n 1999 I was commissioned to write a piece for the Barcelona Jazz Festival by the Catalan Musicians Association. One of those rare cases in which composers are given money to do one of the things we love more: just sitting at home, look through the window, go to the piano, play that chord again, rethink if it should have or not that dissonance in between the Tenor and the Bandoneon...not sure yet, back to make more coffee, the pencil, that old buddy, always tucked behind one of the ears...anyway, is the solo starting right away, or we need some more bars there? Is the form accomplished as is? Let me sing it back from the top....ufff, time and form, form and time. ...
read more
n 1999 I was commissioned to write a piece for the Barcelona Jazz Festival by the Catalan Musicians Association. One of those rare cases in which composers are given money to do one of the things we love more: just sitting at home, look through the window, go to the piano, play that chord again, rethink if it should have or not that dissonance in between the Tenor and the Bandoneon...not sure yet, back to make more coffee, the pencil, that old buddy, always tucked behind one of the ears...anyway, is the solo starting right away, or we need some more bars there? Is the form accomplished as is? Let me sing it back from the top....ufff, time and form, form and time.
Obviously a minor job compared to fighting diseases in an African small town, but the only one with which we can honor our existence: to be true to what we can do, and do it at the top of our capacity. Wasn't it that what we came to this insane world for anyway?
So, I sat there for three months and came up with something I had been willing to do for a long time: writing a Suite in homage to Astor Piazzolla and the powerful influence he had in any Argentine musician that came after him. The piece was written for a nine piece orchestra, premiered there, and put to sleep until 2 years later, when I decided I had to take it to the next step. So I talked to my record producer, Jordi Pujol (Fresh Sound Records) and next thing I know, I am rehearsing 2 days and recording 2 days in Barcelona with Chris Cheek, Omer Avital, Jorge Rossy and other usual suspects: one of the strongest musical trips of my whole life. The baby was called, you guess, Suite Piazzollana, my 3rd work as a band leader, and definitely changed my professional life forever, opening the doors of many of the major European venues and getting praising comments from press and fellow musicians all around the globe, the kind of emails and reviews that you keep in a box and look for once in a while when you are having those moments of "why the f. am i struggling here couldn't you just write some silly commercial songs and made real money life sucks etc"
But still, the nine piece orchestra never got together again to play live. I was playing now and then some parts of the Suite in their quintet reduction version, but, you know, all those colors and textures, no, never again.
Never, until this very Monday! And next Monday, and next Monday, and.....until the end of February at least! (we take a couple weeks off for Christmas). General rehearsal finished 2 hours ago, I literally can't wait. Oh, boy, what a band you can have in NY...is this really happening? Maybe I died and finally got to Heaven (although, thank God, I am an atheist) I'll find out this Monday, hope to see myself there! Join us at Miles' Cafe any Monday you can, it is OK to come more than once if you don't abuse.
at Miles' Cafe - every Monday from 9.30 to 11.30, starting Nov 15th
212 East 52nd Street, 3rd floor
tel 212 371 7657
$10
"Hola Emilio. Te escribo solo para decirte que me ha
fascinado tu disco "Suite Piazzollana". Ya van tres veces que me lo escucho de
arriba a abajo. La combinacion y el balance entre Tango, Percusion, elementos
flamencos y sobretodo Jazz, es perfecta. Yo le hubiera dado un GRAMMY a ese disco sin pensarlo dos veces, la verdad.
Felicitaciones"
Paquito D'Rivera
Emilio Solla
Pianist / Music Inventor
www.emiliosolla.com
www.myspace.com/emiliosolla
Booking: Joel Chris
www.jchriss.com
[email protected]
show less
