Record Reviews

ROBERTO MAGRIS ~ LOVELY DAY(S) JMOOD 025 (Barcode: 736649929814) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025 This is a solo piano album by Italian Jazz pianist / composer / bandleader Roberto MagrisFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, one of which is an original composition by Magris and the rest present a wide range of composers, covering a widespread stylistic range between Leonard BernsteinFind albums by this artist and Andrew HillFind albums by this artist, with some Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist and Steve KuhnFind albums by this artist in between. Seven of the tracks are studio recordings and two were recorded live. I have had the pleasure to producing a live album with Roberto in the early days of his career, which was released on my label JazzisFind albums on this label Records in 1990, and of course I have been closely following his path since then. He managed to build up an impressive career over the years, which includes dozens of albums as a leader, but strangely he never attempted a solo piano album before, which makes this album really special. Of course solo piano albums are the most “naked” form of a Jazz musician’s exposure, and this album demonstrates this phenomenon perfectly. Rather than performing his own compositions, which is always very tempting, Magris presents a selection of compositions by composers, who influenced him over the years, and which becomes in a sense a tribute to the great musicians, who inspired him. Stylistically the music covers the entire range of Jazz, including the fundamental Blues moves and the entire mainstream Jazz universe, and even touching marginally on the Avant-Garde. Although challenging, the music finds Magris completely relaxed, but fully engulfed in the music, adding his very personal touch. The fact, that the music is so diverse and performed somewhat playfully, makes listening to the music a wonderful experience, which is both entertaining and aesthetically satisfying, and as such making it accessible to a wide range of listeners from the entire Jazz spectrum. Overall, this is a beautiful solo piano Jazz album, which is as entertaining as it is educational, paying a tribute to some of Jazz most revered composers and including some rarely performed Jazz treasures. Thank you, my Friend, for the gift of music!

Updated: 12/10/2025Posted: 12/10/2025

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend