Luke Briffa is fast becoming a name to contend with on the local and international jazz scene. Michael Bugeja catches up with him before a performance by one of his collaborative projects, The Montaldi Project.
Not for the first time, Maltese drummer Luke Briffa has been collaborating with foreign musicians, in this case Italian guitarist Mirko Montaldi and Lithuanian Gediminas Stepanavicius on double bass. Working under the name of The Montaldi Project, this three-pronged, international musical venture was formed with the primary aim of delving into free jazz, improvisation and structured music.
The trio will be giving a live performance consisting of original pieces, as well as compositions commemorating the late Ornette Coleman. The three musicians will also be holding a workshop related to jazz.
You’ve been based abroad for quite some time. What have you been up to during this time and how difficult was it to maintain an active connection with your Malta-based projects?
Living abroad for a few years has opened up a lot of doors for me. I met a lot of musicians and also got involved in different projects. Overseas, I’m working with the Kikker Trio and The Montaldi Project. The Kikker Trio played in Malta and at the Gozo Jazz Festival during the summer; we are currently working on new material for an album which will hopefully be recorded and released in the coming year.
The Montaldi Project is very fresh, and our gig in Malta kicks off a mini-tour that will include performances in jazz clubs in Rome and Florence, Italy, in December.
On the local front, I’m still involved in Cusp and we are currently writing new material. I’m very excited about the new direction the band is taking. The material is different from our earlier compositions, as is our frame of mind. I’m also involved in two new musical projects that will come to light later on next year.
What is The Montaldi Project? What can you tell us about the musicians and what led to the formation of this international formation?
The Montaldi project is led by Italian guitarist Mirko Montaldi. The project itself focuses on a musical aspect related to jazz, free jazz and also original compositions. The sound of the trio is raw and energetic; we use these two elements to create and write music. We all met at the conservatory, as last year we used to meet up regularly to play and study together, going through some standard numbers and learning from each other.
I don’t like to label genres... music is music
Mirko, no matter the occasion, used to get arranged tunes with him to our session and we used to play for hours. It was then we started to work and compose together.
The Montaldi Project is primarily focusing on free jazz. How different, or not, is this from what you’ve already been working on with other bands and musicians so far?
Musicians who like or follow jazz all like to improvise; it’s a main element in the style, a form of self-expression. I think this element differs in every project I play in. In the mainstream projects I’m involved in, such as the more popular musical genres, there is seldom space for improvisation during live performances.
However, I think that this takes form in other ways – for instance, during the writing process where we would be jamming ideas or trying out newer concepts together. There is still an element of improvisation, which is then structured into a melody or form. The only thing that is different is the concept, but I don’t like to think about music stylistically; I don’t like to label genres... music is music.
Your upcoming concert will feature music by the late Ornette Coleman. Is there a particular reason behind this tribute?
The concert will feature original compositions by Mirko Montaldi and we will also play a few tunes by Ornette Coleman (who passed away last June) as a tribute to this great musical legend. Coleman was one of the major innovators in the Free Jazz Movement and remains an iconic figure in the jazz field till today. We will also be including some arrangements by Thelonious Monk and arranged classical pieces.
Apart from the concert, the project will also be hosting a music workshop. What can participants expect?
We will be focusing on bringing people together, musically. During the three-hour session we will be discussing and also showing some concepts behind some of the arrangements and playing styles. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments with them, as we will be inviting people to play with us so we can share some ideas together.
The Montaldi Project will be performing on Saturday at 8.30pm at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta. The workshop takes place on Sunday at 5pm at the same location.
www.kreattivita.org/