Palimpsest by Victor Lazzarini

If I/The Singing Wind
Estrada do Patrimônio
Sideral
Al-Nisr Al-Ta’ir/Meeting of the Spirits

Stephen’s Vamp
A Moment Regained
Continuum (for John Taylor)

There is no tabula rasa, the zero-degree composition, we are all dependent on the sounds and music that have formed our cultural life. This collection embraces the metaphor of the palimpsest as a working method for musical creation.

The origin of the pieces that comprise this album spans over half a century, from the John Mclaughlin-penned Meeting of the Spirits (first released in 1971), to my own piece A Moment Regained, written in December 2023. We start with a solo improvisation on the electric piano, If I. This forms a set with The Singing Wind, a composition worked out from simple ideas into an arrangement of multiple interlocking parts with a floating rhythmic feel. It segues into Estrada do Patrimônio, a tune from 1991, whose title refers to a sinuous country road outside Londrina, PR. The following track, Sideral, has a sparkling quality stemming from its polyrhythms and multiple synthesizer layers. The name is an archaic form of the latin word sideralis, “of the stars”. The next two pieces form again a mini-set: Al Nisr Al Ta’ir, the flying eagle, and Meeting of the Spirits. The former is a synthesizer improvisation designed as a prelude to McLaughlin’s composition, both pieces being heavily influenced by eastern modes, phrasing and rhythms.

We now change sides, so to speak, to more piano-oriented, experimental tracks. The first one of these stems from an improvisation I recorded on Stephen’s Day 2020, while we were all isolated under the pandemic lockdown. Using this as a the basis, I developed a tripartite composition, where the first and last sections are based on a piano solo, disrupted by a dreamy, other-worldly, interlude. Between this and the last track, we have a departure: the stripped-down realisation of A Moment Regained. Attentive readers will soon realise the provenance of this piece’s title. The album is completed with Continuum, dedicated to the late John Taylor, one of the finest pianists and composers of European contemporary jazz. This is a bit of a tour de force, based on a continuously shifting harmony, also inspired by the never-ending glissandos of James Tenney’s For Ann. A sparse piano solo introduces it, and then we have a long build up culminating on an organ solo and the final iteration of the main tune. The palimpsest is now complete, with all its layers of sounds and ideas providing a colourful musical experience.

VL, May 2024

Victor Lazzarini is a composer/performer of electronic and instrumental music. His work extends from contemporary jazz to computer music. His music is regularly performed in Ireland and abroad, has been released by the Irish label Farpoint Recordings. His scores are available via the Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin.