INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA CENTAZZO

Regarded as “one of the most influential percussionist and drummer of the last 30 years” (Michael Bettine-Modern Drummer 2004) composer, percussionist and multimedia artist Andrea Centazzo has performed in Europe, US and Asia as solo artist, conductor of his own compositions & operas, collaborator of the greatest jazz player and video artist for 35 years now.  On September 25th at Roulette, Centazzo will perform VISION, the latest multimedia solo percussion and digital percussion concert -  an anthology from his solo works.

ROULETTE: Tell us as about the work you’ll be doing at Roulette.
ANDREA CENTAZZO: I’ve been experimenting solo concerts since the late 70s. At that time I had an impressive set of instruments mostly designed by myself under the name ICTUS 75 (later the name of my record label ICTUS RECORDS) and made and commercialized by the Italian gong & cymbal factory UFIP along with a special drum set made for me in UK by Premier. I was one of the first “new Jazz” oriented percussionist performing solo.  The concert consisted mostly in percussive improvisations. Later at the beginning of the 80s, I started to expand that kind of performance with Cage, Stockhausen and other composer of classic new music especially with pieces written for me on commission.  In the meantime I was performing mostly with my own large ensemble Andrea Centazzo Mitteleuropa Orchestra featuring all the best European improvisers and gigging and recording with Steve Lacy, John Zorn, Tom Corra, Henry Kaiser, Don Cherry, Lester Bowie, John Carter, Lol Coxhill, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Toshinori Kondo, Alvin Curran, Tony Oxley,  David Moss,  Fred Frith, Eugene Chadbourne, and many more.  In the same time I was actively studying composition with some of the greatest Italian classic contemporary composers and in 1984 I basically quitted the improvised music scene and the percussion performances to dedicate myself to composing, conducting orchestra and filming (mostly art videos). In 1990 I moved permanently to LA and 5 years later I became US citizen. In 1999 an old percussion student of mine that made a career as artistic director, emailed me proposing me a solo performance in a festival and after thinking how much I was missing that aspect of my art, I decided to go back to the solo percussion.  In the meantime thanks to the recent technology I had the chance to present solo multimedia concerts where I perform percussion and digital percussion with on my back the projection of my video-films that I previously shot and edited.
That’s the project that I’ll present the 9/25th.

The performance is called VISIONS since is an anthology from several of my multimedia shows that I composed and presented in the last 5 years: MANDALA based mostly on my travel into Far East -South East (Bali, Japan, Vietnam, etc.) ETERNAL TRAVELER (inspired and dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci) EISTEIN’s COSMIC MESSENGERS (commissioned by LIGO & NASA) and some early movies and compositions.  I have to add that in 2006 I resuscitated ICTUS Records one of the first improvised music labels in the 70s and since I started again to perform improvised music with my old partners and new ones.  Two new generation players were also responsible for bringing me back: Nobu Stowe (organizing a tour for my trio with him and Perry Robinson) and Marco Cappelli (setting up a gig at the Stone with him and Anthony Coleman and later Hideki Kato).  I just had few months ago a sold out reunion duo concert with John Zorn, another with Henry Kaiser, another one just few days ago with LaDonna Smith and Davey Williams along with great new combination with Don Preston (Former Frank Zappa pianist), Elliott Sharp, Chris Cochrane, Anthony Coleman, Joe Giardullo and many more.

R: Are there working artists today with whose work you identify, or rather, who do you consider to be your peers?
AC: Difficult to say… there’s such large quantity of great composers and performers sharing the gift of creativity that I cannot relate specifically to one or to another… certainly the old generation buddies are the ones that I grew up with (Zorn, etc. see first answer). Recently I read a nice review of my duo double CD with Joe Giardullo where journalist Clifford Allen says ” (Centazzo) would have likely been a major player on the Downtown scene had he not gone the direction of film music, multimedia art and other areas”… of course you don’t make history with “if’s” but certainly I was one of the (neglected) founders of that scene and now I’m back with not only that language but with all my other stuff!
I have to say that with  endless summer and charming beaches I find LA quite attractive… so I love to go to NYC or any other place for gigging and then retreat in my tiny apartment close to the beach…

R: What are some defining characteristics of the musical scene you would fit yourself into? What elements of your scene differentiate it from what has come before, or what is happening now?
AC: It seems that I answered to this in the previous answer, but let see…  As far as I’m concerned (but I’n not the only one!!) technology played a fundamental role in my new approach to performing. Now I’m using a Mallet Kat (kind of MIDI vibraphone) connected to a MAC and I can blend in real time sound that I recorded, loops and sequences syncying all with the videos in real time. Just 10 years ago I would have needed 2 assistant to do so and a container of material!!
The problem is the abuse of technology that sometime take over the music… that’s way I’m always very careful to use it giving  more room to the acoustic percussion.

R: What was the last music you listened to?
AC: Unfortunately lately I’m not listening music as much as I would like. Not only because between gigging, composing, scoring and filming my days are merciless full, but also because my ears aren’t so good anymore, so I prefer to save it for when I need it.  In the old days I was omnivore: from Renaissance music to Mahler (still one of my favorite composers) from Balinese gamelan music to Japanese koto, from African marimbas to Chinese pipa, from Luis Armstrong to John Coltrane, from Rossini to the Beatles… you name it!  A big influence in my music (especially composed music) was the Balinese (and Javanese) music. It seems that I wasn’t alone: starting from Debussy and Colin MacPhee and going to Philip Glass, Steve Reich and all the minimalists they used that music as base for their own languages…  In 2002 I have the lucky chance to put together a mega multimedia show with a Balinese Gamelan playing my music, myself on percussion, an ensemble of 7 musicians and a choir plus my films projected on the walls of an ancient Italian town square. It was just incredible play with the Balinese musicians… wonderful experience.. especially practicing in the jungle in Bali!!!
The entire show SACRED SHADOWS is now posted on youtube along with another bounce of my visual-musical works.

R: What is music?
AC: To me, Music is a language communicating through vibrations with no boundaries… more open and understandable of any other spoken or visual language. That’s why sometime it amazes me the audience reaction.  Everyone perceives the vibrations in a different way and sometime you have surprises when you don’t expect it.

R: Do you consider yourself more a composer or a performer?
AC: My preferred definition is a composer who plays percussion… but it could be a film maker composing or a percussionist conducting orchestra!!!  The fact is that I went through such quantity of phases in my life that I cannot give to one the priority.  Also because I always dedicated myself completely to all aspect of my art, professionally and esthetically. I conducted my operas in the major opera houses in Europe and also in California, my films won awards in many international festivals and finally I performed in all momentous seasons and festivals. To be committed and serious when you do something, it pays…  And of course the several aspect of my art influences one the other. So when I perform as improvising percussionist I have an instant composing attitude that makes my playing a bit different from a pure percussion player. Also my composing has a lot of percussion instruments in its orchestration. And finally filming has a more musical attitude than a narrative one…

R: Is there an event or experience that led you to start in experimental media?
AC: Oh yeah and a funny one! In 1984 I was trying to enter in the movie soundtrack business since I was thinking that my music could have been perfect for visuals. Of course I was thinking to experimental independent kind of movies, but I couldn’t find any opportunity.  So I said to myself “I’ll do the movie!!!”. And with a risky loan I bought all I needed for a low budget production. Keep in mind that beside the hobby of photography when I was a teenager I had no visual experiences nor film studies.  It turned out that in 1986/87/89 that movie TIARE won all festivals around the world launching me as movie director!! The reason was simple: I had the images inspired and edited on the music and not as usual the opposite! But I didn’t want that but just shows how my music fitted images!!  So for 3/4  years I made my living out of videos commissioned by several institutions… then one day I decided that was time to go back full time to music… but I kept that visual aspect mixing my filming with my live performances.

R: Who do you see as instrumental in your development as an artist?
AC: Traveling and knowing people… But 2 people were very special to me: Pierre Favre my mentor and teacher in Switzerland (I learned that drumming is not about to be fast and acrobatic, but a good listener placing the right sound at the right time) and Steve Lacy.  I can date the beginning of my pro career in 1972 just upon my return from the Swiss jazz school in Bern Switzerland  (the only school in Europe at that time with the Berklee method).  I can’t really say that I had at that time “motivating factors’, but just the need to express myself in a different revolutionary way! This was also reflected in the life style of those years in Italy where the young generation was trying to break the rules and cut the chains with the past.   Before 72 I was an amateur musician… first I studied guitar, then clarinet and finally somebody proposed me to play drum in the school band and I accepted… We were used to play for the school parties, for friends and rock venues… very local and very amateurish. Actually I was the only taking it seriously doing the booking, talking care of the equipment, searching for songs, etc… For me music was already a mission instead for my buddies was just a way to show off and possibly grab girls… of course I was into grabbing chicks too, but still I would have sacrificed an afternoon to study a song and a night to listen to Max Roach.   Professionally I was born as percussionist (actually drummer…) but I always considered myself a composer playing percussion more than a drummer/percussionist.  35 years later I still love to perform!  I have here to pay tribute to the one that really helped me to understand the concept of creativity. Steve Lacy. In 1975 I had a serious problem with my right shoulder. Years before I had an accident playing volleyball and it got worst and worst with playing professionally. So I went to Paris for a month treatment with a famous shoulder specialist. At that point I knew and I admired Lacy since years so I decided to call him. He was very kind and we had a nice conversation and I gave him my LP’s. So when I went back with no jobs and also big problems since my house had been destroyed by the 1976 earthquake, I decided to write to Lacy asking if he was interested to do a duo tour. I got a immediate answer: YES! So we did this tour and the year later another wit the addition of Kent Carter bass. I remember vividly the first time I met him in Milan for an afternoon rehearsal. Working with jazz players, I was used to follow rigidly the rules of the sideman and read a score. So before to start since we had no scores, nor I knew what we were going to play, I timidly asked “Steve, what you want me to do???” and he looked at me and placidly said : “PLAY WHAT YOU FEEL!!!” I never forgot in all my career that moment. And there it was when the improvising percussionist was born. From that experience I have left 3 great ICTUS albums (ICTUS 121,123,131), now re-mastered. Still fresh and interesting, since Lacy music is always exciting.
So that’s how I understood what music and art was all about…

R: What is interesting to you about your own work?
AC: The total freedom that I can enjoy doing what I’m doing and changing direction as I feel to change. Of course is a costly thing and I had some years that I could barely survive. But I never gave up nor I took teaching jobs or wrote or performed music that I didn’t like. Nor I was discouraged by the fact that nobody could understand that a musician could be a film maker or a composer could improvise.  I remember one very funny episode: I went in 2000 to talk to the conceived artistic director of a major opera house for a new production of my opera Simultas. I introduced myself and the guy said” Centazzo??? I remember in the 80s a drummer with that name…” and I said promptly ” oh yeah that was my cousin!!!” in fact how can a drummer compose an opera???   So I had to fight with organizers and journalist to make understand that you can do 3/4/5 things at the same time and all decently… But even Gershwin had problem to be accepted in the classic music world.  Even if was a famous song writer…  That’s why I dedicated one of my multimedia shows ETERNAL TRAVELER to Leonardo the genius that was a supreme painter, musician (yes! he was and he also invented instruments!!), anatomist, sculptor, writer, poet and engineer…

R: Do you do other things aside from music?
AC: I’m an avid  reader… again omnivore…. I’d like also to write. Beside doing it professionally (I wrote and published 6 musicology books) lately I’m writing plays… not that I have any ambition but… who never knows! I still have fuel in the tank. After all I wrote all the librettos of my operas…  And of course I try to go as often as possible to my lovely beach and run…

R: Other thoughts?
AC: Life is a symphony and I’m just conducting the beginning of my second movement… I hope that the third and the finale will be grand…