Living in a small village nestled in the Alps and just a stone’s throw from Lake Como offers undeniable advantages for the quality of life, the endless possibilities for hiking and excursions, and the town’s human dimension.
The cultural situation is much less rosy, despite the progress made in recent decades, especially for music lovers outside of brass bands, choirs, and/or cover bands.
Without taking anything away from these musical expressions, their sheer number and constant repetition ultimately generate a hilarious dismay in all those, young and otherwise, who long to hear music more in tune with the times.
It was therefore with a mixture of disbelief and amazement that, a few weeks ago, I saw the poster I reproduce at the top of this post in the shop windows of the town center announcing a concert by Gianluigi Trovesi.
Moreover, in a completely new guise, not with the musicians he usually accompanies, but with Alex De Simoni’s Trio Immaginario.
This group had already performed in town just a few weeks ago, garnering a warm reception from the audience with a musical offering that reminds me of similar experiences by musicians like Yann Tiersen, Renè Aubry, and Pascal Comelade, all of whom embrace folk-rooted music with personal flair and produce quite different but equally stimulating results.
But the amazement for me, an old enthusiast, was imagining how the Bergamo musician could find common ground with the Valtellina trio, openly inspired by revised and refined folk music but quite distant from the commonly understood jazz.
The answer wasn’t difficult: Trovesi himself has composed and/or revisited pieces inspired both by real folklore, with a 360-degree perspective, and by the folklore imagined by his imagination and his pen.
Thus, the concert unfolded along two tracks, featuring the clarinetist’s classic compositions (Dance from the East No. 1, Campanello camellato, Danza bergamasca, Carpinese, and the magnificent Hercab, performed as an encore) and those of the accordionist (Tango della Scrivania, Noir balera, Preghiera, and the beautiful Cinque quarti).
Despite his age (1944), Trovesi confirmed himself as a highly lucid musician, having excelled on his two favorite instruments (clarinet and bass clarinet) for many years. He was also his usual charming storyteller, ironic and scathing in his presentation of the pieces, and a master at entertaining the audience, which was in large numbers (which was not to be expected).
Trovesi’s verve is proverbial, so much so that his live concert exchanges with his companion (and several wonderful albums) Gianni Coscia, a formidable 94-year-old accordionist, are as enjoyable and stimulating as the music they produce together. A show within a show.
The meeting of these two musical souls resulted in a blend of genres, in which Trovesi’s instrumental expertise clearly stood out in his jazz dimension, well supported by the Trio Immaginario, skilled at finding common ground, ideal for solo flights of clarinet and accordion.
