Search - Matthias Lupri :: Same Time Twice

Notes by Zan Stewart On the one occasion in the early '80s that I met with the renowned composer and arranger Gil Evans, he discussed his fondness for the rock guitarist-singer-composer Jimi Hendrix. "He was a natural songwriter," Gil said. "He wrote about things that happened in his life." That's what the dynamic, on-the-rise vibes player Matthias Lupri does: compose lyrical, contemporary jazz instrumentals based on his experiences. "I get a lot of motivation from everyday life," he says. "I mainly try to express my life, as I see it, with my own voice through the jazz idiom." Lupri's third album, the splendid Same Time Twice, offers a brace of fresh originals that have an open, now feel. This is a far cry from the hard rock that the German-born, Canadian-raised drummer-turned-vibist played during and after his high school years in Cochrane, Alberta. But by the mid-to-late '80s, he'd become intrigued by jazz as played by people like Gary Burton, John Coltrane and Bill Evans. Wanting to compose and improvise, Matthias entered the jazz program at Mount Royal College in Calgary; he also began to play vibes. Though he continued to play rock drums for several more years, jazz eventually became dominant. "I was struck by the intensity and beauty of jazz," he says, "especially hearing the vibes played that very modern way, like Gary and Mike Mainieri played."....