Disk of 2021
Manuel Rocheman - album 'Magic Lights' - Jazzy Hour, May 18th, 2021
There are so many great artists we don't know yet, so many names that should be placed tightly in a collection of favorites, that I think such a list is bigger than the list of the artists we know. And in order to know them well we need a lot more time, so I have nothing better to do than to enjoy the time I give to these wonderful artists and make a selection of the best productions, based on the objective spectrum of contemporary musical attire and my own choice, based on talent, inventiveness, personality and class. One of the European musicians who fits these criteria perfectly is Manuel Rocheman, a multi-award winning pianist with a rare knowledge of harmony, who stands out as a guest on any album and has signed over ten albums under his own name. For him, 2021 means a new album and a premiere: for the first time, he invites a blower in his formula, one with whom to share the aesthetic creed and that will elegantly complete his group. The dialogue partner on "Magic Lights" is Rick Margitza, also touched by a rare surge of inspiration. Any song exults, flows and seems totally devoted to that cult of beauty found in any improvisation. Manuel Rocheman asserted himself with the trio formula, but on this record he found the ideal partner with whom to express his musical fluency. Actually, the two invited each other on their new productions, as we will hear in the second part of the show, in which we will listen to Rick Margitza's new album, and Rocheman as a guest. "Magic Lights" gives us the feeling of a mountain breeze, animated by an efficient and poetic inspirational moment.