Gianni Savelli
10/06/2024
The Gianni Savelli Media Res project was born in 2000. Since its inception, Media Res has incorporated numerous musicians whose collaboration has enriched the project and contributed to its growth. Currently, it consists of Gianni Savelli (tenor saxophone), Fulvio Sigurtà (trumpet), Enrico Zanisi (piano), Luca Pirozzi (bass), and Alessandro Marzi (drums). To date, they have released three albums. "Alisei" is the fourth; in it, Savelli brings forth what has become an overwhelming passion: composition.
The album title refers to the gentle but constant trade winds that have guided sailors since time immemorial.
The first track on the album takes its title from Roberto Rossellini's first short film, "Fantasia Sottomarina," which describes the life of different marine animals in an aquarium. As Savelli says, "With 'Melodia Sottomarina,' I imagined a movement that ventures into the depths and, even there, in complete darkness, discovers fabulous landscapes of life." Savelli's composition is rare and captivatingly beautiful.
"Naufragar m'è dolce in questo mar" is the final verse of the poem "L'infinito" by Giacomo Leopardi. Here, the quintet is accompanied by a seventeen-musician orchestra. This sophisticated orchestral composition, with an abundance of winds, sounds cinematic—an elegantly beautiful piece.
We return to the quintet in "Gorghi." In Savelli's words: "In navigation, an adverse event that must be avoided is the whirlpool. It originates under particular conditions when two strong currents moving in opposite directions collide. This enormous abyss in the water threatens to swallow everything and everyone. Being engulfed. Not being able to free oneself from a spiral that envelops and pushes us downward." This can be assimilated with certain psychological behaviors in humans. Another interesting theme.
The orchestra returns for the second and last time in the piece titled "Delicati Effendi," a theme dedicated to the memory of trumpeter Aldo Bassi, a friend of Savelli and one of the first members of Media Res. Savelli says: "Effendi is a Turkish word I frequently encountered in Orhan Pamuk's novel. It is a title of reverence and courtesy assigned to people of recognized authority in secondary professions. The effendi is always received with respect and admiration by others. People usually seek their opinion to resolve a doubt or a complicated matter." Another beautiful composition, full of emotion.
The somber "Nebulas" is performed by the quintet. "The elusive sketches drawn by the winds in the sky. Everything is moving, subtle, and unique. The light changes accordingly. There is no more spectacular vision than this," says Savelli.
The album concludes with "Alisei," a piece Savelli wrote many years ago but had never recorded but had played live. After several revisions, he composed this piece, which serves as the album's title. It is a very jazzy composition that follows the thematic line of the previous five tracks.
Savelli's compositions draw from various sources and musical styles, resulting in a personal and identifiable sound that is soft and constant, like the trade winds.
Translation Gianni Savelli
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