(Foto: Gianna Piano) Let's start with a short abstract of what the "diggers" say about Chiara from Chiara's site. The site is in english, since Chiara lives and operates mainly in NY, since 2014.
Chiara Izzi is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Italy who has been based in New York City since 2014. Three years later Quincy Jones awarded Chiara the first prize in the 2011 Montreux International Jazz Festival Vocal Competition. Since arriving, she’s become one of New York’s busiest vocalists, sharing bandstands with such luminaries as Kevin Hays, Leon Parker, Ken Peplowski, Diego Figueiredo, Jeff Hamilton, Aaron Goldberg, Bruce Barth, Eliot Zigmund, Warren Wolf, and Anthony Wonsey. In April 2020 she also won one Independent Music Award for Best Jazz song with Vocals with her composition "Circles of the mind"
Izzi first documented her formidable talents on her well-received 2013 debut album, Motifs (Dot-Time), singing in English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese on an 11-track program that spanned the American and Brazilian Songbooks, Tango, high-level Euro-Pop, and Mainstream Jazz Vocalese and Scat. Izzi navigated each idiom fluently, on its own terms of engagement, displaying her prodigious vocal instrument, refined musicianship, inherent soulfulness, and ability to convey both emotional transparency and ebullient swing. In an All About Jazz review Michael Bailey praised Izzi as “force of nature,” while in Jazz Times Travis Rogers described her as “a talent to be heard, admired and anticipated.”
In April 2020 she also won one Independent Music Award for Best Jazz song with Vocals with her composition “Circles Of The Mind".
[...] Continue HERE for the full biography
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Now to the interview with Chiara Izzi (real subject of the post), which she enthusiastically agreed to do.
- a) Chiara, first of all thank you for kindly agreeing to this interview. Now to the questions. Since you look very young, I hope it's not rude to ask your age. How old are you?
Ah, no problem. Sometimes I don't immediately reveal my age because I enjoy playing with the interviewer asking me this question. I am told that I look like a girl, which is nice, but I am in my thirties, infact I am 35 years old this year.
-a) I have a confession to make: until last year, I didn't know of your existence. Then one day my daughter Marzia, who loves being a "vocalist" in a jazz quartet, needed to include "Just Friends" in the repertoire, she did some research online, found your performance, and shared it with me, and asked my opinion. My opinion??? 100% praise. The finest performance of this standard I have ever heard. You sound amazing! There’s an excellent rhythm section, and Kevin Hays sounds great. The chemistry between you and Kevin is incredibly beautiful. It is a version that I never tire of listening to, and that I published below, because I don't want to deprive my friends of it.
Well, then I thank your daughter, Marzia, for discovering me and then you for appreciating this interpretation of "Just Friends" so much which was recorded very early in my New York period, and at the beginning of my collaboration with Kevin Hays, which later resulted in the recording of my latest album. I would also like to mention the rhythm section in this performance, which features Joseph Lepore on double bass and Luca Santaniello on drums, two Italian musicians of great taste and musical experience, as well as two dear friends of mine. I have to admit that this video on my Youtube channel is one of the most viewed and receives the most positive comments, and of course I am happy to know that this performance has inspired good feelings.
- b) What do I say? This execution intrigued me, so I looked for news about you. I discovered that you were not born, “jazzistically”, in some big city where jazz has always been around the house, but in Campobasso. So I must ask: did you live in a family of jazz lovers who transmitted the virus to you? (like Roberta Gambarini's parents, to be clear)? How did you decide that jazz was your passion? At what age? Why did you move from Campobasso to Frosinone?
I am convinced there are no antibodies in the Italian province, that oppose the birth of love for jazz. Indeed, perhaps the opposite is true. When I think about you, I also think about the saxophone player Cafiso (Vittoria, province of Ragusa), who at 19 was the only Italian that was invited to the White House for Obama's inauguration ceremony. And I think about the brothers Luigi and Pasquale Grasso (alto sax and guitar) who started in Ariano Irpino (that for structure and culture seems to be the least suitable place in the world to generate jazz talents). Luigi started because as a child he suffered from asthma, and a half-mad family doctor didn’t prescribe him any drug therapies, but instead prescribed for him a wind instrument, of his choice. Now he travels the world with his own or other groups. His brother Pasquale didn’t need any prescription and today he is one of the most accredited guitarists in the world. Pat Metheny's response in an interview for "Vintage Guitar" magazine's February 2016 cover story is interesting.
[...] Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. "The best guitar player I've heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso", said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. "This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult [... ]
I know these wonderful stories and the musicians you just mentioned, I hope that their examples will continue to inspire us and motivate new generations to learn about this music.
I was not born into a family of musicians, but I was inspired to explore music and singing at an early age. At 8 years old, I had my first musical experience in public, then other sporadic and spontaneous performances at school took place without any expectations and were more out of pure enjoyment. Later on, classical music, and in particular the sound of the piano, fascinated me and I convinced my father to let me take lessons. The magic of those piano lessons was then interrupted during my adolescence which made me prefer other typical activities of that age. But then at 17, music returned through singing, and, through the recommendation of a high school music teacher, I enrolled at the Thelonious Monk School in Campobasso, a private school that included and still includes some of the best musicians and teachers on the local jazz scene. Until then I had no idea what jazz was, I was totally ignorant of this music. But then the direct exposure to it through this school aroused curiosity in me and I followed the wave of musical experiences that came to me from that moment on. At the time, this genre did not have many singers in the region, so my first years of study related to jazz were immediately combined with a tremendous amount of live performances in the local area which then transformed into a profession that undoubtedly made me acquire a lot of experience, and satisfaction in a short amount of time. After high school, I enrolled at the University and graduated with a degree in Communication and Media/ Sciences. After the three years of University I realized that I wanted to move from Campobasso to expand my contacts and my experiences, so I moved to Rome, and while I was there I decided to attend the two-year jazz program at the Conservatory of Frosinone and to study with Diana Torto, a great singer and teacher as well as other teachers who have had a positive influence on my path.
-c) What does it mean, in your opinion, to leave a small provincial town in the South of Italy? Was it an additional obstacle, the stimulus for a more challenging adventure, or something else?
I believe that being born in a small town is an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time: it can facilitate introductions with the local musical community, it can accelerate the groundwork as well as create many opportunities, but at the same time is very limited as to what it can offer. In my case, for example, my apprenticeship took place almost at the same time as my musical studies, and I believe that the combination of the two was useful and also gratifying, allowing me to live the music as a professional and not just as a subject of study. So starting in a small town can be advantageous but later be limiting: at some point along the way, to continue growing, you need to interact with a wider and more stimulating music scene like the ones in the big cities. Even in my case, therefore, the move to a big city became necessary and inevitable.
-d) Ten years of studying the piano. Have you given up on it altogether or do you still practice it? In a recent interview, Roberta Gambarini said that according to her all jazz singers should practice some musical instrument (and piano is better than others) because this is almost indispensable especially in improvised parts and in "scat" singing, because these things require a good knowledge of harmony. Do you agree with this position?
Although I do not study the piano with the same frequency as singing, I have by no means abandoned this instrument; how would I compose or arrange without it?! I absolutely agree with Roberta! I don't think it is impossible to sing jazz without musical knowledge but in this case, I believe you should be constantly exposed to this music and from an early age. It’s a bit like the language learning process: if you learn to speak several languages at the same time and at an early age, the ear is continually stimulated to listen to new sounds that are memorized, reproduced and internalized more naturally and without much awareness of how this happens, in short, it just happens.
Excluding this exception I believe that, for a singer, it is essential to know music and play an instrument, and it is even more important if you want to improvise or play jazz. Likewise, I believe that it is important for a musician to practice singing. I believe that learning to play more instruments helps to establish a more intimate and profound relationship with music.
-e) In 2011 you won the first prize as vocalist at the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the oldest and most accredited festivals in the world. The President of the jury, is the one and only Quincy Jones. How did you feel, being a girl from Campobasso? Was the prize awarded on the basis of a specific piece, or on the overall evaluation of several pieces? In any case: to present a song, "Il Pescatore" by Fabrizio De André in a jazz temple like Montreux, how did you come up with this idea? Judging by the fact that you won, you were right. But if we had already met and you would have asked my opinion on this choice, I would have called you crazy. :-)
Apparently I was not only the first "girl from Campobasso", but also the first (and only) Italian to receive first prize in the history of this international singing competition. At the time, I didn't speak a word of English and I was very shy with the language, in fact I remember having suffered a lot from the difficulty of not being able to communicate as I wanted. I was so terrified that when I noticed cameras and reporters around, I tried carefully to avoid them so as not to be interviewed…something that I ultimately had to do anyway after winning the award, and I remember that the interview was not good at all!
Since that was my first real professional experience abroad, I did not imagine that I would be able to reach the final and even win first prize, but I certainly wanted to give a good performance and have Quincy Jones hear me. The award then came giving/gifting me, among other things, the wonderful opportunity to record my first album, but above all it allowed me to get in touch with Quincy Jones who encouraged me to think bigger, and to challenge myself on an International level. It was from this meeting that I seriously began to think about moving to New York. The competition was developed in three phases: selection of the semifinalists chosen after sending a demo, live semifinal, selection of the three finalists and subsequent performance and awarding of prizes. The overall evaluation was based on several songs, two mandatory ones and three chosen by the singer. In fact, with regards to the competition, I followed the rules, preferring songs from the American and Brazilian songbook. While the following year I was invited to perform at the festival, opening for Paco de Lucìa and that is where I sang my version of “Il Pescatore”, in short, in a decidedly more relaxed and unrelated context from the competition.
The exploration of various musical genres has always characterized my path and it is something that keeps me enthusiastic and curios in making music. I don't know if I will ever choose to focus on doing just one thing but for the time being I try to follow my instinct and to choose music and lyrics that I feel belong to me more in terms of sounds and stories to tell, and this continues to happen to me with different pieces and from various sources. Lately, however, I have been focusing more on writing my own songs, and am hoping to be able to make a new record with this material soon.
Thanks for the nice compliment Antonio! If you really want to know, when I was younger I didn't feel I could sing it with the right interpretation. But then it's amazing how the years and experience transform everything, and now I'm very passionate about singing this song! It's really great to know that the Brazilians (thanks to the great João Gilberto) and then the Americans have adopted this song and included it in their songbooks. I find it a masterpiece and an important musical manifesto, in particular of Italian jazz in the world.
Sure! The record had a rather long gestational period, considering that its realization started from those musical encounters with Kevin Hays that I was telling you about. After a couple of years the project saw the light thanks to the considerable support of the Italian labels, Jando Music and Via Veneto Jazz, which also allowed us to record at the historic Sear Sound Studio in New York and to involve excellent musicians such as the bassist Rob Jost and drummer Greg Joseph, as well as to invite prestigious guests such as Chris Potter, Grégoire Maret, Omer Avital, Nir Felder, and Rogerio Boccato. The title of the album “Across The Sea” is also the title of one of my songs, which I wrote as a personal dedication to my family at a time when I felt a strong but inevitable distance from home. The content of the record is a testimony of the evolution of the duo with Kevin that took place during these years of close collaboration, but it reveals more my identity as a songwriter, as well as an interpreter. I am happy that the project has been released because it contains many of the challenges and experiences that traced the first phase of my journey in New York, a city that spares no one but that can always surprise you positively and give you important life lessons.
-l) Fresh news from this year, the award from the Independent Music Awards. Congratulations! Again with Kevin Hays, and with a song of yours. Do you want to talk about it?
The news of the award arrived in April of this year – from out of the blue - during this long period of lockdown. My joy was doubled when I learned that my song "Circles of the mind" had been awarded the best original song in the category of Vocal Jazz in the 18th edition of this international award. It has certainly given me a boost of motivation towards writing new songs and has given me enthusiasm to continue to cultivate the dream of a career as a songwriter, which I really care about.
-m) Let's go back to Kevin Hays. Regarding the opinions expressed by Kevin about you, and those expressed by you about Kevin, as well as the great chemistry between your voice and his piano in "Just Friends" - especially in the scat-trade, makes one hopeful for a musical relationship that endures. Who is Kevin? Do you occasionally argue, or at least do you have "frank exchanges of views"? :-) I discovered a video of Kevin singing as a crooner; will I ever see you in the role of pianist? Regardless, the piece is very beautiful, as well as the execution. My congrats to both of you.
For now there are no other records in sight but I hope we will have the opportunity to collaborate again. Kevin and I have never quarreled but several times have discussed and exchanged different opinions. It is this frankness that I like to establish when I collaborate with someone, because to make music together, it is not always necessary to agree on everything but quite the opposite, sometimes it can be surprisingly meaningful to find yourself doing things suggested by a trusted collaborator, to then verify that not only do these ideas work but they push the music in unexpected and interesting directions. Playing the piano in front of an audience still makes me nervous but it is something I would like to add to my live performances. I hope it will happen soon, meanwhile if you are curious there are two songs on my youtube channel where you can listen to me and see me in action as a pianist.
-n) The piece "Verso il Mare" is very beautiful. Beautiful and well performed by everyone. I really appreciate your and Kevin's performance of this piece, but not just the two of you. You all deserve a specific mention:
Kevin Hays - piano
Rob Jost - Double Bass
Rob Di Pietro - Drums
Live at Birdland Jazz Club, New York (feat. Grégoire Maret & Kevin Hays)
Given that I have greatly appreciated everyone, especially you and Kevin, I also want to congratulate in particular, Grégoire Maret, whom I had never heard about. The Jazz use of the harmonica is perfect. "Toots Thielemans" school? :-) It was a nostalgic trip to the mythical "Birdland Jazz Club", which sometimes was my evening refuge during business trips to NYC.
"Verso Il Mare" is a song very dear to me because it is the result of another collaboration with a musician that I respect very much, namely the Italian double bass player, composer and singer Rosario Bonaccorso with whom I have toured several times in Switzerland most recently. It was in one of these tours that the song was born. In particular, the lyrics of "Verso il Mare" were added by me to an instrumental composition by Rosario entitled "Mr. Kneipp” written in homage to the German doctor “Sebastian Kneipp”, famous in Europe for promoting the healing powers of hydrotherapy. Rosario, after having solved a health problem with this method, wanted to convey the message that music also has this healing power. My lyrics then started with this idea in mind, then turned into an invitation to embrace the discomfort and pain instead of denying the roles they play in our lives. Water is used as a metaphor for human flexibility versus emotional stiffness, and the song embodies the idea that the longer we stay in the flow of things and accept reality, the more we can find healthy solutions that change us for the better. It was a great joy to have Grégoire Maret's harmonica improvising on this track both on the record and at the concert at Birdland!
-o) Is there any hope of seeing you, in the near future, in Milan or surrounding areas?
Considering the complicated situation linked to Covid and the current travel issues, I have no plans to come to Italy in the coming months, but obviously I hope it will happen soon, and I would certainly like to do some concerts in Milan, a city that I love because it is very similar to New York.
-p) Last, but not least: just some absolutely personal thoughts. I noticed (or maybe I'm wrong) that in your repertoire choices you tend to range from jazz standards to other genres, with a particular preference for "singer/songwriter" music (yours or others’). Only one concern: considering that your musical activity is primarily in the US right now, are you sure that you shouldn't favor the "jazz standards" more?
Honestly, I don't know if I should favor jazz and standards because I’m working primarily in the US. Maybe I should focus more on singing in English? Alternatively, when I sing in Italian the feedback I get from the Americans is very positive. As I said before, I feel I want to follow my instincts and choose songs that move me and that I believe best represent my multifaceted musical identity, which includes the use of different languages (English, Italian , Portuguese, and Spanish). Languages - like musical genres - I believe, are a powerful tool, they can enhance both the musical arrangement and the story you want to tell. From experience, I think that if I had not trusted my instincts in the musical choices I’ve made thus far, I would not have been able to make music a full-time job, and probably would not have been able to bring the projects I’ve made to fruition. In addition, who knows If I would’ve been fortunate enough to meet and work with the amazing musicians that have crossed my path. I am always open to improving…and I'm working on doing just that!
-q) After listening to you and Kevin on "Just Friends", and you and Sarah Marie Young on "Bye Bye Blackbird", I am convinced that you should shift the center of gravity a little more in that area. I can't imagine (indeed, maybe I can too well) what could come out of you and Kevin from the world of "main-stream" jazz, which American listeners love very much, but which American-performers, perhaps too obsessed with "experimentation-at-all-cost", tend to abandon often for other areas like free-jazz, or contamination with popular genres. I went so far as to imagine what could come out of you two parachuting into my personal "wish-list" ... Some examples? Experimental dives into the "golden-field" of bossanova, and then into the standards made in the US (for example: East of the sun, In my solitude, Moanin ', Who can I turn to, Lover come back to me, You stepped out of a dream, Time after time, The nearness of you).
I love jazz in all its forms. I also listen to a lot of other types of music (contaminated and not) that moves me. It could certainly happen that one day I will decide to make a record that includes only jazz standards, why not?! While I understand the commercial need to categorize music, I have never loved labels because I find that they are reductive of an artist's identity, and even more so nowadays where reality seems to be increasingly fluid and fluctuating. As I write this I am thinking, for example, of James Taylor who, as an elegant and refined singer-songwriter, collaborated with great jazz musicians venturing into the interpretation of standards such as "The Nearness Of you" (from Michael Brecker's record "Nearness of You: The Ballad Book ”). He managed to stay true to himself and his voice, and the result is spine-chilling! I also think of Quincy Jones himself who in his productions and collaborations has crossed barriers and borders between musical genres starting from jazz but then courageously pushed himself further and further, giving the world a lot of masterpieces that perhaps would not have been born if he had concentrated on only one genre. How would you label Quincy Jones’ music? I think it is very difficult to categorize the extensive amount of music he produced. If I am not mistaken, his music is highly appreciated and esteemed in different musical circles around the world. Here are some human and musical examples that, together, with other artists that I adore, inspire my choices and encourage me to make beautiful music, whether it can be labeled or not. I think that beautiful music finds its way regardless of labels. Musicians and singers are merely vehicles through which the music manifests.
A big thank you, a big hug
Antonio Crea (aka "tafanus")
Thank you very much for this interview, Antonio. I hope that we will soon have the opportunity to meet in person, maybe at one of my concerts, where I would gladly dedicate a song of your choosing to you :) A big hug to you, and a warm greeting to all who will read this interview!
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