"Clarinet", the New CD by Luca Luciano

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“Clarinet" is the latest album by the clarinetist/composer and Professor of Clarinet Luca Luciano “classically trained Italian virtuoso resident in London" ("Jazz UK"). Luca is very much appreciated in the UK and abroad for his unique style and the quality of his compositions and this latest project keeps faith to his uncompromised and sometimes controversial approach to jazz and the will to experiment. Luciano's sound has been built on a vintage “Bb" Buffet clarinet which bears more keys and rings (20 keys and 7 rings) than the “regular" French clarinet (generally 17-18 keys and 6 rings) and goes a semitone lower as well.
The instrument, then, is slightly longer than an “A" clarinet which explains its darker tone, versatility and more hybrid tone, almost like a Basset Clarinet, that fits so much Luca's style. Yet the extra keys and extension give him the chance to create sound effects otherwise almost impossible to generate (e.g. Divertimento #4 and Divertimento #9).

The two Sequenze for Clarinet Solo are the core of the album. They are a remarkable, pure improvisational journey where Luciano tries to embrace all the styles of music he loves in an imaginative tour around the world from classical European music to Afro-American or folkloristic music of the South of Italy, from contemporary music with chormaticism and angular-shaped melodies to lyric and almost operatic atmospheres, from polyphony to blues and swing. In fact Luciano firmly believes in the great potentiality of the clarinet and its expressivity and tries to stretch it to the limit including modulating the tone when necessary (as in the two Sequenze) to make it sound like a Chalumeau on the “tarantella" parts or more like an American clarinetist of the 30s and 40s.

Luca's music has been inspired by composers such as Gershwin, Copland (who wrote for Goodman), Debussy and most of all Igor Stravinsky (much loved by jazz players like Charlie Parker) to whom the album is dedicated.

The two Sequenze and Divertimento #7, #8 and #10 shows Luca's interest in free improvisation and chromatic music strongly influenced by the saxophonist and educator Dave Liebman.

Naima is a jazz tune Luca has always loved since he first listened to a version live by Coltrane with an inspiring bass clarinet solo by Dolphy.

The album, MCPS Licensed, has been produced by Luca Luciano and Gianni Varone who is also responsible for the distribution and selling of the Digidesign equipments in Italy. The CD is easly available to the public on the dedicated web-page “Clarinet Album", on Ebay, mp3s downloads on Sound Click, in exclusive at the clarinet specialist Howarth Clarinets Marylebone London and very soon in Italy and Brazil.

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