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A patriarch looks back

Riccardo Tess, Presente Remoto

Photo: Ton Maas

He's not even 60, but how old does one have to be to justify the title of "patriarch"? Is age even relevant? When Riccardo Tesi became fascinated with the ­then-thriving squeeze box tradition of southern Italy and Sardinia, he found not only his instrument but his mission. Typical squeeze box music—mainly played to accompany folk dancing—didn’t interest him, but the sound of the small diatonic accordion did. (Diatonic means only two keys are possible: one major and its parallel minor, like C major and A minor.) Since there were no masters to study with, Tesi decided to ­explore and expand the possibilities of the instrument on his own, because one thing was clear: He wanted to work as a composer and collaborate with jazz musicians. Members of the current breed of diatonic harmonica players unanimously point to Tesi as their trailblazer and patriarch.

Tesi’s impressive career spans three decades, during which he has worked with dozens of musicians. For his new album Presente Remoto (“remote present”), he invited his favorite collaborators to reunite. Besides some giants from the world of jazz, such as pianist Stefano Bollani and clarinet virtuoso Gabriele Mirabassi, the party is graced by Sardinian singer Elena Ledda, fellow Sardinian voice artist Gavino Murgia and famous Italian “chansonnier” Gianmaria Testa. Then there’s French mandolin player Patrick Vaillant and, of course, the members of Tesi’s regular quartet ­Banditaliana (don’t miss the pun). And the music? It’s as beautiful as ever—folksy in flavor, but refined and enriched by world influences, from the swamps of Louisiana to the highlands of Madagascar. Even the most melancholic melody betrays Tesi’s irrepressible joie de vivre. This is music that will cheer even the gloomiest pessimist. Tesi’s part may sound modest at first—he leaves solos to his guests—but it has a subtlety revealed with repeated listening, which is exactly what this album invites you to do.

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