Interview with Alberto Pibiri: My way to play leave more space to the soul, i use the intellect when i practice: Video

Jazz interview with a bad musician, as if pianist Alberto Pibiri. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.Space: – First let’s start with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music?

Alberto Pibiri: – I grew up in a wonderful island called Sardinia, is just below Corsica, for the one who knows only Sicily 🙂 Beautiful weather and amazing food especially seafood. The first thing i herd of Jazz was Louis Armstrong and i felt immediately in love.My first song that i ever played and study by myself was Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. When i was in primary school my history teacher is a jazz drummer and when i was 13 years old i used to listen and sit in with  his band that was playing at that time Dixieland. And that was the start.

JBN.S: – What got you interested in picking up the piano? What teacher or teachers helped you progress to the level of playing you have today? What made you choose the piano?

AP: – Piano was already at home and my dad used to play it just a little bit.Enough for me to love it and when i was a baby i used to come next to my dad and repeat exactly what he was doing.Then my mum support me so much with private lesson. I studied Classical Music in the Conservatory of Cagliari until i graduate, i was 20 years old. In mean time the same history teacher introduce me to a wonderful jazz pianist named Luca Mannutza, he teaches me the very basic of jazz piano. I had the chance through Luca to meet the local jazz musician since i was really young like 13 years old and every weekend i used to rehearse with them.i had my first payed gig when i was 16 years old.

When i was leaving in Paris i studied with dearest friend called Serge Forte and he made me loving even more Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, how to mix all of them in one solo and how to use their prompt. It was because of Serge that i met Sheila Jordan and everything changed from that moment.

JBN.S: – How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?

AP: – Records has been the main influence on me.I transcribed a lot of them from Wynton Kelly to Red Garland and off course my idol Oscar Peterson and was fascinated by the different approach of each piano, in harmony and touch and style. My absolutely favorite is Oscar Peterson. I love study the touch of Bill Evans, Sonny Clark and playing along with the records over and over.

JBN.S: – What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?

AP: – I played along with records over and over. I don`t usually learn solo by memory, what i love is to get the spirit and the ideas on each solo I study. This Is a very fun exercise and method i just develop for me. Doing this make me feeling to be the pianist of the band, the sonny clark of the moment, the Oscar Peterson of the moment. I just had some basic, then i had to develop a very personal way to study: every exercise was for a precise goal.

JBN.S: – Which harmonies and harmonic patterns do you prefer now?

He does not have an answer to this question, for sure he does not know what harmony is … about this detailed near future we will write …

JBN.S: – You’re playing is very sensitive, deft, it’s smooth, and I’d say you drift more toward harmony than dissonance. There is some dissonance there, but you use it judiciously. Is that a conscious decision or again, is it just an output of what goes in? How to prevent disparate influences from coloring what you’re doing?

AP: – Thats a fantastic question that i never thought about. Some of my personal way are totally spontaneous. Lets put in that way: When i have a color sound in my mind i try to reproduce it on the instrument and sometimes they just come naturally or sometimes they sound like a mistake ahahahah. The job is to make the mistake sound good 😉

JBN.S: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

AP: – It is a very fine balance. My way to play leave more space to the soul, i use the intellect when i practice. On the performance i leave everything to my instinct and spontaneity. Also choosing the right people with who play is very important.Interplay is a very important element for me when i play in trio or quartet.

JBN.S: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; you’re okay with giving the people what they want?

AP: – Yes absolutely. To me music is a gift for everybody and music needs to be accessible in order that they understand it. The challenge of the artist is to make sound very complicate passage or idea simple to the audience.

JBN.S: – Please any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

AP: – I absolutely loved the first years in New York when i didn`t know anyone on the scene. I just wanted play better and better, suddenly everyone came to me and became friends. I learn so much going to Smalls Jazz Club and Fat Cat every night. I learn the energy and the meaning of what it is Jazz Community, brother and sisters playing the same passion, Jazz.

JBN.S: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are half a century old?

AP: – Well that`s another great question. I think the best is to bring them to hear live music so they can see musicians play in live, some of them they can inspire the kid. Also play music at home or let them watch the old movie like The Wizard of Oz where is performed Over the Rainbow for example.

JBN.S: – John Coltrane said that music was his spirit. How do you understand the spirit and the meaning of life?

AP: – Jazz is you, your music is what you are. People can play the same song in a different way because they are different person, with different stories, each one has a value.

JBN.S: – If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

AP: – I would change all the economy around it especially for the Jazz World. Jazz musicians now has to work so many hours for get payed 100 USD, del with owner that think Jazz is just a back ground music. They dont release how many hours of practice each musician put on their work and i wish that this will be consider more like it happened on the classical world. Also i wish that exist more managers for musician to represent them. Now artist has to do everything: promotion, Marketing, bring people on the gig. Is too much lets just focus of the music.

JBN.S: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

AP: – I love to hear the new talents. As a piano player i like Joey Alexander and I totally admire Jacob Collier and his innovative approach on music. We need always new inspirations. I have the feeling that people now does too many tributes to the greatest (which is fantastic ), but there is a lack of personalities that to me is the most important to make the music develop and change. I wish there will be a new Miles Davis or a new Charlie Parker as a figure, i hope you understand me and don`t get me wrong i respect all the young new talent coming up.

JBN.S: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?

AP: – Definitely on the 52th when Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie where playing every night.

JBN.S: – I have been asking you so far, now may I have a question from yourself…

AP: – What is your wishes for my music to be and to go?

JBN.S: – Thank you for answers. No, of course, but time will tell !!!

JBN.S: – So putting that all together, how are you able to harness that now?

AP: – I guess is all Working in progress 🙂

Interview by Simon Sargsyan