Interview with Luca Crispino: The Four Truths: Video, new CD cover

Jazz interview with jazz electro guitarist and bassist Luca Crispino. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.com: – Before we jump into anything historical, can you tell us about what we can expect musically this evening?

Luca Crispino: – It will certainly have a great sound and emotional impact, the entire performance is an experience of free improvisation, the instant representation of a creative and sensitive act, a sonic journey where melody and experimentation blend in dreamlike, subversive and changing suggestions and atmospheres.

JBN: – Are there sub-genres within the jazz field that you tend to stay away from or focus on?

LC: – Currently I have several projects, from free jazz, like this last record, to the traditional jazz organ trio, to contemporary music, to modern jazz. In this sense I am very curious and I love to deepen the different aspects of music. I really enjoy experimenting and composing, but when I take the time to study, I devote myself to jazz standards. I believe that everything starts from tradition, it is useful and constructive to understand the evolution of modern music starting from the roots. Understanding this type of path gives us the means to be able to get out of the rules and patterns while maintaining communication and expression.

JBN: – When your first desire to become involved in the music was & what do you learn about yourself from music?

LC: – Growing up in a family of musicians and music lovers, the choice of life and career path for me was very natural. My attraction to music has been very strong from the very beginning. I learned a lot from music, it strengthened important aspects such as perseverance, dedication and commitment, expanded the sensations, feelings and sharing.

Condition your life choices and draw a path to follow, it seems that it gives meaning to everything around you. Maybe it’s really true when we quote the phrase that music has always been the quintessential manifestation of freedom.

JBN: – How do you prepare before your performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

LC: – Before a performance, I free my thoughts and focus on the moment. Performance is communication and understanding, when you are aware of it, the spirit and the music never run out. I am lucky enough to play on stage with trained and very sensitive musicians with whom I share the purest aspect of improvisation, no one knows what the other will do but we interact intimately in the construction of a sound landscape and the scenarios we open can be infinite.

JBN: – What do you love most about your new album 2022: Luca Crispino, Danilo Gallo, Luca Pighi, Roberto Zorzi – Le Quattro Verita, how it was formed and what you are working on today.

LC: – The album was born from a studio shot of a free improvisation session. There is me on the electric double bass, Danilo Gallo on the electric bass, Luca Pighi on the drums and Roberto Zorzi on the electric guitar. It is a work that fascinated me from the first moment and it was stimulating to record everything that every musician made spontaneously emerge in that instant. I find it extremely communicative and multifaceted and the atmospheres that have been created are as raw and real as they are dreamlike and ancestral, sounds that chase each other and merge and then crumble and always reconstruct themselves in different forms. It was a new and insightful experience, and being able to stop that event on tape was a gift. All this was possible thanks to the musicians who shared this session with me and who are the authors with me, I thank the visionary master Roberto Zorzi, the multifaceted, creative and good friend Luca Pighi and above all Danilo Gallo who thanks to his experience and great talent has made a fundamental contribution to the success of the album as well as giving me the opportunity to learn new things. Thanks also to the Dodicilune record label that released the album and distributed it all over the world.

JBN: – Ism is culled from a variety of lives dates with various performers over the course of a few years. Did your sound evolve during that time? And how did you select the musicians who play on the album?

LC: – It is constantly evolving, it is a continuous research. Often the sound of the instrument and the phrasing change depending on the musical genre I’m playing, the type of project I’m carrying out at that moment or based on the musicians I’m performing with, I really like to experiment and deepen on electric guitar and bass different approaches while maintaining my personality, what matters more than sound is to test how far I can go during an improvisation, with all the unknowns of the case, you live in the moment. The characteristics of the project and its construction are equally shared with the musicians, in truth I have never selected any musician, the album was born from a common idea, a democratic work.

JBN: – What happened when you first heard Bird? Did it make an immediate impact on you?

LC: – Excellent from the beginning, but it is with the passage of time that I have appreciated the merit, acquiring over the years a more mature and in-depth attention and listening.

JBN: – With such an illustrious career, what has given you the most satisfaction musically?

LC: – By nature I am a person willing to welcome and pursue with transport, trust and dedication all that is inherent in my artistic profession. Every single act has given me small satisfactions, every album, performance and gesture of sharing has marked a phase, has opened new scenarios and new points of view, in these situations you have the opportunity to grow and improve, these are precious moments.

JBN: – From the musical and feeling point of view is there any difference between a old and great jazzmans and young?

LC: – I would say yes, but I would not like to make judgments or generalize, I am the first to always look for new paths and some things are always in development. It becomes more and more difficult in this moment to create something new when by now we seem to have heard everything. We just have to persevere and see what happens. To answer your question, I believe that differences cease to exist when you can breathe new life into improvisation and have a genuine, personal, innovative and energetic approach. When you are not afraid to experiment, to make your voice heard without conforming to imitation.

JBN: – What advice would you give to aspiring musicians thinking of pursuing a career?

LC: – These are those habits that I first carry out daily and will continue to carry out for a long time to come. Work hard and always persevere, develop your own voice trying to cultivate a personal language.

Thanks for everything Mr. Simon, it was a pleasure to participate in your interview and I wish you the best, I hope to hear from you again soon. A hug from Italy.

Interview by Simon Sargsyan