A year after the release of First Rain, Marche-based pianist Emiliano D’Auria is back with a new project, this time leading an American quintet. The new work is entitled The Baggage Room, contains tracks and was recorded at the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn (New York). The album, released on 20 November, is available on CD, vinyl and digital platforms on the Via Veneto Jazz label.
Performing the artistic project is a quintet that, in addition to the Italian leader and pianist, is composed of established star musicians: Philip Dizack on trumpet, DaynaStephens on tenor sax, Rick Rosato on double bass and Kweku Sumbry on drums. The Baggage Room takes its name from the room on Ellis Island where migrants arriving in New York harbour would deposit their luggage. A space of passage, a transient and suspended non-place, a symbol of hope for a new life and a new world. Sensations that also echo in the contemporary, hyper-connected traveller, but equally eager to discover new worlds. The nine original tracks, written by D’Auria, are intended to evoke the same emotions and refer to contemporary jazz, with an obvious New York matrix. The rhythmic drive that dominates the disc evokes the tension, hope and willpower of migrants. The melodies recall at times the Southern European tradition, while the arrangements are deeply influenced by Afro-American music.
In the background of the album is New York, with its rhythms, energy and fusion of cultures from all over the world. Originally from Ascoli Piceno and artistic director of the JazzAP Festival and the Cotton Jazz Club also in Ascoli, Emiliano D’Auria, class of ‘74, is on his sixth album as a leader. He studied jazz piano at the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, where he graduated in Communication Sciences. He later graduated in jazz piano at the A. Casella Conservatory in L’Aquila. An experimenter with electronic music in jazz composition, in 2009 D’Auria formed the Jano Quartet with which he recorded first ‘Naked Things’ (2010), then ‘Distante’ (2013), a work appreciated by both public and critics, and ‘The Place Between Things’ (2017). With the Emiliano D’Auria Quartet, he released ‘In-Equilibrio’ in 2021 and ‘First Rain’ the following year. He has been collaborating for years with trumpeter Luca Aquino.
Line-Up:
Philip Dizack, Trumpet
Dayna Stephens, Tenor Sax
Emiliano D’auria, Piano, Composition
Rick Rosato, Double Bass
Kweku Sumbry, Drums
Tracklist:
1. The Baggage Room
2. 1891: Ellis Island
3. Temporarilydetained
4. Searchingforthenewworld
5. The Eye Man
6. The story of Sacco and Vanzetti
7. Thelongwait
8. Humanconnections
9. Third Class
All compositions by Emiliano D’Auria
Recorded August 28, 29, 2023 at Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, New York by Aaron Nevezie
Mixed and mastered by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Studio, New York,
Photos and video by Adrien Tillmann
