Despre Eli Degibri, v-am spus câte ceva, în cadrul prea-frumoasei secţiuni speciale de pe acest blog dedicată Cluj International Jazz Festival. Spre bucuria mea, Eli a acceptat să îi trimit nişte întrebări, la care mi-a răspuns, după cum puteţi vedea mai jos, un pic mai pe treabă decât a făcut-o James Ulmer :)) Motiv pentru care îi mulţumesc şi îi doresc să rămână cu amintiri plăcute după această primăă vizită în România :)

Pe Eli Degibri îl puteţi vedea live în seara asta, după cum vă raportez mai jos.

Organizator: Diesel Club

Unde: Casa de Cultură a Studenţilor, Cluj-Napoca

Perioada: 23-25 octombrie 2014

Bilete: Le puteţi cumpăra de la birourile Diesel Club (Piaţa Unirii 10) şi/sau de peEventim, cu menţiunea că vă recomand abonamentul pentru cele trei zile

Program
23.10.2014 | ora 19:00
Eli Degibri Quartet – Israel
24.10.2014 | ora 19:00
Chico Freeman Quartet – USA
25.10.2014 | ora 19:00
James Blood Ulmer with Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra – USA / Denmark

Je: Eli, welcome to Romania! With enormous regret, as I will not be able to get there and see you live. However I’m trying to compensate by way of this interview, for which I thank you very much :) What are your thoughts on coming to Romania?

Eli Degibri: I’m really excited to come to Romania for the first time. I’ve heard many great things about your wonderful country and I know a little and love your local cuisine. I can’t wait to finally be there.

In your childhood, you have started with a mandoline. How was the transition to the saxophone and why did you do it? Did you find this instrument „manlier” ? :))

I really wanted to join the woodwind orchestra in my school cause I knew that I could be flying abroad with the orchestra once a year. So I decided I had to find a woodwind instrument and I chose the saxophone!

How is it to have a huge musician like Herbie Hancock next to you, on stage? How hard is it to make him smile happily?

Playing with Herbie was a great challenge on one hand and very easy on the other: Herbie is an embracing musician who accepts almost anything that is musical. But at the same time I was so nervous to play next to someone at his stature that I could hardly play. Of course, Herbie knew how to bring the best out of me at the end.

How are you balancing your life as a musician (I’m referring mainly to being on the road) with the one as artistic director of the Red Sea Jazz Festival? How is the fact that you are a musician help with the job of festival director? Does it work the other way around? :))

Being a musician and often on the road helps me be a better artistic director in my opinion cause I always meet new bands and musicians and have a natural organic access to jazz music from all over the world.

I’m asking you as an official: how important are these local festivals like Cluj International Jazz Festival? How does this kind of events help the big world of jazz?

Festivals like Cluj have an enormous impact and influence. Their importance is huge and they have the ability to influence and educate many people on this great art form – Jazz thus they have an effect on the continuation of Jazz in the world.

Please invite the readers of my blog to come see you live, as I’m sure you can be more convincing than I am!

Hello there, please join me in my first time in Romania where I’ll be playing my music for you alongside with some of my favorite musicians. Hope to see you all! Eli Degibri

Thank you, I hope the time you spend in Romania will be pleasant!