The US-born, German-based pianist/composer Chris Jarrett and Italian violinist Luca Ciarla have each carved out highly distinctive paths across diverse musical genres, before joining forces in early 2014. Jarrett – younger brother of fêted jazz pianist Keith – has composed for opera, ballet and film, working with poets, jazz and world musicians as well as solo, while Ciarla’s dazzling improvisational gifts interweave folk, jazz and classical elements. Together, both are inspired to fresh heights of creativity.
Luca Ciarla’s spritelike playing and the quick-fingered expressivity of Chris Jarrett’s improvisations met, hugged, collided; sometimes following parallel paths and other times going in different directions only to meet at the common goal. A fascinating blend of the accessible and the challenging with a magnetic musical appeal. “A concert event experienced by an enthusiastic audience who had a chance to admire the versatile Chris Jarrett and the original and surprising Luca Ciarla in an atmosphere opulent with musical colors…an exclusive event that will stay alive in the historical musical memory of Naples.” La Gazzetta dello Spettacolo (Italy)
Chris Jarrett
Composer and pianist Chris Jarrett was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania (USA) and grew up in the woods of the Appalachians. Raised in a family of Eastern European origin and with extraordinary musical talent, he began studying piano with Vincenz Ruzicka and then continued studies at Indiana University and Oberlin Conservatory. In 1985 Chris Jarrett moved to Germany where he recorded his first album, began composing ballet, film and symphonic music and teaching at the Oldenburg University. Since then, prestigious solo piano engagements have brought him from Mexico to Tunisia, from Scandinavia to France, from Eastern Europe to Canada. Over the years he has collaborated with ethnic, jazz and contemporary musicians such as Dhafer Youssef, Zoltán Lantos, Ramesh Shotham, Adrien Dennefeld, or with poets such as Erich Fried, choreographers such as Nada Kokotovic, artists such as Jean Miotte and many, many others. His compositions range in genre from solo works to full-fledged historical operas, including film, chamber and vocal music. In Chris Jarrett’s music, classical and ethnic forms coexist peacefully with the most extreme contemporary language and the freedom of jazz Improvisation. His expressive playing can be wild, rhythmic, ironic, epic, melancholic, bizarre, or mystical, and in his astonishing compositions, the influence of some of his favorite composers such as Johannes Ockeghem, Sergei Prokofiev, Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa can be heard. “…feels at home in the world of spontaneity, plays outside of all categories, and surprises the listener with sound experiments which, in spite of all the freedom, follow an inner logic. Such unconventional, fresh-saucy and humorous music makes you hungry for more.” Jazzpodium, Germany. Complete bio and more information on www.chrisjarrett.de.
Luca Ciarla
One of the most creative violinists nowadays, Luca Ciarla easily transcends the boundaries among genres to trace an innovative musical path, a magical acoustic seduction in perfect balance between written compositions and improvisation, traditional and contemporary sounds. He has successfully performed in jazz, classical and world music festivals and concert series in more than forty countries and on every continent; from the Montreal Jazz Festival to the Melbourne Jazz Festival, from the National Arts Festival in South Africa to the Esplanade in Singapore, from the Italian Cultural Institute in New York to the Madinat Amphitheatre in Dubai. “Luca Ciarla has wooed the classical, jazz and folk crowds with his originality” Cover Magazine (Hong Kong). A native of Termoli, Italy, Luca began playing violin and piano at the age of eight. By twelve he was studying at the conservatory and few years later began exploring also jazz and improvisation, inspired by artists such as Keith Jarrett, Egberto Gismonti and the Turtle Island Quartet. He received the “Diploma di Violino” in 1993 and then studied at the Fiesole School of Music and the European Union Music School of Saluzzo. In 1996 Luca moved to the United States to pursue a master’s at the Indiana University and to study jazz with David Baker. Subsequently he completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Arizona where he has taught violin and improvisation for several years. Winner of several competitions in Italy and abroad, in 1999 he has been awarded by New York-based Chamber Music America. Luca Ciarla has recorded with several labels (Egea, Alfamusic, Felmay, Camjazz, Incipit, Violipiano) working with classical, jazz, folk and even rock musicians such as Greg Cohen, Daniele Sepe, Chris Jarrett, Joshua Bell, Edgar Mayer, Daniele Scannapieco, Danilo Rea, Sylvain Gagnon, Anthony Fernandes, Andrea Piccioni, Simone Zanchini, Lello Pareti, Marco Siniscalco, Marina Rei, Blaine Whittaker, Mimmo Locasciulli, Luciano Biondini, Fabrizio Bosso, Sergio Cammariere, Rodolfo Maltese, Paola Turci, Luigi Tessarollo, Ferruccio Spinetti and many more. Founder of Violipiano, a music production house born in Hong Kong in 2001, Luca also enjoys presenting master classes on creative violin playing. Personal web site: www.lucaciarla.com