‘I HEAR MUSIC IN MY HEAD ALL THE TIME’
Grammy-winning jazz musician continues to create
The son of a tango violinist in Buenos Aires, Pablo Ziegler found his early musical thrills as a teenager playing jazz and Dixieland at the piano, almost 60 years ago.
Now 73, Ziegler says that back then, he dismissed tango as music “for old people.”
But after his musical knowledge and abilities grew, he received the call in the late 1970s to play with the revolutionary tango composer and virtuoso bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla. After a decade with the legend, Ziegler became adept at mixing jazz, classical, tango and bossa nova to his own tastes — and to award-winning reception.
Having just won his second Grammy for his most recent album, Jazz Tango, Ziegler plays two concerts in Ottawa, on July 5 and 6, as part of the Music and Beyond Festival. In the edited interview below, Ziegler discusses the unique path his distinguished artistry has taken.
Q What attracted you to jazz?
A The infinite possibility and liberty of improvisation. I come from a classical music background but I feel that my music becomes more alive having the improvisation. I like the thrill of improvisation, where you don’t know what’s going to happen. Sometimes I discover a new Pablo Ziegler and I love when that happens with the right piano and right musicians.
In my teenage years, I was invited to some of the most important big bands in Argentina and I jumped into the jazz world quite quickly. Then I created my own jazz trio. I learned to improvise by ear, listening to Duke Ellington’s recordings.
Q I read you liked tango less at that time. What changed?
A For me, tango music was for old people and I would never play tango in public when I was young. The only tango music I liked was Piazzolla. I thought his compositions were very innovative and sophisticated. Now that I came to learn some beautiful traditional tango through the years, I started playing in my own style and I appreciate tango music more these days. I’ve recorded a traditional tango piece in my first solo album that I released in March.
Q Tell me more about your time with Astor Piazzolla and how he influenced you.
A One day, I received a phone call and was told that Astor wanted to invite me to become a member of his new quintet. When I went to see him in his apartment, I told him that I had never been a tango pianist in my life but he said that’s exactly what he was looking for. He was looking for a pianist with a strong classical background, with improvisation skills, with an open mind to help develop his music to a direction he was hoping to go.
Just one week before I got an offer from Astor, I had a different offer to work as a music director in Spain. But I chose Astor. I knew I would be happy to work with him. Performing with him was just like joining a national football team of Argentina. His music is so rich with the identity of Buenos Aires and all of his compositions are like chamber music.
What I learned from Astor is that I should compose for my origin, specifically Buenos Aires, Argentina, to be authentic and true to myself. Before I met Astor, I was a composer for many films, TV series, and theatre production. But I can say that I’m happy with the way I compose now with a flavour of Buenos Aires. He changed my mind and I’m grateful for it. I try to pass this message to young musicians, too.
Q You have lived in Europe and now live in New York. Why did you leave Argentina?
A I received a (threat) to leave my country within 24 hours for political reasons that I had nothing to do with. After experiencing a few incidents like that, I learned Argentina was not a place for me to live. Around the same time, my American producer, Ettore Stratta, invited to me to work in the U.S. for the recording with Emanuel Ax and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Then I moved to New York. It’s been over 20 years. I live in the place where my music is accepted and have a tranquil life with my wife. Being a musician, sometimes you don’t choose where to live, but the country chooses you.
Q Tell me about your compositional process.
A I hear music in my head all the time. When I actually compose, I just write down whatever I hear in my mind. I would love to be composing all the time but my performance schedule doesn’t allow me to do so. It’s a great pleasure for me to perform, but I wish I had more time to compose. I usually don’t use the piano to compose. I’d rather stay away. If I compose with the piano, it limits my imagination, especially because I always think of orchestration no matter what format of ensemble I’m writing for, from trio, quartet to symphony orchestra. Many of my compositions are orchestrated and I believe the orchestra version is the best way to represent my composition.
Q As a performer, are there formats or instrumentations you most enjoy?
A I enjoy performing with my trio or quartet because it’s a great feeling to have a tight performance in a small group. Also, it’s challenging because you become transparent. On the other hand, to fully express my compositions, I like to perform with orchestra.
Q What are you striving for with your music?
A I want to tell a story of our life through my music. Be it a dark story or happy story, I want to deliver a message of real life and people’s sentiments happening with a modern and contemporary touch.
Q What did your latest Grammy win mean to you? A
To be honest, I didn’t do anything differently to win. I just did what I’ve been doing my entire life. The only thing I can say is that I never like my recordings but I liked this one. Considering the fact that this is the first time this kind of music (Nuevo Tango) received the Grammy for best Latin jazz album, this award gives me more energy and motivation to move forward and push boundaries of music genres.