Bebop Buffet
in loving memory of Frank Marocco 2 January 1931 – 3 March 2012
Simone Zanchini – When I was a boy I used to liste a tape that I worned down because of too much listening; you could listen to a kind of jazz, played with the accordion that in those years, it wasn’t able to find easily. That was Frank Marocco and I spent many days of my life listening him, and now, it seems incredible that I had the chance, after twenty years, to live this DUO experience with Frank. This meeting led me to develop a feeling, a style, the bebop, to which I’ll be always thankful and gave birth to a deeply-felt work “Bebop buffet”. It’s long time that I’m doing research in the fleld of contemporary music and avantgarde applied to my instrument but this meeting has been like a present for me, it has been as if we always had played together, we had a deep tuning, both musical and human, also If it was our first musical meet. So, I can say: thanks Frank, you gave me more human than musical tips like a “grandfather”.
_______________________
Frank Marocco: “I first heard Simone Zanchini play at an Accordion festival in London a couple of years ago but we didn’t actually meet at that time. I was there to do a solo concert and he was appearing with Hallo Mr. Sax, a fabulous group of Woodwind players. He played a very long Cadenza on the ending of “I got Rhythm” that was one of the most exciting and inventive solos I have ever heard. I remember going home to Los Angeles and telling everyone about this great Jazz Accordionist in Italy. About 6 months ago I received an e-mail from Simone telling me that he was doing a recording project featuring some Art Van Damme arrangements and some of mine, calling the CD “From Art to Marocco”. n March of this year I informed him that I was to tour Austria and Germany. He asked me if I would come to Italy at the end of my tour and do a Duo Jazz CD with him. I accepted and it turned out to be one of the best Musical experiences of my career. I didn’t know what kind of Music he had in mind or if it would even work, 2 Accordions, no rhythm section. From the 1st notes we played it was as if we had been together both Musically and spiritually our whole lives. The Dynamics, Jazz phrasing and sense of time was totally together, most evident on Simone’s original piece, “Valzer Storto”.The time was so perfect it sounded like one person playing 2 Accordions. I am very happy to be half of this Bebop Buffet”.
________________
Simone Zanchini: “Da ragazzino possedevo una musicassetta che avevo logorato a furia di ascoltare, regalava un jazz che in quegli anni, con la fisarmonica, davvero non si sentiva. Era un nastro di quelli che non si riusciva a trovare nei negozi ma per vie traverse …amici o musicisti. Bene, quella era una musicassetta di Frank Marocco, sulla quale ho “consumato le orecchie”, ed, incredibile, mi ritrovo qui, dopo vent’anni, a scrivere di questa esperienza vissuta con la persona che per me è stata un mito, un maestro, una guida, l’unica che sentivo di poter seguire in quegli anni. Ormai da tempo le mie ricerche si sono dirette verso la musica “contemporanea” e le avanguardie applicate alla fisarmonica, ma questo incontro mi ha riportato a quel “feel”, quello stile, il bebop, al quale io sarò sempre grato. Avere incontrato Frank é stato un regalo, ed é stato come rincontrarsi, come se avessimo già suonato insieme tante volte, abbiamo trovato una sintonia inspiegabile, sia musicale che umana, per essere un primo incontro. Del resto l’ho capito subito che tra noi c’era una magia particolare, fin dall’aeroporto quando lui è arrivato, ed io, solo, lo aspettavo come un nipote aspetta il “grande nonno” che dopo anni torna dall’America. Si, un “grande nonno” che più che consigli musicali mi ha regalato consigli di vita. Grazie Frank!”.