Original subtitles

I've never spent six days rehearsing for a jazz concert.

nor am I aware of anyone else who did it.

It's true.

It was necessary, there are many of us and it's the first time we played all together.

Anyway, I enjoyed staying in Gorizia in this wonderful Lantieri building.

- A place frozen in time. - A border town.

Yes, yes... Well, that's beautiful, mysterious...

- Valentina? - She's over there.

There she is!

Shall we go and take our places?

Let's go, the curtains are down anyway.

Eh, Jack?

We are all excited because soon some of the greatest Italian jazz musicians

will play all together for the first time.

Stefano Bollani has gathered together these extraordinary artists...

- Here we are. - It's all yours.

Have a great evening!

Shit.

- Welcome. - Thank you, maestro.

I'm happy to have you here.

I've jotted down a list of titles, but, for example... Let me give you an example.

- What is it that you're doing? Is it a Sardinian chant? - Yes.

- The one you two were doing. - "Deus ti salvet".

- "Deus ti salvet". - A Sardinian thing.

- A mouflon thing. - It was nice, you could play this one.

Later we'll see how to fit it into the list. We'll put it in.

We have decided that those who do not play can leave. That is the idea.

- Then at the end we will all be together. - We are free to go for a smoke, have a drink...

Yes, have a smoke, listen to the match...

Now I give you the first piece. The begininng is Ares alone.

He plays freely. When...

When he mentions this theme...

We answer...

From then on, after the two themes,

Daniele will take his solo on the structure

and then we let Antonello and Roberto go alone.

Somehow it would be nice if we could get back and play the theme.

Of course.

- How do we end? - Ah, that's a good question.

- I haven't thought about it. - We could do the opposite.

After the part in F, I'll remain alone doing...

OK.

- Are you going to do it once? - The sooner we end it, the better.

- And off to the pizza place. - Yes.

Franca at checkout 5. Franca...

Are you there?

Whoever took the train to Varese is kindly invited to return it, thanks.

Good. Ares would need that too.

It's nice when no one answers the question: "Are you there?"

So let's rehearse the finale from the B part in F minor.

- Yes, last time, and then we get to the coda. - Yes, correct.

- We understood nothing. - Shouldn't he play immediately the phrase?

- He was supposed to, but... - I didn't understand anything.

- Damn... - You see? You give him an inch...

Let's go, again from the C part.

But that's not the way it is. Isn't he supposed to play it right away?

But it was better with those four bars of improvisation.

It was more Bulgarian, more Bulgarian.

Playing with self-irony means being very indulgent

and not taking everything so seriously.

So if this phrase didn't come out the way I had in mind,

First, I'm the only one who knows it, usually.

If Antonello, who's playing with me, knows it too, I lift my head and smile at him. Problem solved.

If the audience knows it too and has noticed it, and I hear murmurs

then I turn towards them and laugh as well.

The beauty of improvisation is that you have to stay in the moment, and that's marvellous.

You have no time to think about the mistake you made before

and no time to think about the risk of getting the upcoming theme wrong

because you are focused on the moment.

Rock 'n' Roll never dies! Rock 'n' Roll never dies!

Hello, boys... We came all the way from Illinois...

Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa!

Hello, boys, We came again all the way from Illinois...

Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa! Da-da-um-pa!

Umpa!

I'm just improvising randomly. Beautiful.

I like it this way.

I almost feel a little small...

inside this big group of great musicians.

I don't mean great in age, but great in talent.

Musicians who have years, decades, twenty years of experience...

And I... I am here to learn.

Where are you?

This.

- Go. - Shall we try with this one?

Go, go.

Go!

And now, one on one!

No!

The clash.

Salis was clever, he positioned himself at the goal!

Go!

- Who goes in goal? - I'll do it.

My name is Karl Marx, many know me for my written works,

However, in my spare time, I have always loved music.

I have been friends with great musicians, Bobby Solo, Richard Wagner.

In this life I took the form of a Neapolitan named Daniele Sepe

- What did you play? - Nothing, I don't know.

- What was it? - Something. I don't know, I just did it.

I feel it in this pause, I feel the improviser wondering:

"What should I do? Anything could happen. What should I do? What should I do?".

"Mm... OK. What do I do now?"

"Now I could do the same thing by changing the chord."

Good job!

Now he'll do it a third time...

And here I can see Beethoven saying: "What now? Is it over?".

Same as at the beginning, but with a different chord.

And so it goes, I feel that there is a great musical construction

which happens step by step by step

just like Bill Evans does or someone else here in Gorizia.

- What would your instrument say if it could talk? - What would it say?

- What would it say? - He'd say: "What are you making me do?!"

Because then...

I've never had the so-called qualities of a leader.

First because I'm not a great musical organizer,

because I'm more of an improviser, an extemporaneous player,

so even the tunes... I have tunes that have a beginning and a end,

but maybe these are the tunes I like the least,

because I would like the tunes to never end or to be a work always "in progress".

Something that's over is over and that's it, right?

These are exactly the "Barber chords".

- OK, fine. Then B section goes... - Instead of... Because this is a bit awkward.

Yesterday we tried playing it... D, G, E, F, E, A, D, G, C. It's awkward.

Gentlemen, this morning for this first tune we have a double delight.

First one is that we have Matteo Mancuso with us.

who has just arrived and is now going to address the people.

- Are you happy? - Thank you very much for coming.

It is an honour and a delight.

I hope I'll remember everything you told me earlier about the tunes.

I hope you don't! It's better if you do something else than what I told you to do.

- Ah, okay, then I already know everything. - Eh, correct.

It's great because in the end you always understand that, especially Jazz music,

is a collective music.

You can practice alone how much as you like

but the real improvements are made in a room with other musicians

who are maybe more advanced, obviously with more experience.

This, in my opinion, is what has helped me improve the most in recent years.

I said double delight because of the delight of having Matteo

and the delight of kiking Sepe out of here.

- Sepe, you're not playin' on this one. - But I'll stay, I want to watch...

- But... You're taking away a delight. - I wanna see what you are gonna do without me, let me see.

- OK, we'll let him see. - "One, two", ah-ah-ah!

What do you say, is it a good one, Jobim?

His name is Jobim, as a tribute to a great Brazilian musician:

Antonio Carlos Jobim.

He obviously grew up like a prince that way because no one scolds him.

It's not like you can scold Jobim.

You have a great musician in your house, so you need to call him:

"Jobim, please, come here".

It is simpler calling them Fuffi. "Fuffi, what are you doing?"

But if they're called... Mozart. What do you say to a dog called Mozart?

Jobim, please, could you look at me?

Not always...

Jobim... Eh, thanks.

The function of the double bass is to play the lowest notes.

That is, it is usually the tonic of a chord.

which is what holds up everything above it, right?

And that requires... How can I put it?

Sometimes simplicity is required, because you are not supposed to do complicated things.

You have to play one note, but it has to have that weight,

because it has to participate and support everything around it.

And I'm a bit like that in life, perhaps. I think so.

I like being a steady presence because the bass is.

A steady presence even in the lives of the others, in the lives of those dear to me.

- You know what we have here? - What do we have here? - The border.

How is it? Opla!

Half and half. Italy. Slovenia. Italy... Slovenia...

- And if you're wrong? Nothing happens. - No, because they are united now.

See?

- If you make a mistake and say Slovenia... - Nothing happens. - No.

- They come from behind... - Italy.

Do you remember when you made videos when you were little? Singing Jazz...

I sang Jazz music. But it was my version of Jazz music.

You threw your hands randomly on the piano doin': "Jaaaaazz...".

- Yes, 'cause I was mimicking you. - Thank you.

Because you were playing these slightly dissonant chords, these strange things.

I mean, like... Do you remember putting the B and the C together?

- Eh! - Two close notes.

Don't you? You do it too nowadays, admit it.

- Not really. - No? - Not exactly.

- Are you not jazzy yet? - I'm not that much of a Jazz player.

If I think that I'll have to do this Greek song...

- Eh... Thanks. - That we have to do on Monday... I'm a little...

Which is all in seven-eighths.

Is it in seven-eighths? I didn't know that. I tried to listen to it and understand...

- Ah, now I understand. - It's in seven. - Thank you! - Thanks and have a nice day.

- Thank you. - Thank you. Goodbye.

It's not very difficult, but it's three plus two plus two.

- And so it's a bit... - Three plus two plus two.

- One, two, three. One, two. One, two. One, two, three. - Damn!

- Damn! - One, two. One, two. One, two...

- Ah, see? We're already lost! - No. One, two, three, one, two, one, two...

- Ah... - One, two, three, one, two, one, two...

Where do you think inspiration comes from? What is inspiration?

Eh... Damn! This is a tough question!

I should have prepared myself for this question.

Ehm...

Eh...

It's as if music were an entity that at some point comes knocking at your door.

and you are a person

who has the responsibility to be ready to open that door.

And all the time we spend studying

is to welcome, the best possible way, the music that comes knocking at your door.

If you are not ready, you cannot welcome it, just like that.

If I tell you to improvise freely, can you explain your thought process to me?

There is no thought process.

Generally speaking, if I truly improvise freely,

I try to free myself as much as possible from everything that is our...

baggage of things already done and ready,

giving free rein to what should be "the heart".

So, in fact, the further you are from...

everything you have already heard and, most of all, studied

the closer you are to the essence of who you truly are.

There it is!

The best thing is when we take an unexpected turn

and we take it surprisingly all together.

It's nice even if one remains behind

because the other three or four can decide to go back to him,

they may decide to go ahead anyway and thus create a contrast,

or they may decide to leave him by himself.

Very often in jazz concerts the musicians are left by themselves,

it should not be said, because we are lost, so we let Ares move forward

then at some point he'll find the way.

One, two, three, four...

For me, this is an inner rhythm.

When this thing starts rolling, there's no more reasoning,

there is only a wave that...

And here...

All of this is here inside.

The documentary, Ares, is becoming too technical.

Now we want a flight of fancy.

What is music for?

Is it a question?

Stefano, after so many years together, do you still love me?

Very much!

A cat in name and in practice. ("Gatto" = "Cat")

The cat has that characteristic

to go straight to the point, but also to be very discreet,

to be very, um... cagey.

Walking soft steps.

Who is it?

Who is it?

Hey, it's Paolo Fresu.

Wow!

I don't know what the meaning is, but the work is fantastic in this fantastic place.

I don't like the instruments.

If they weren't there, it would be the same.

But it's truly Kounellis.

It almost seems as if those frescoes were designed by him,

yet this is not the case.

"In caminu s'accontzat barriu", which means that it is during the journey that the load is arranged.

In the past, carts were pulled by oxen, and so when the carts were moving,

especially on rough roads,

there were these enormous loads of hay bales or other things, after a while...

And what was done? You stopped, reorganized the load and then set off again,

to prevent everything from crashing to the ground.

I have made this saying my own,

meaning that when something begins, you never know where it will end up.

Even more so in music, especially in the music we make.

In fact, that is the point.

Here is a poetic image

of three elderly musicians walking down the Sunset Boulevard,

but it could also be

that they are three young aliens disguised as elderly musicians.

Two Sardinians and a citizen of the world.

At the end of a concert near Roma, I gave my home number to a nice gentleman.

Ouch!

And on Sunday mornings, punctual as clockwork, between ten and noon,

he phoned home, and Sonia always answered.

He'd say... "Good morning!"

I don't know, I can't remember his name, he was from Marino.

"Well... I want you to tell your husband Paolo

that my dream is having Paolo and Antonello playing at my restaurant in Sardinian costumes."

- In Sardinian costume? - Yes. - But why?

Because his dream was that me and Antonello...

Can you see us in Sardinian costumes, hats on, playing in Marino in his restaurant?

..and my head is in the clouds.

- What do these clouds look like? - Sometimes dark, sometimes light...

There is also a greyish tone, white, greyish white, black...

- They come and go... - Black and dark grey.

Yes, they come and go. Then one day the blue sky will return.

Let's try... Let's get there.

Once again.

The audience attendin' Jazz concerts doesn't understands anything.

Let's start off by saying this. Let's be clear.

They attend, and depending on the face you make,

they understand if you are truly tryin' or if you are not truly tryin'.

- But we are the first ones not to let them understand a thing… - We are the first ones.

Twenty years ago, I saw Shorter and Hancock perform as a duo; they had made an album.

- Yes, you told me. - "One plus one".

At the end of the concert, outside, there were other musicians from Florence,

we understood nothing.

The effect this concert by Shorter has on us is the effect Jazz music has on the rest of the world.

- I mean... - Eh, yes.

- What's happening? What are they doing? - Which is not bad.

Once, in the 70s, I went to the cinema, to see the same film four times.

Because the first three times I slept. I always slept.

- The movie was "Porcile" by Pasolini which wasn't... - Damn… - Four times.

- Why did you keep going? - Because I wanted to...

- To understand. - I didn't like the fact that I was falling asleep. I had to understand.

The fourth time, I fell asleep for a bit, then woke up and fell asleep again.

Then at some point you ask yourself: "What is there to understand?".

Who cares if I don't understand it? No one is going to die if I don't.

I also like those tunes that are very extended, with the rhythm section sizzling,

sizzling and walking fast.

So you ask yourself: "Should I walk fast too? No, you walk..."

- Eh, no! You can stay... - Floating up... - Exactly!

He is talking about a satisfaction I know. The one where you do...

Especially in a trio, piano, bass and drums. And you go: "One, two! One, two, three, four".

They have to do that, but you do...

- You don't give a damn. - And you play extended.

Long, floating notes.

- Floating over this thing sizzling. - It sounds a bit like Marchionne.

- Let others work for it... - Right. - Like Mr Agnelli.

- You're just there with your savoir-faire. - Stylish, acting as if nothing happened.

- Gerry Marchionne! - You bathe naked on the boat. - Right.

While others work. And the timekeeper times them in the factory.

"Work on! More pieces!"

- What have you got there? - Nothing. Things you can't eat.

- Not suitable? - No. - Is 'wood' needed?

- Ah, paper! - Do people still use paper? - Ares' music scores are on paper.

- He doesn't need them. - No, no... let's save those ones!

- Ares... - No, no, no... - No? Shall we save them?

- I also have keys. - May I proceed?

- Please, proceed. Where are you putting it? - So... Where should I put this one?

- Marquis... - No, not these!

- Where are you putting it? - I'll put this...

- Let's see... - It fits.

But it touches the dampers.

And then... It doesn't work that much.

No, even less. Here.

Beautiful!

Hey!

- There was a moment when Enrico Rava... - He freaked out.

At one point, it was the year 2000,

He was walking around the stage while we were doing the soundcheck, he'd come up to me and say...

Bolla! Do you know... the Beatles?

And I replied, "Well, yes!".

"I know you know them, they're famous. I mean, if you truly know them."

"Yes, yes, I really do know them." "Well, they're fantastic!" I say: "Yes."

- I remember that! - However he was feeling upset and so he'd go...

- He said it to everyone in that period. - He'd go to Roberto and I would watch him.

"Do you know...? There's an album which is all white."

And he was not giving him any satisfaction, and would say: "Yes, I know, I know it."

"You don't like them?". "No, no, I do".

Nobody would say: "Ah! Great!".

Let's say that this project is a bit like redesigning a piece of our stories,

musicians who would otherwise continue to go their separate ways

that suddenly find themselves together, so it's a real reunion.

Musically, we don't know, we'll find out tomorrow in Trieste

but actually we're discovering it day by day, rehearsing, dismantling, reshaping the music.

- What are you reading? - I am reading a detective novel.

- A detective novel? - I told you I like detective novels.

- A detective novel? - Detective novels.

- What are you reading? - I have a catalogue about Michelangelo Pistoletto.

He is the artist who created that glass above the room where we play.

- He's a friend of Rava. - Ah!

Yes.

When you play with the musicians you want to play with, of course,

with whom you choose to play, this is the basis of everything,

it's not enough for them to be skilled.

They may be very talented, the best in the world, and nothing happens.

There must be empathy, a kindred spirit in music, a shared vision.

When you have that,

while playing you get some sublime moments

that you would otherwise never experience in life.

When it comes to a band, there are moments when everyone reacts

to what others say or to what others do.

Everyone listens, as if we were there painting a fresco, all together.

Everyone contributes something... These are instances of perfect democracy.

Everyone is so aware to be part of this big mechanism

but he gives his all,

so he's puttin the ego aside... and there, music begins to levitate.

And those are sublime moments that are even more evident in Jazz music,

because there is a lot of improvisation.

Our job, which isn't really a job,

it is the embodiment of uncertainty in every sense of the word.

Creativity is uncertain.

- You cannot know. - You cannot know.

The average level is precarious, because you never know...

Every concert is an unknown, it could be rubbish, so to speak!

- It could be because it doesn't take much. - Eh, but that's the beauty of it.

If you improvise, you must accept that...

something might come out that is not what you expected and that you do not like.

That's the beauty of it because it forces you to stay sharp all the time.

- Yes, you got to be present all the time. - You better be.

If I don't practise every day, with this damned instrument,

I don't know how it will go, but it will go badly, for sure.

Well, on the trumpet it's absolutely necessary because otherwise the lip...

At the same time, it is interesting to note that...

it keeps me alive, it keeps me busy.

it's not like I'm sitting there thinking about all my old age ailments.

I'd like to understand what the hell we're doing standing here as a bunch of idiots.

Look... It's crazy.

They organised this thing...

where we're playin' all together and the result is...

- To me, it doesn't make sense. - I don't know, you tell me.

- What he does think about it? - Let's ask Rava.

- Rava... - Rava, what do you think?

I must say that, throughout all this, in these past days we had really great food.

Have you ever had so great food as you had in these past days?

- Me? - No. - I have.

- Antonello! - Antonello!

Eh, I mean, it has been wonderful.

We like it and... we're going back happy. Now we're leaving.

- Good evening, I am Paolo Fresu. - No, you can be more incisive.

- You can be... - More incisive.

I like it more when you do... "I'm Paolo Fresu".

Antonello... what do you think about life? What's your view on life?

Eh, well, life is...

There are certain days when you just want to break everything down, right?

You would also break...

You'd even bite the music stand...

Nice work, that piece you did. Well done, well done.

I'm going to bed now. Goodbye.

(in the Ferrara dialect) You are sad because I scored an amazing goal against you!

You didn't expect that.

The only thing you ever told me severely in many years...

- Really? - Yes, yes, very serious!

What you told me so severely happened in Paris,

It was the second time we played together.

You called me to play at the club in '96, with Michel Benita and Aldo Romano.

And I used to do a... My solos lasted about 40 seconds.

- You didn't jump in. - 90 seconds, then I'd let you go, 'cause I was with three legends.

And you whispered in my ear: "Listen, I called you because I want you to play,

so be sure to play".

In 30 years, I think that's the only time you've ever put me in my place.

- But I still remember it. - Yes, I recall that too.

But I also remember that when I asked you: "Why don't you play?".

I invited you to Paris and I was proud of how you played,

to show everyone that here in Italy there is a brilliant musician.

And yet you told me something that I understood and agreed with.

- You replied: "I'm not enjoying myself". - I did? - Yes. "I'm not enjoying myself".

What a cheek! Really?! Instead of shutting up...

You were right, it wasn't fun because there was nothing happening.

Even when I was playing, I didn't feel anything happening.

Bob, Lioli...

Roberto, please, can you remove Ares from the monitor?

Frida and I need to play.

Could you please also remove Sepe from the room?

- Stefano, would you like to rehearse with us? - No.

Frida, I'll play you the tune by Rava that we're gonna play at the end of the concert.

It's two chords goin' in loop.

- What is this? - It should be E flat major seventh.

E7 chord, actually.

I also add the sharp ninth.

Even the B flat, but anyway...

Theme.

Here it changes.

So, this part, the second part goes... E flat, G minor going to fourth degree.

A flat...

And it goes to G minor.

F minor.

And here... it goes in E flat minor.

And the final part is E flat, B7.

Then it starts again... I'll play it.

Well done!

Thanks!

I'll do the ending. That's how it ends.

- Eh, of course! - Of course! How else could it end?

A little slowing down.

- And here, a brief... A brief pause. - Ah, OK!

- Wait, wait. Again. - One, two, three!

The dad!

No one is my age, I am the world's oldest person.

And that's what is interesting.

I feel really old.

It's odd because I used to be the youngest once.

And now I'm always the oldest!

Always, even when I see neighbours walking around like that...

I think: "This guy must be older than me."

I go asking... "83 years old." Ah!

That's a good sign. In this story, you take the lion's share.

Yes, in the story.

Tell me about your relationship with silence.

Eh... I like silence.

The wind in the hair.

I'm going to beat you up, right?

Easy, enough!

They are crazy, crazy!

That little bouquet of flowers...

that comes from the mountain...

And make sure it doesn't get wet, because I want to gift it!

And make sure it doesn't get wet, because I want to gift it!

In addition to this, there are the sparrows waiting in the park

waiting for me to stop playing and spend my days giving them breadcrumbs

and scaring the damned seagulls which are tryin' to kill them.

- So you're not going to the park with the sparrows yet? - Eh, no, not yet.

You're saving it for your old age.

Yes, for the old age, every now and then, when a sparrow lands on my balcony, I say:

"Look, inform everyone that it still takes a little while. But they shall not despair."

- They will have food to eat. - They will have food to eat.

And the undersigned will be responsible for that.

Speaking of bridges between cultures,

you here are mostly from Trieste, I guess, or from Friuli...

Well, there's a saying in Rome,

quite fitting for this evening, which is: "When are we ever going to get this chance again?".

Thank you. Bye!

And now... Let's go to smoke!