Luca Luciano: The New Voice of the Clarinet

Clarinetist/composer Luca Luciano is a champion of contemporary music and his compositions, part of his academic research, have been premiered at the Bristol Cathedral and the prestigious St Martin in the Fields in London, England. They've also been presented at workshops and master classes in the U.K. and overseas. Luciano came to the U.K. completely alone and with no logistical support whatsoever, starting from the very bottom (first as a part-time barman to make a living)--despite a promising start in his home country of Italy, performing at festivals to glowing reviews--but ultimately becoming one of the most respected musicians in the U.K. scene and beyond.

Luciano has been appointed to one of the U.K.'s highest lecturing positions given to musicians with national and international credits, and is one of the very few--if not the only one--to hold a stable position as a jazz clarinet lecturer. He's also one of the few to be a specialist in both jazz and classical clarinet at the HE level. Considered a bit of a maverick and an uncompromising artist, Luciano still manages to make coincident with his academic duties a personal approach to music and art.

“I know that it is generally believed that an academic is a person that is either too conservative or, even worse, narrow-minded," says Luciano. “To me, it is not only the chance to work with young, talented and enthusiastic musicians, but also the chance to keep myself trained and up-to-date in order to keep up with an ever demanding generation of musicians. In my class I pass from Mozart to Coltrane, from Weber to Parker, from Debussy to Berio and back to mainstream jazz or world music. Most of all it is for me the chance to make a change, to have an impact on younger musicians and put them on the right path.

“It is, of course, difficult to try to inspire students to build their own 'voice,' their own distinctive sound," Luciano continues, “when the institution and the examiners have pretty conservative and mainstream ideas about music. I spend, in fact, quite a bit of time arguing the case for a student who may not be a pure jazz player but has an original approach to music making. I also spend quite a bit of time explaining to my students that it is about working hard, very hard (this is my mantra) and, most of all, it is about becoming a real musician (as meant by the great philosophers of the past including Pythagoras and Plato), a man of culture, an intellectual and not a sound-monger who has just learnt how to move his fingers on a music instrument."

Whilst Luciano's music is overwhelmingly appreciated by media in the U.K. and overseas (e.g. “Masterful Clarinet!" by Musician Magazine, BBC Radio, Jazz U.K., Jazz Journal International, JazzIt Italy) and renowned musicians like Italian clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi and American saxophonist Dave Liebman), there are still quite a few people within the jazz scene who struggle to come to terms with his music. Luciano strongly believe that there is going to be a shift back to Europe as a creative centre for music and arts. “I like to use the word composition instead of tune, and the words real time composition instead of improvisation," explains Luciano. “This serves the purpose of sending out a clear message about my own music. Besides some compositions for solo clarinet or clarinet ensemble, where all the parts are written out, most of my compositions include sections of notated and improvised music, where improvisation is meant to be real time composition and used to develop ideas during one or more sections of a composition.

“It has all been inspired by the way improvisation had been used over many centuries in Europe long before the advent of jazz music," Luciano continues, “and in that respect wants to claim back the paternity of a certain music approach. The idea is to still use techniques like the basso numerato (the equivalent of the chord symbols used in jazz of today) when needed and to get rid of a rhythm section per se and therefore have the chance to propose an erudite repertoire of chamber music that overcomes, in many cases, the Afro-American idiom and presents music that has been inspired not only by jazz, but also, as in the case of one of the most ancient cultures like my own, by thousands of years of music making."

Luciano is well known within the London music scene as a committed and hard working musician. How he practices--and how he can manage twwo completely different repertoires (classical and jazz) on top of his involvement in contemporary music--is no small challenge. “Fortunately the two feed each other," says Luciano. “I believe that I can play better and have a better understanding of some classical pieces (above all 20th century or contemporary music) because of my experience in non-classical music, as much as I can play better my own music, above all when improvising, because of the focus and the touch gained with my classical training. The secret is in not overlapping the two: I have organized a study plan where I work over a variety of materials within a period of seven to ten days, alternating jazz studies and classical studies on a rota basis, when I am not working on repertoires for my performances or rehearsing."

Why does an artist who has plenty of room for his creativity--and considerable investments in his music--from Red Kite Records, who released Neapolis in 2005, decide to self-publish an album like Clarinet (2008)? “I am extremely grateful to Red Kite and the belief they have had in me and sincerely hope we'll make other productions in the future," Luciano explains, “but I realized that “the times they are a-changing." The record industry is almost on its knees and albums are not (or will not be) produced and, most of all, distributed in the traditional way anymore. I strongly believe in the so-called internet revolution and the possibilities that it can offer to independent artists.

“Clarinet includes music that is part of my academic research on sound effects, techniques for the contemporary repertoire and new music for solo clarinet, and it has been therefore printed in limited edition only and it is now available exclusively through downloads," Luciano continues. “"This album has given me the chance to learn a lot about the new direction that the record industry is taking and, in general terms, the future of the music (and the media) industry. Considering how hard it is to promote contemporary/experimental music through what is nothing more than a niche product, I am really satisfied with it and the overwhelming recognition that it has got a bit everywhere including the chance to open new contacts within the avant-garde scene and encouraging me to launch my solo project."

As for what 2010 has in store for Luciano? “2010 looks promising and full of interesting experiences to do," Luciano enthuses. “I should go soon for a tour in Brazil, including the possibility to hold some master classes in universities there. There is also the Edinburgh Festival this year, with a recital in a cathedral; a premiere of a new piece part of my research at St Martin in the Fields in London; and other concerts at the Bristol Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral plus some festivals. I am really looking forward to playing."

Selected Discography

Luca Luciano, Clarinet (Self Produced, 2008)
Luca Luciano, Neapolis (Red Kite, 2005)
Luca Luciano, Passione (MAP, 2000)
Stefano Maria Longobardi, Indigo (Proxima Ratio, 1998)