Rick Margitza, in London for two evenings in Dean Street last week is just an astonishing and individual player. Born in Michigan, he has been based in Paris for the past two decades, where he has a regular residency on Mondays at La Gare near the Porte de La Villette. His billing at the club is “un mythe, le saxophoniste de Miles”. Both of which are definitely true.
Yes a one-time Miles band-member, yes, a myth, but also an artist whose sly chromaticism and long arcs of improvisation surely demand to be heard by anyone who has been affected by the playing of, say, Wayne Shorter…or Brecker… or Joe Henderson The sheer level of thinking and fantasy as he improvises are astonishing. The final number “E.Jones”, a homage to Elvin, gave us one of those long intensity builds which was all the more remarkable for the fact that everything Margitza was playing, right through. and particularly the soulful cry at the top of the arc, seemed to be derived from the material of the tune.
Hats off to Stephen Keogh, who had not only been responsible for instigating this visit, but also called a tune called “Touch” in the second set and that led me to discover a truly great album from Margitza (more of that below).
The interplay and the developing chemistry between Margitza and pianist Matyas Gayer were something special to hear, not least because they both have Hungarian ancestry. It was as if the pianist’s melodic elegance was giving Margitza even more latitude to experiment and play “out”. And bassist Mark Hodgson‘s clarity and big presence of sound were another rock from which Margitza’s storms could be unleashed. Margitza’s ballad playing is compelling. He called “Cry Me A River” – amid thoughts of Olympic events in Paris that had been cancelled because of pollution levels. That was the pretext. The expressiveness of the playing was unforgettable.
The great creative tenor players all find individual ways to express themselves. Rick Margitza – surely – is one of them.
A DIGRESSION / “TOUCH” AND THE ALBUM MEMENTO
Stephen Keogh chose the tune “Touch” because it is from a great album. I have been listening to it on repeat since the gig, and recommend it as being VERY special.. but was also very intrigued by the cover:

Rick explained that the image combines stories which inspired two of the album’s tracks, “Memento” (“one of the prettiest, yet saddest, tunes Margitza has ever written” – JazzTimes) and “My Truck Broke”, much more chatty and playful. The title track is a dedication to a particularly difficult break-up: “So the Memento that I was left with was a broken heart,” Margitza has explained. Then there is the story which a fellow musician told Rick. This pianist was conducting a class with young children and was trying to explain to them the meaning of the blues. “He asked the kids if they could give an example of something that gave them the blues, and one little boy raised his hand and said, talking about one of his toys, “my truck broke”.
Two very different sources of inspiration, but drawing on emotions that are connected. Hence the front cover picture. The back is how it ends. The truck truly is broke. But a great album is there waiting to be listened to!

SET LIST (originals by Rick Margitza except where stated)
Witches
Jitterbug Waltz (Fats Waller)
Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton)
St. Sonny
Warm
Touch
Love Dance (Ivan Lins)
E.Jones