands and his Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. A specialist in the New Orleans clarinet tradition, Davide performs regularly across the New York jazz scene and has played in venues including Birdland jazz club, Dizzy's Club, Perelman Performing Arts Center, Arthur's Tavern, Winnie's Jazz Club, and many more. He has also toured internationally, performing in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Romania, and appeared as a soloist with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in the Dutch Jazz Heritage concert dedicated to Sonny Rollins. He has collaborated with bandleaders including David Ostwald, Gordon Webster, Rob van Bavel, Terry Waldo, Alfredo Ferrario, Jeremy Davis, and the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra, Drew Nugent, and many more.

In addition to performing, Davide teaches woodwinds privately and in local New York City schools.

Instruments

Clarinet (main), alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet.

Teachers and/or influences?

My deepest influences vary a lot. I learned a great deal about how to play early jazz from clarinet players such as Johnny Dodds and Barney Bigard. I have also spent a lot of time listening to Tony Scott, Buddy DeFranco, and Eddie Daniels. That being said, many of my biggest inspirations came from musicians like Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Harry "Sweets" Edison , Dexter Gordon, and Lester Young.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

There was more than one moment. My first clarinet lesson at 12, my first jazz lesson at 15, hearing "Jazz Band" by Henghel Gualdi, and performing that chart with my local band.

In all those moments, I just remember feeling a deep connection with the sound of the clarinet and the music. A kind of thoughtless, grounded feeling.

Your sound and approach to music.

I am deeply rooted in the tradition, especially New Orleans and the '30s and '40s in New York. There's an incredible vitality in that music that has always resonated deeply with me. I try to play with that intensity.

My goal is always for the clarinet to sing. Whether I'm playing a ballad or a burning up-tempo, I want every note to feel alive.

I especially love ballads, I feel like you have more time to dig into melody and be expressive. That's why I love to play songs such as "The Nearness of You," "It's Like Reaching for the Moon" or "Moonlight in Vermont."

Road story: Your best or worst experience

A year ago I was on a gig in Canada, the place where we were staying had a jacuzzi in the backyard. We stayed up until 6 am hanging and watching the sky. I wish every post-gig was like that!

Favorite venue

Birdland Jazz Club in NYC! I've performed there twice with David Ostwald's group, and I had a blast! The energy between those walls is incredible, and it was a dream come true for me to perform there. Plus, in the Theatre downstairs the acoustics are so good that you don't need a mic, you can hear the texture of everybody's sound so clearly.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

I hope that those of us who play this music are showing that the New Orleans and swing-era tradition is not just history, it's a living, breathing language with real power for contemporary audiences. This music has so much energy, and I feel like sometimes people don't know they like it until they hear it. And they usually have a great time.

Did you know...

I'm a cycling fanatic! When I'm not playing music, I'm training for long-distance cycling!

Music you are listening to now:

I'm listening to an album called Tell It the Way It Is! by Paul Gonsalves, I love everything about this album. So swinging! Also listening a lot to Billie Holiday, I love her recording of "It's Like Reaching for the Moon," there are so many lessons to be learned about melody and sound intensity.

Desert Island picks:

Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday Ben and Sweets by Ben Webster and Harry "Sweets" Edison All the Hot Five and Seven recordings by Louis Armstrong!

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

There are extraordinary musicians that are pushing the music in great new directions, and at the same time, a deep, committed community keeping the traditional idioms alive with real intensity. The challenge is that the economics of live music make it harder and harder to sustain a career. But the music itself is healthy. When I play a gig and see people genuinely being happy and entertained, I'm not worried about jazz dying.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?

In my opinion live performance, above everything. In a world where everything is online it's crucial that we keep having human interactions such as going to a concert and talking to other people. That's what I love about jazz, it's fundamentally a social music and it brings people together and creates real connection.

What is in the near future?

I'm planning to release an album with my own band next year. So I'm busy composing and arranging. Aside from that, I want to keep performing as much as I can in the NYC jazz scene. I have a bunch of gigs coming up, including concerts with "The Midnight Society" led by trumpet player Drew Nugent, and with Terry Waldo's band. And I couldn't be more excited!