When was the last time you were moved by a jazz piece? When The World Stops Crying is original, real and sentimental. It is also the last single from the debut album of pianist, composer and arranger Leonardo Pruneti. Read our discussion with the artist below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Contemporary, imaginative, rich.
Tell us a few things about When The World Stops Crying and the main idea behind it. Also tell us a few things about your upcoming debut album and what we should expect from it?
The focus of this album is the changing process of ourselves. My last years were almost about changing. I have a personal point of view of what life is: an endless journey, a never ending starting point and conclusion. Life, beauty: everything begins, changes us and inevitably ends. But life is always changing, an endless journey through our existence. This album is also organized as a true journey: we can see it from the title of the first and the last song (When The World Is Crying and When The World Stops Crying), we can see the change of state; but also the first note of the record is the same of the last. Everything reminds to cyclic nature of life. You should expect feelings, emotional, visions from this album: it’s about communication, sharing our existence.
Who is your favourite pianist? And which are your major music influences?
My favorite pianist is Tigran Hamasyan, the Armenian born talented pianist; a true genius. Jazz inspired me a lot; artists like Ambrose Akinmusire, Shai Maestro, Vijay Yier, Miles Davis, John Coltrane etcÉ; I like also classical music, especially Claude Debussy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel. But I was growth with rock, so I really like bands as Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Radiohead, Korn and many others.
Is songwriting a talent or a skill?
Both I think. I believe in natural talent, but I also think that the true talent is on determination and on focusing skills; it’s important to be constant on studying and composing by experimentation. I think that is the way to become a great composer.
How much time should a Pianist practice every day? Is there such a thing as over practicing?
That’s a really hard question. It depends. Maybe someone needs to study a lot, maybe someone not. It’s different for everyone I think. Practice is for producing good emotional music; if not, it’s note music, it’s circus!
Jazz music as a genre has been accused as music for snobs. Is jazz music elitist?
Music is a language, and Jazz is a language too. Maybe it’s a little bit complicated as language, but you can understand it. And if you understand Jazz, you can also appreciate it. Perhaps it needs some explanation from those who understand it, or even from the musicians themselves; I think about how important it is for musicians, for example, to explain their music at concerts. This is to increase the connection with the public to make your message understood and appreciated. I think that Jazz, like the whole music, is for everyone who can understand it, and everyone can do it (maybe with a little help!).
What moment in your career are you proudest of?
I’m really proud of this debut album, it’s so personal and sincere, and I hope that can touch the listeners. Another thing that I’m really proud of is the winning fo the international arranging and composing competition of Barga Jazz 2021, an huge contest that makes me super happy.
What would be your biggest challenge you’ve faced as an artist so far?
The most difficult thing for me is to persevere, don’t give up and always go forward. Not feeling arrived but always feeling on the road, always questioning oneself. Sometimes it can be tough and the difficulty can stop you, but you always have to persevere. This is a challenge I take every day. Have the patience and the determination to never give up
How do you relate to the music scene of Italy?
Italian Jazz scene (and also other genres) is so prolific, full of young talents and international stars. But is so difficult to make music in Italy; there are economic difficult, logistics problem, lack of economic state aid. And it’s really strange because Italy is made by culture and music. Often young musicians needs to go away for make a living. It’s a little bit sad.
Thank you!
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