By Mark Kadzielawa

Boris Savoldelli is a voice phenomenon. This young Italian performer takes the art of singing and vocalizing in the areas where very few had ventured. He is able to apply his style to rock, jazz, funk, and experimental avant-garde. Savoldelli is an one-man orchestra who is not afraid of challenging himself, and his quests for originality are simply admirable.

Savoldellli spent time playing music before he realized he is in possession of the most valuable instrument which is his voice. He spent several years studying and developing his singing techniques, and it’s a very complex technique. One could say Boris Savoldelli is to voice what Mike Oldfield is to guitar. That’s how intense and innovative his approach is.

“Biocosmopolitan” is Savoldellli’s newest album on MoonJune Records. The album is a mix of various musical styles, and shows Salvodelli as a very diverse performer. His voice, of course takes the center stage, and it’s quite amazing to listen to what he can do with it. “Biocosmopolitan” certainly paints Savoldelli as a cutting-edge artist marching on his own path.

Boris Savoldelli talks about his development in the vocals field, and explains the creation process of his newest album.

When did you first realize your voice was capable of being an instrument?
Boris Savoldelli: Well, my “particular” way of singing and playing music comes from a very simple experience. I have a rock-funk background, I was in few bands, and during the shows, I used to improvise a solo, like guitar or drum or bass use to do during rock gigs, only I did it with my voice. My “vocal solos” were something like an “embryonic new technique”. In my solos I used a very old and simple loop station (an old Akai-Headrush 1 Series) and some other stuff (like distortion guitar pedals, delay.) I had fun looping drum stuff with my voice, then bass stuff and so on, obtaining a real vocal background where I put my melodic voice on. And the funny thing was that the crowd loved these performances. At each show people asked me to do more. After a lot of concerts and solos I realized that a quite “new way of singing in solo” was possible and because of this, I decided to dedicate more time to develop this particular technique. The result was my very first solo album called "Insanology," released in 2008. I’ve always loved to “mix up” different styles and techniques in my vocalism, for example I used to sing some Santana standard singing first the melody and lyric and then singing a vocal solo like I was a guitar (also using fuzz effects and wah-wah pedal for example.) I did the same with Jimi Hendrix's song, he is my musical hero.
How did you go about controlling your range?
I should answer it is 80% technique and 20% creativity. I studied a lot in my life (and I still study every day) to keep my vocal chords in good shape and to let them “answer” correctly when I use them. You know, I started when I was a teenager with classical singing. It's a very good school for both endurance and flexibility. Lately, I studied with rock-funk trainer and since the end of the 1990s with the great Mark Murphy (an incredible New York based jazz singer.) Studying jazz harmonies and scat-improvising with Mark opened my mind a lot of possibilities! And I must say that singing many years with rock bands helped me very much in terms of physical training. Could you imagine how physical and hard is to sing with 2 guitars and tons of guitar amplifiers, bass, keys and drums behind you? It was a very good experience. The rest is only creativity and ability to think about your voice as an instrument, a very “open” instrument, and let your mind flow…isn’t it exciting and fantastic?



Did you ever receive any formal voice lessons?
Yes, I’m coming from a “musical” family. My father was a musician, such as were my two uncles. One was a trumpeter and the other was a saxophonist. I grew up in a house where there were lots of instruments: a piano, guitars, mandolins, trumpet, and so on. I started studying piano at the age of 8, and then when I was 13 I studied a bit of trumpet (with my uncle), bass and drums. But soon I fell in love with voice. As I said before I started with classical training and then I moved with more rock-funk techniques and with Mark Murphy. I tried not to forget about my harmonic studies, to keep an understanding of music. Also, I did lots of rhythmic studies with a great Italian drum teacher named Max Duraccio (who’s now director of a music school in Bangkok.)
What music were attracted to initially, what music did you grow up listening to?
As a teenager I was attracted mainly by 70s rock and progressive music like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Yes, Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Steely Dan just to mention a few. But also by some jazz stuff, some more rock-jazz oriented like Billy Cobham or the great Miles Davis, especially his fantastic “Bitches Brew." The older I got I started to listen to “strange music”, like Kraut and the rock band Can, The Great Ornette Coleman, and Frank Zappa (I love him!) and some contemporary composers like Schonberg, Stockhausen, John Cage, the early John Zorn, Charles Mingus and Elliott Sharp.



Your music is a mix of a lot styles. How did you go about combining so many styles?
My music reflects my love for music. I use to call myself “a musical schizophrenic” ‘cause in the same day I can listen to some lovely and melodic songs from Elton John or Billy Joel (I’ve always love their ability in writing good songs!) and 10 minutes later some hard to listen to stuff from Cage or Schonberg. Some critics call me a kind of “music-shake”. I really love to mix my compositions with Latin rhythmic ideas, and maybe, classic harmonies or melodies. Music to me is, first of all, fun, and I love to have fun with music!
The label avant-garde is often slapped onto music that is not easily understood, do you feel that applies to you? Do you identify with the term in any way?
I don’t think so. I use to define my music into two different ways. I’ve got a “light side”, very well represented by my "Biocosmopolitan" and "Insanology" albums. This light side is experimental, that’s for sure. But melody is very important to me, and as a result my music is easily followed by just about anyone. Then there is the "dark side," and that's represented by my other album released by MoonJune Records titled "Protoplasmic," and recorded with the great Elliott Sharp. This is a very experimental and hard to listen to album. I'm very proud of both of my sides. Some critics and fans love one side of me more than the other, and others love them both. And then there are those hate both of them. You know, people are different, and I cannot imagine myself with only one of these two sides!



What is musical climate in your native Italy for the type of music you create?
Unfortunately, Italy is a very small nation and music is not considered very important, except maybe for some Italian pop music that I honestly don’t like very much. And this is very sad if you think about the big number of great composers we have had in the past. Anyway, concerning my music I have to say that in these last two years it seems that a lot of critics and radio stations expressed interest in what I do. They are curious about this “strange Italian singer” who’s working for a New York based label, and is touring quite often in Russia and outside Italy, and that’s good! Last but not least, the presence of great Italian jazz trumpeter, Paolo Fresu on my "Biocosmopolitan" record got me a lot of good publicity, and I have to thank Paolo for this!
How would you describe your recording history up to Biocosmopolitan?
"Biocosmopolitan" is a kind of “second chapter” to my "Insanology" album. And I’m very proud of it, because, in my opinion, it’s a very good progress from "Insanology" in terms of compositions and my voice. "Biocosmopolitan" grew up in a very natural way, l had a definite vision of each song. I knew where my voices (rhythmically, harmonically and melodically) would be overlapping in a complex balance that creates a song. It’s a kind of “concept album” dedicated to the big metropolis, especially to New York City, a place I love very much!
Are there any records or tracks you are particularly proud of?
All tracks represent something to me that I am proud of. I love the groovy sound of "Bicosmopolitan,” thanks to the incredible groove of Mr. Jimmi Haslip. I like the 70s Miles Davis atmosphere of" Concrete Clima," with an amazing trumpet from Paolo Fresu. I love the crazy invention of “My Barry Lindon,” it’s so brief and intense, and ironic at the same time. Last but not least, I’m very proud of my version of the Hendrix’s masterpiece "Crosstown Traffic." I did that with the help of my sound engineer Piero Villa, who is one of my best friends ever. We recorded my vocals in a crazy way. We put my voice from my studio microphone into an old valve microphone preamp, and distorting it with the valve at max and then putting the signal into an original 70s Vox Wah. What a thrill it was! Lot of people say to me it can’t be my voice, it’s a guitar, but it’s actually me singing. I loved to feel like Jimi singing in studio with this set up, my “Vocal Chords Distorted Guitar."
What was the creation process for "Biocosmopolitan" like? How are you using your previous experiences as a writer and performer?
The creation process for my "Biocosmopolitan" was very natural and spontaneous. I can refer to the title (Spontaneous Inventions") of a great Bobby McFerrin album to describe it. That’s how I work and create my songs. I cannot sit in front of my effects or my piano and say: "ok, let’s start composing." In my opinion the creative process is something you cannot control at all. I mean, the basic idea of some new song comes in my mind like a flash, especially at night. My ideas come sometimes in strange places like during someone else’s concerts, at the postal office, or while I’m trying to sleep. The semi-ironic situations are very fruitful for me. For this reason I record these embryonic ideas into my cell phone or directly into my computer if I’m at home. After this “first input,” I work on a kind of “rough version” of the song, deciding the tonality, the beat, and the arrangement idea. And then, after this first step, I start putting all layers of vocal lines, and working hard on the best solution to present the song. I’m examining every single section of the song. Sometimes my songs are the product of many layered voices. In songs like "Concrete Clima," I composed something like 56 different voices, and trust me, composing and mixing all these voices is something crazy sometime.) All previous experiences as writer and performer are very important, absolutely! I think I improved my composition mainly thanks to all my so different experiences (in rock, funk, and jazz, contemporary, avant-garde) and thanks to the tons of live experiences I had in my life!



What was it like to perform with Paolo Fresu and Jimmy Haslip as special guests?
It was such an experience!! I’ve always loved the way Paolo plays his trumpet and flugelhorn. He’s got an incredible technique, a perfect intonation and he sounds very personal with this great mix of “old” and “new” in his sound. I like very much his compositions and his solos are always personal and not just technically perfect. Every time he plays you can hear his soul coming out form the notes he’s playing! And Jimmy Haslip, what can I say? He’s always been one of my all time favorite bass player!! I learned so much from his groove you can’t believe. And talking about complex rhythm, I studied every single groove of him and William Kennedy in their Yellow Jackets albums. It’s been a real honor to have such great artists in my album. And please note that Paolo and Jimmy didn’t play on my CD because I have lot of money, but because they really love my songs and this is something that makes me very proud. They are both amazing human beings, and when I met them personally I immediately understood the reason their music is so intense and communicative, because they’re real musicians and people, and you can feel it in their music!
Biocosmoplitan just received a stateside release through MoonJune Records. What are you personal goals for the new album? Will there be any live appearances to promote the record?
My personal goal for this album is having lots of people listening to it! MoonJune is a small independent company but very well known in the music business and I’m honored to be part of. Leonardo Pavkovic (MoonJune founder and owner) believes in my music and is working hard to promote me, and that’s great! We’re very happy cause we’ve received a lots of very good reviews for both the album and my “strange vision” of singing. And yes, there are some very interesting opportunities to promote my music live. I plan to do in different festivals in Italy, but also I will play abroad. I will perform in Sao Paulo, Brazil at a festival, and then, I’m gonna tour again in Russia and Ukraine. I hope to visit New York by September. What can I say? If you want me to come to sing anywhere in the world, please contact MoonJune Records’ boss, Leonardo Pavkovic, and I’ll be more than happy to fly in and sing for you!

Links:
www.borissinger.eu
www.moonjune.com