Written interview with trumpeter Luca Aquino
BluesJazzScenes: – The joy in your playing has brought joy to so many others, including and especially me. What do you think is its secret?
Luca Aquino։ – If it’s true, I’m happy. It’s a nice thing. I don’t think there is a secret and I don’t think it’s always like that.
There is certainly a song composed with my daughter that makes me joyful too. This album is joyful and brilliant. For example, my album “Icaro Solo” from a few years ago was much less so.
BluesJazzScenes: – What are the experiences of your life that led you to see music as a spiritual endeavor?
Luca Aquino։ – Travels to the East and some very strong personal experiences have, years ago, changed my way of playing and thinking about music. And then I think he was very influenced by Jon Hassell.
BluesJazzScenes: – Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your music?
Luca Aquino։ – I love nature very much, especially the mountains. Walking in the woods makes me free and, as much as possible, carefree. I have many passions. From time to time they kidnap me, I am literally overwhelmed by them, obsessively, and then they stay there in a corner whistling.
BluesJazzScenes: – Where does your creative drive come from?
Luca Aquino։ – I think that in jazz you are always creative, apart from the apathetic moments that we all go through. To compose you just need to commit and pigeonhole the studies and research of the moment. You fall madly in love with jazz, it becomes a way of living and thinking every day. It is important to ensure that jazz is mixed with other passions and opens the doors to apparently distant places, musical and otherwise.
BluesJazzScenes: – But in your formative, figuring things out, years, whose sense of rhythm did you admire? Who has impacted you rhythmically?
Luca Aquino։ – I don’t think that the sense of rhythm is my peculiarity. Perhaps more the timbral aspect.
BluesJazzScenes: – Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album?
Luca Aquino։ – With this band, together with Gianluca Brugnano, Giovanni Francesca and Marco Bardoscia I recorded my second album as leader, sixteen years ago. It was nice to meet again and see how much each of us has learned from life. Our style has changed, everyone has faced the beautiful and also the difficult things in life but it seems that the sound of the quartet has retained a sonic and artistic core of its own. We met in the room, I brought some new songs and some covers and we played it, without too many arrangements. We had fun and were very relaxed and I think this is a very important aspect.
BluesJazzScenes: – How it was formed your new album Luca Aquino – Lunaria 2. Do you share the opinion that your live albums are some of your best records?
Luca Aquino։ – Surely. Albums recorded live are the most beautiful and sincere.
Luca Aquino – buy new CD
BluesJazzScenes: – What is it about you and your music that works so well for live recordings?
Luca Aquino։ – The recording studio can be a cramped and austere place. It’s important not to take it too much into consideration and play as if you were doing a live show or a rehearsal, obviously keeping your concentration level high. It takes a lot of tranquility in the recording room.
BluesJazzScenes: – How have you managed to so successfully pull so much of your life and personality through so much of your music?
Luca Aquino։ – In reality I don’t know if I succeeded. I’m glad you told me. I try to be myself almost always but it’s not easy.
BluesJazzScenes: – Did your sound evolve during that time?
Luca Aquino։ – My sound has changed a little. I have had two Bell’s paresis and these tragic episodes have certainly made my sound deeper. I dedicate myself a lot to it, every day, many hours a day. I love warm sounds, with that bright edge on top.
https://bluesjazzscenes.com/index.php/2024/05/20/ads-2024-buy-directly/
BluesJazzScenes: – What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?
Luca Aquino։ – The tours with Manu Katchè were fundamental, as was the concert with Jon Hassell and some important collaborations for my growth. I have always focused a lot on my projects and, perhaps, the solo trumpet project “Icaro Solo” is the one that helped me the most to overcome some fears.
BluesJazzScenes: – Do you think there is an audiencefor young people to become future audiences and fans?
Luca Aquino։ – It is essential to reach young people for music to have a future. It doesn’t seem to me that we always succeed with jazz but when it happens I’m happy. The jazz audience, in some countries, is over fifty and we musicians are certainly to blame too.
By Laura Wulff
