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Roberto Magris

International jazz pianist and composer Roberto Magris (b. 1959) from Trieste, Italy, has over 39 recordings to his credit and has toured in over 42 different countries in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia, performing at top jazz clubs, theatres and festivals around the world. Since 2006, Magris has mainly focused his musical interests in the USA by becoming the leading recording artist and musical director of JMood Records, the Kansas City jazz label, releasing 23 CDs under his name (“Suite!”, “Shuffling Ivories”, “Sun Stone”, "Duo & Trio", “World Gardens”, “Roberto Magris Sextet Live in Miami @ The WDNA Jazz Gallery”, which was chosen by Down Beat magazine as one of the best recordings of 2018, “Enigmatix”, “Aliens in a bebop planet” and “Morgan Rewind”, among the others). In the USA, Magris has performed in Los Angeles (The Jazz Bakery and Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood), Kansas City (The Blue Room), Miami (WDNA Jazz Gallery, FIU Music Festival at Wertheim Performing Arts Center), Chicago (The Jazz Showcase), Milwaukee (The Jazz Estate), St. Louis, Omaha, Des Moines and Ft. Lauderdale. In 2007 he was honored by the City Council of Kansas City for his contribution to jazz music and performance at the American Jazz Museum. In Europe, Magris has performed at festivals and jazz clubs with the MUH Trio (Roberto Magris/ František Uhlíř/Jaromir Helešic Trio), which has its base in Prague and has recorded the albums “Prague After Dark” and “A Step Into Light”. Throughout his career, Magris has performed and recorded with a who’s who list of jazz legends and outstanding musicians, including Art Davis (bassist for John Coltrane), Herb Geller, Albert Tootie Heath, Idris Muhammad, Ira Sullivan, Sam Reed, Brian Lynch, Tony Lakatos, Mark Colby, Eric Hochberg, Chuck Bergeron, Paul Carr, Philip Catherine, Franco Ambrosetti, Bill Molenhof, Janusz Muniak, Bosko Petrovic, Kai Winding, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Sal Nistico, and with a bunch of rising stars such as Hermon Mehari, Logan Richardson, Kendall Moore, Brandon Lee, Eric Jacobson, Shareef Clayton, Jim Mair, Matt Otto, Elisa Pruett, Peter Schlamb, Dominique Sanders, Brian Steever, Alfredo Chacon, Rodolfo Zuniga, Pablo Sanhueza a.o.. During his career, Magris has also directed the Europlane Orchestra (a central-European jazz venture sponsored by INCE-Central European Initiative), the Gruppo Jazz Marca, the acid-jazz bands Dma Urban Jazz Funk and Alfabeats Nu Jazz, and his Italian quartet, also recording 3 CDs issued by the renowned Italian jazz label Soulnote and one issued by Velut Luna, entitled “Big Band Ritmo-Sinfonica Città di Verona plays the music of Roberto Magris/Restless Spirits”. Over the years, Magris’ interviews and CD reviews have been published in the main international jazz magazines, books and websites such as Down Beat, Jazz Hot, JazzTimes, Cadence, All About Jazz, New York City Jazz Record, Jazzwax, Rifftides, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Jazz Inside, Jazziz, Jazz Journal UK, Jazz Podium, Concerto, Jazzwise, Orkester Journalen, Jazzrytmit, Jazzflits, Jazzmozaiek, Jazz’Halo, Doctor Jazz, World Music Report, Salt Peanuts, The Walker’s, Jazz Life, Disk Union, Jazz Magazine, Musica Jazz, Jazzit, Music Magazine, The Jazz Stories Project and many others.

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5
Album Review

Roberto Magris: Love Is Passing Thru

Read "Love Is Passing Thru" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Italian pianist Roberto Magris started his jazz journey on his home turf, notably with a trio of albums on the Soul Note label: Check-In (2005), Il Bello del Jazz (2006) and Current Views (2009). But his profile rose substantially when he got involved with JMood Records, beginning with Kansas City Outbound (2008). He offered his masterpiece on the label in 2020 with Suite! , a sumptuous double CD showcasing an artist who adheres very much to the tradition but who ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Stan Getz, Jeremy Pelt & Roberto Magris

Read "Stan Getz, Jeremy Pelt & Roberto Magris" reviewed by Joe Dimino


We start the 826th Episode of Neon Jazz with Italian pianist & composer Roberto Magris with music from his 2023 release High Quote. He has always had a distinct and deep Kansas City connection and off this latest album, it is finally seeing the light of day after over a decade of being in the can and features a bevy of great KC jazz talent. We also hear from the Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi with a special album dedicated to ...

37
Album Review

Roberto Magris & The JM Horns: High Quote

Read "High Quote" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Italian-born pianist/composer Roberto Magris, a paradigm of kinetic energy, records so many albums they can't seem to release 'em fast enough. Although High Quote, on which Magris leads the JM Horns (for JMood Records), was recorded more than a decade ago--in November 2012--its release date was for purposes unknown delayed until 2023. Whatever the reasons, it would be hard to believe they had anything to do with the quality of the music, which is by and large ...

52
Album Review

Roberto Magris: Duo & Trio

Read "Duo & Trio" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Italian-born pianist Roberto Magris is a musician to whom the phrase “he could play the phone book and make it sound interesting" definitely applies--as it does to the late great Chicago-based saxophone maestro Mark Colby who met Magris in 2016, formed an instant bond and recorded one-half of this superlative album three years later, one year before Colby's untimely death from cancer. Magris and Colby recorded seven tracks in a Chicago studio and planned to record more--enough ...

3
Album Review

Roberto Magris: MatchPoint

Read "MatchPoint" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Registrato prima della pandemia e pubblicato lo scorso dicembre, il nuovo album del pianista triestino nasce in uno dei suoi soggiorni statunitensi. Com'è noto Roberto Magris pubblica dal 2007 con l'etichetta di Kansas City JMood Records e, come già successo col disco Live in Miami comprendente Brian Lynch, uno dei suoi “approdi" è la metropoli della Florida con la sua nutrita comunità caraibica. Qui lo troviamo a capo di un quartetto comprendente il vibrafonista e percussionista cubano Alfredo ...

1
Interview

Roberto Magris: "Il jazz è un veicolo per contenuti elevati"

Read "Roberto Magris: "Il jazz è un veicolo per contenuti elevati"" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Nato a Trieste nel 1959, Roberto Magris è dai primi anni ottanta uno dei jazzmen italiani più attivi all'estero, tra i pochissimi a collaborare con i musicisti dell'Est Europa quando esisteva ancora la cosiddetta “cortina di ferro." Dei suoi organici ricordiamo il MUH trio, il Gruppo Jazz Marca, l'Europlane Orchestra, il DMA Urban Jazz Funk e l'Alfabeats Nu Jazz con cui ha esplorato i connubi tra jazz e musiche popolari. Dopo i dischi Soul Note con Herb Geller, Tony Lakatos ...

25
Album Review

Roberto Magris: Shuffling Ivories

Read "Shuffling Ivories" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Pianist Roberto Magris follows up his critically-acclaimed album Suite! (JMood Records, 2018) with a duet recording with Chicago-based bassist Eric Hochberg, whom he met while recoding Suite! . Returning to the windy city in November 2019 to promote the release of Suite! , Magris and Hochberg decided to make an album of their own while enduring one of the heaviest winter storms in the history of the city. Over his thirty-plus albums, Magris has often drawn inspiration from ...

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5

Recording

JMood Records Releases 'Love Is Passing Thru' by Roberto Magris

JMood Records Releases 'Love Is Passing Thru' by Roberto Magris

Source: Paul Collins

JMood Records is pleased to announce the CD release of Love Is Passing Thru by Roberto Magris. “Love Is Passing Thru” is a project recorded by Roberto’s Italian quartet after a concert tour in the Far-East almost 20 years ago. “This music is still so fresh with outstanding musicianship and musical ideas recorded at the Grammy-award winning Artesuono Studio in Italy" says, Paul Collins, jazz impresario of JMood Records. “Roberto is truly an international artist thru his MUH Trio out ...

4

Recording

JMood Records Releases Roberto Magris New Album 'High Quote'

JMood Records Releases Roberto Magris New Album 'High Quote'

Source: Paul Collins Artist Management International

JMood Records is pleased to announce the release of High Quote by Roberto Magris. “As many music lovers choose more popular genres, we are passionate about jazz in all its colores,” says Paul Collins of JMood Records. “Our latest release, High Quote contains six original compositions by Roberto Magris and opens the door and builds bridges for more exploration into this new brand called “The JM Horns”. We have demonstrated this effort on several occasions, but it’s time we made ...

Recording

Roberto Magris: Duo & Trio

Roberto Magris: Duo & Trio

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

I've known Roberto Magris for many years, dating back to the early days of this blog. In fact, I interviewed him in 2008. The Italian jazz pianist is enormously gifted as a player and composer. I love his feel. He swings, and his playing is always hip and breathtakingly beautiful. Now he's out with an album of trio and duo recordings made in 2012 and 2019, respectively. It's called Roberto Magris: Duo & Trio. The duo recordings feature Roberto with ...

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Recording

JMood Records Releases Roberto Magris' 'Duo & Trio' Featuring Saxophonist Mark Colby

JMood Records Releases Roberto Magris' 'Duo & Trio' Featuring Saxophonist Mark Colby

Source: Paul Collins Artist Management International

“I enjoy a good wine, says Paul Collins of JMood Records. Whenever I have a chance to attend a wine tasting, I look forward to the sommelier explaining various aspects of the wine. Things such as, the grape, the region, the vineyard and owners, the aging process, hints added, what to pair it with and lastly, tasting the product. With our new product, we have captured several textures and complexities of the jazz legacy and preserved them in time. Packaged ...

10

Recording

JMood Records Releases Pianist Roberto Magris' New Album 'MatchPoint'

JMood Records Releases Pianist Roberto Magris' New Album 'MatchPoint'

Source: Paul Collins Artist Management International

JMood Records is pleased to announce the CD release of “MatchPoint” by Roberto Magris.” “In order to get to match point and move to the next level, everyone needs to be on the same page, says Paul Collins of JMood Records. Everybody needs to bring their “A” game, artist, musician, engineer, and equipment. You also need a supporting cast of professionals to win at anything. Although, we are not in competition with anyone but ourselves, you can never rest on ...

9

Recording

JMood Records Releases Pianist Roberto Magris' 'Shuffling Ivories'

JMood Records Releases Pianist Roberto Magris' 'Shuffling Ivories'

Source: Paul Collins

JMood Records is pleased to announce the CD release of Shuffling Ivories by Roberto Magris.” “This project is a fantastic voyage from, Eubie Blake to Andrew Hill, spanning over 100 years of jazz history and over one hour of amazing music”, says jny: Kansas City jazz impresario Paul Collins. “Although this project reflects music from several jazz greats, it is primarily my tribute to Eubie Blake. He was a musical pioneer, with an original style at that time, that brought ...

1

Recording

Roberto Magris And Two Good Czechs

Roberto Magris And Two Good Czechs

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

An Italian of Slovenian ancestry who grew up in Trieste, pianist Roberto Magris frequently tours in Europe with colleagues from a variety of European nations. He also works in in the United States, where he operates the record label called JMood. Here, we see and hear Magris a few weeks ago in the Birdland Jazz Club in Neuburg a.d. Donau, Germany. With him are the formidable bassist Frantisek Uhlir and drummer Jaromir Helesic, mainstays of modern jazz in the Czech ...

Recording

Roberto Magris: Sun Stone

Roberto Magris: Sun Stone

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Roberto Magris is an Italian jazz pianist with a fondness for drama. His albums always explode in stormy excitement and robust flavor. His latest release, Sun Stone, was recorded with his sextet at the Hit Factory in Miami in 2017 and features Shareef Clayton (tp), Ira Sullivan (as,sop,fl), Mark Colby (ts), Roberto Magris (p), Jamie Ousley (b) and Rodolfo Zuniga (d). It's finally out now. All of the songs are by Roberto, except Innamorati a Milano, a beautiful, romantic Italian ...

7

Recording

JMOOD Records Releases Roberto Magris Sextet Latest CD "SunStone"

JMOOD Records Releases Roberto Magris Sextet Latest CD "SunStone"

Source: Paul Collins Artist Management International

JMOOD RECORDS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW CD RELEASE: “SUNSTONE” by THE ROBERTO MAGRIS SEXTET “Over a thousand years ago," jazz impresario Paul Collins states, “very talented sailors were able to navigate oceans and seas without the use of magnetic compasses and at the times even maps!" Since then, scientists have discovered in sunken ships of long ago, what appears to be a magical crystal or Iceland spar, better known as sunstone. Despite heavy clouds, fog, other obstacles or ...

Recording

Roberto Magris: World Gardens

Roberto Magris: World Gardens

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Ira Gitler turned me on to Italian jazz pianist Roberto Magris in 2008. Roberto's superb album, Il Bello Del Jazz, accompanying alto saxophonist Herb Geller, had just reached the U.S. after being released in Italy in 2006. Over the years, Roberto and I have remained in touch, with Roberto sending along his latest releases. All have been superb, especially his Lee Morgan Rewind Vols. 1 and 2. His latest album, World Gardens, was just released on the JMood label, and ...

“The most interesting bop/post-bop pianist on the current European scene” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal)

“One of the finest piano players on the planet” (Edward Blanco, All About Jazz)

Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto
John Coltrane
saxophone
Charles Mingus
bass, acoustic
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Love Is Passing Thru

JMood Records
2024

buy

High Quote

JMood Records
2023

buy

Duo & Trio

JMood Records
2022

buy

Shuffling Ivories

JMood Records
2021

buy

Match Point

JMood Records
2021

buy

Yours Is The Light

From: Match Point
By Roberto Magris

Sunset Breeze

From: Suite!
By Roberto Magris

Sun Stone

From: Sun Stone
By Roberto Magris

World Gardens

From: World Gardens
By Roberto Magris

Joycie Girl

From: Prague After Dark
By Roberto Magris

Need To Bring Out Love

From: Need To Bring Out Love
By Roberto Magris

Mating call

From: Mating Call
By Roberto Magris

Optional man

From: Mating Call
By Roberto Magris

Exotique

From: Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee...
By Roberto Magris

A bid for Sid

From: Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee...
By Roberto Magris

A night in Cydonia

From: Aliens in a bebop planet
By Roberto Magris

Aliens in a bebop planet

From: Aliens in a bebop planet
By Roberto Magris

Sat

From: Aliens in a bebop planet
By Roberto Magris

Do it again

From: Enigmatix
By Roberto Magris

No sadness

From: Enigmatix
By Roberto Magris

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