Sergio Armaroli - vibraphone

Elliott Sharp - guitar, soprano saxophone

Steve Piccolo - speech and electronic devices

John Edwards - double bass

Mark Sanders - drums

"Time-traveling Sergio Armaroli takes advantage of this openness. He has previously worked with Downtown legend Elliott Sharp and Steve Piccolo of Lounge Lizards fame. This session also adds two giants of the UK free improvisation scene, bassist John Edwards and drummer Mark Sanders... Like Patchen’s script for “The Voice” in The City Wears a Slouch Hat, Piccolo’s utterances describe people, objects, places, and actions such as “iron scaffolding shaking in the wind,” “chewing on crackers,” and “scraping frosted windshield.” Piccolo’s verses which are the counterpart to Armaroli’s Figure(s), could just as easily have been uttered in Chicago 1942. Both cue the assembled musicians to illustrate the pages of this phantasmagorical graphic novel for the listener." - Mark Corroto

released January 17, 2025

- Bonus: If you buy the full digital album, you get the booklet (PDF, 4 pages) including the complete liner notes. In some countries Bandcamp has to add local taxes (VAT, MWSt) to the above price.

- Recorded at Blackstar Recording Studio, Milan, Italy, on September 15-16, 2023 by Raffaele Stefani; Mixing and PRE-mastering by Elliott Sharp; Final mastering by Michael Brändli, Hardstudios AG; Cover photo by Hans Hagen Stockhausen; Liner notes by Mark Corroto; graphic concept by fuhrer vienna; Associate producer: Christian C. Dalucas; Executive producer: Werner X. Uehlinger.

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VIDEO TRAILER | by Fabio Selvafiorita

DOCU-FILM | by Fabio Selvafiorita

Reviews | Recensioni

SERGIO ARMAROLI QUINTET with ELLIOTT SHARP / STEVE PICCOLO / JOHN EDWARDS / MARK SANDERS - Introducing a Very Heavy Person - First Visit (Hat Ezz-Thetics 114; Switzerland) Featuring Sergio Armaroli on vibes, Elliott Sharp on guitar & soprano sax, Steve Piccolo on speech & electronics, John Edwards on contrabass and Mark Sanders on drums. Italian vibesman & percussionist, Sergio Armaroli has been recording since 2012 and has some forty plus releases out (most on the Dodicilune label) playing with Fritz Hauser, Giancarlo Schiaffini and Harri Sjöström. More recently Mr. Armaroli has two trio discs with Elliott Sharp and Steve Piccolo (original member of the Lounge Lizards), both on the now defunkt Leo Records label. Although Steve Piccolo was the first bassist for the Lounge Lizards, he has since been working as a vocalist & playing electronics, moving to Italy many years back. For this session, that trio is joined by the great British rhythm section of John Edwards and Mark Sanders, both of whom have worked with Evan Parker and Paul Dunmall.

The session here was inspired by a radio play conceived by beat poet Kenneth Patchen and composer John Cage. Things begin sparsely with Piccolo’s calm voice and skeletal bass & vibes underneath. Although the spoken words are used minimally, they still paint a picture or set a scene to consider in our imaginations. The rest of the quintet often erupt with Mr. Armaroli’s vibes fueling whatever direction they go. It’s nice to hear E# playing some soprano sax, an instrument he plays on rare occasions. The band takes off on “Rubber Boots” with the soprano sax & vibes playing some intense interaction as the rhythm team also soars together. Mr. Piccolo just recites one line (with subtle eerie electronics in the distance) which sets the stage for the vibe of the piece, rather like a voice from a detective novel. On “Iron Scaffolding”, the group slows down to a sparse, suspense-filled space. “20 Scratchin Pencils” actually swings with a good groove led by the vibes and a spirited noisy guitar solo by E#. Each of the dozen pieces here evoke a different vibe or mood as the quintet explore different combinations of free form improv which seems to be directed at times. There is an unlikely combination of musicians from different scenes or backgrounds but it does work well. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG

Blurring the boundaries between composition, improvisation, and spoken word, percussionist Sergio Armaroli leads a quintet of Elliott Sharp, Steve Piccolo, John Edwards, and Mark Sanders in an evocative, time-bending sonic narrative, drawing inspiration from John Cage, Kenneth Patchen, and free jazz traditions in a phantasmagorical soundscape and an immersive auditory experience.

 review by John Eyles

Born in Italy in January 1972, Sergio Armaroli is a jazz and improvising musician who has played a variety of percussion instruments, composes, as well as being a visual artist. His earliest album, released under his own name, was Early Alchemy which was studio-recorded in 2007 and released in 2012 on Dodicilune, an Italian label which has released the lion's share of his albums; on that album he was credited with playing bass drum and marimba as well as composing it all. Gradually Armaroli branched out and recorded for other notable labels including Leo, Ictus, Da Vinci Classics and, from 2020, ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd.

Studio-recorded in Milan in September 2023, Introducing A Very Heavy Person is performed by Armaroli on vibraphone, Elliot Sharp on guitar or soprano saxophone, Steve Piccolo on speech and electronic devices, John Edwards on double bass and Mark Sanders on drums — collectively known as Sergio Armaroli Quintet but with a line-up which only retains Armaroli from the quintet that recorded To Play Standard(s) Amnesia (Dodiculune, 2017). The 2023 version of the quintet is ideally suited to the music on the album, the Americans Sharp and Piccolo being familiar with Armaroli, the three having recorded Blue in Mind (Leo, 2020) as a trio. The British pair, Edwards and Sanders, had no previous experience with the Italian, but their time with Evan Parker may have come to Armaroli's attention, particularly as he and Parker recorded Dialog (ezz-thetics, 2023) as a duo.

Although Piccolo is credited with speech and electronics, in practice his combined speeches just exceed one minute of the album's sixty-nine and comprise short snippets which were used to briefly introduce the album's tracks. Piccolo's electronics contribute rather more to the quintet's overall sound and ambience. Armaroli created melodic fragments for the quintet, saying the music is completely improvised. His vibraphone is ever present, underpinning and steering the music of the others. As is to be expected, Edwards and Sanders are just as vital to the quintet's sound and shape, playing the role of a conventional rhythm section but being far freer and adventurous. Of the five players, Sharp is the one most likely to attract listeners' attention; with soloes on soprano saxophone or guitar, he enlivens the music of the others and the whole quintet. Altogether, the album makes compulsive listening.