K&K's Artist of the Month: Piero Urban
March 2004
"In
my music, I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult
is because I'm changing all the time."
With these words of the great Charles Mingus, let me welcome you and introduce myself. Ever since I can remember, I've been into music and the guitar. Besides graduating with a Phd in Music from the Bologna University in 1990, I've always been into playing different kinds of music with different bands, in duos or as a solo performer; from Blues to Soul, to Jazz and Rock and everything else in between.
Working with the Centro Jazz of Torino I've had the chance to meet some amazing players, among them Tal Farlow, Lee Konitz, Miroslav Vitous, Lew Tabakin, Joey Barron, Joe Lovano, and the great Barney Kessel with whom I've had the pleasure to work with several times. Barney Kessel is someone who has given me so much, through his music and especially his friendship and his willingness to share his experience and amazing musical life.
Unforgettable for me is the concert in his honor at the RAI Auditorium of Torino, during which I performed a solo guitar arrangement of a tune by Randy Weston; his comment was: "not Jazz, but good!" Coming from him, that's better than a Grammy to me. Thanks Barney, you are a true friend who is deeply missed.
During these last few years I've been playing more and more acoustic guitar, mixing in my solo repertory influences that go from Classical music to Jazz, Celtic, Folk and whatever else interests me, including Indian music and the Kletzmer tradition.
Music is a big garden with many different and beautiful flowers to enjoy, but as Barney used to tell me during our long and exciting philosophycal conversations: "You know Piero, the guitar is important, but music is more important than the guitar, and LIFE is more important than music." Enjoy.
Piero uses K&K's Mini Pure Western and says: "I've tried just about any system that's been out there. You name it, I've had it. In my humble opinion, this is the most natural system so far. In fact I'm planning to record my next CD with it. Being a fingerstyle player and recording on a digital system, I couldn't detect any hiss or self-noise. I'm so happy with this system that I'm ordering another one to install in my Alvarez Yairi W1, and try and blend the piezo pickup with the Mini Western. All in all, my search for a transducer is over. I couldn't be happier with this product. Thanks a lot."