Simone Maggio - Cuerdas (2020)

The disc is the result of a long and intense artistic career that has seen the musician engaged in different areas and collaborative experiences.

Simone Maggio is currently a teacher of Piano jazz and Harmony at the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, where, in 2003, he also graduated with honors. It was examined by a commission chaired by Enrico Pieranunzi. In 2019, however, he wanted to achieve the Bachelor's Degree in Classical Piano, at the G.B. Pergolas of Fermo.

Already these two events make us guess the path and cultural influences present in the mind and music of May. Simone had the opportunity to meet and play with important exponents of Italian and world jazz but, at the same time, he often worked on the production of other forms of musical accompaniment. In fact, his compositions for the Theater are not few, for images, artistic installations and multimedia shows, an activity that still sees him protagonist in many projects.

Cuerdas thus becomes the fruit of a tree with long and deep roots that draw water and nutrients from sources that are even distant from each other. Even the musical instruments used make their contribution in creating an idiom and a style proper to the music composed for the occasion. Simone, logically, played the piano, but, in some moments, also the harmonium (organ), an instrument that in the past accompanied him in the study of Indian music. The other unusual instrument for a jazz quartet is the violin, played here by Carlo Cossu. The other two members of the formation are Federica Michisanti, on the double bass, and Ermanno Baron, on the drums.

The music expressed, therefore, is a pout-pouri of jazz elements, represented by moments of improvisation, dominated by European classicism made modern by background harmonies of visual performances. Using precisely this last aspect, that of vision, we can compare Cuerdas to a zapping of videos in which we remain confused in choosing the most interesting program.