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Rating: - The Live Shows of Sidekick No.3 -
This third issue concludes the journey into the 28th edition of the Roccella Jazz Festival. In this case, I will take you to Roccella Jonica, the main venue of this event. The small town in Calabria hosted concerts in three different locations, one of which was the former Minims convent where special meetings were held. For five consecutive evenings, as many artists met the public and engaged in unique performances for a single instrument, the one most congenial to the artist. All of this followed an introductory interview by the journalist Maurizio Franco. Among the 5 encounters, I will tell you about the one with Antonello Salis.
The concert two days before (the one recounted in No.2, to be clear) was stunning, focusing on the mentioned character, who became for me and the two friends with whom I shared these three concerts, Maestro Salis (he perfectly matched the definition by Mimmo Epifani). A second concert couldn't be missed for anything in the world, hence the trip from Reggio to Roccella (resulting in: 2 hours on the Ionian Highway). At 18:30, Salis appears dressed the same way as in the previous concert: bandana, beach t-shirt, and jeans. You can't help but appreciate a man who presents himself in such an iconoclastic manner for the context. The interview was normal, decidedly canonical, aiming to outline the artist's profile on various musical aspects. After about half an hour, the real concert begins; Salis sits at the piano and starts playing, demonstrating all his great skill.
A powerful, vigorous, and incredibly tangible style. He aims for the maximum level of improvisation, assisted by the technique of the prepared piano, which offers magical and unrepeatable effects. On the piano strings, drumsticks, a metal bar, a salad bowl, and many other objects are placed. The trance that grips Salis literally overwhelms the listener, simply dazzled by the music received. The stroke of genius is yet to come: at a certain point, Salis stands up, plays with his left hand, takes a stick with his right hand, and violently hits the salad bowl placed on the piano. The final touch of finesse: he takes the piece that broke off the mentioned object, raises it to the sky, and then throws it behind him. Applause flies as if it were raining. By then, the audience is already captivated, and it could end there, but the performance continues, always on the prepared piano. This scene lasts for 35 minutes, after which he decides to take an accordion in hand. Someone from the audience encourages him: "Maestro, we want to see sparks on the accordion." Salis takes a lighter and replies: "This one is borrowed, if it were mine, I would set it on fire." The audience is ecstatic. With the accordion, everything comes out: the style, the class, and the vitality of a musician of great value. The relationship between man and instrument is like that of a husband who still manages to feel joy and pleasure when he’s with his wife despite years of marriage.
In the end, I come out satisfied and reach the following conclusion, shared by those who were at the concert with me: "If we tell this to friends in Brescia, they won't believe it. Go and tell them you saw the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion!" These situations are so beautiful and absurd that you can't keep them to yourself; you have to share them with others because you enjoy telling them.
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