MARTHA J. & CHEBAT QUARTET
featuring GIULIO CORINI and MAXX FURIAN
New album "Amelia," dedicated to the music of Joni Mitchell.
PRESS RELEASE
Press Release: New Album "Amelia" by Martha J. & Chebat Quartet
Published by the independent label Clessidra Records, "Amelia" is the new album by Martha J. & Chebat Quartet, featuring Giulio Corini and Maxx Furian. The album will be available on major digital platforms starting Friday, February 16, 2024, and will also be released in physical format.
This brilliant ensemble consists of Martha J. on vocals, Francesco Chebat on piano, Giulio Corini on double bass, and Maxx Furian on drums, two highly sought-after sidemen in the current jazz scene.
The tracklist comprises eleven songs, arranged by Francesco Chebat and originally written by Joni Mitchell, with the exception of "A Chair in the Sky" and "Sweet Sucker Dance," where the lyrics are by Mitchell and the music by Charles Mingus. This album is an affectionate tribute to the exceptional Canadian singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell, who turns eighty this year.
"Amelia" is a jazz love letter dedicated to Joni Mitchell, where the sense of swing, groove, and the quartet’s feeling are the leitmotifs of the entire album. The work is enriched by seductive funk and soul influences, modern sounds that nod to contemporary jazz, and the soulful spirit that characterizes the four protagonists of the CD.
Martha J. and Francesco Chebat describe the genesis and mood of "Amelia" as follows: “Joni Mitchell’s music has accompanied me since adolescence, shaping my musical journey,” says Martha J. “The album contains eleven Joni Mitchell songs revisited according to our personal vision while respecting the original material. The common thread of this work is the exploration of the most incisive and vibrant soul of her production from the album ‘Court and Spark’ onwards, involving figures such as Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine, Wayne Shorter,” explain the singer and pianist. “We aimed to capture the earthiest essence of Joni Mitchell, reflecting this inspiration in our contemporary jazz arrangements. The choice of songs was guided by the desire to reinterpret the less frequently covered ones, offering a new and passionate perspective. This project is a tribute made in honor of the eightieth birthday of this extraordinary artist who has influenced generations of singers and musicians.”
INFO
NEWS
+ 39 320 344 6716
fchebat@gmail.com
Venerdì 28 marzo 2025 ore 21
Martha J. & Chebat Quartet
Associazione Fondazione Rabezzana
Domodossola
Mercoledì 26 marzo 2025 ore 21
Martha J. & Chebat with Maxx Furian
Osteria Rabezzana
via San Francesco d’Assisi 23C, Torino
Venerdì 21 marzo 2025 ore 21
Martha J. & Chebat with JW ORCHESTRA
Summoner’s Tales - omaggio a Sting
Teatro Gavazzeni
via Marconi (piazza Cattaneo 1)
Seriate (BG), Italy
Martedì 4 marzo 2025 ore 21
Biella Jazz Club
Palazzo Ferrero - C.so del Piazzo 25, Biella, Italy
Martha J. & Chebat quartet
featuring Giulio Corini and Maxx Furian
“AMELIA”
Sabato 27 luglio 2024 ore 21
Estate- In Cene (BG)
Martha J. & Chebat quartet featuring Giulio Corini and Maxx Furian - AMELIA live
Martedì 4 marzo 2025 ore 21
Biella Jazz Club
Palazzo Ferrero - C.so del Piazzo 25, Biella, Italy
Martha J. & Chebat quartet featuring Giulio Corini and Maxx Furian - AMELIA live
Giovedì 12 settembre 2024 ore 21
Dici8 10 via Marconi 63, Lovere (BG)
Martha J. & Chebat quartet featuring Giulio Corini and Maxx Furian
PRESS REVIEW
... Martha J. and Francesco Chebat manage it with grace: the voice retains the inflections of the artist being honored, but adds its own emotions, while the pianist (along with the bass and drums) creates fluid and swinging arrangements. Claudio Sessa - Corriere della Sera
“… It’s wonderful that someone like Martha J., an excellent vocalist, and her group choose to venture mostly onto the less traveled, less frequented, and less comfortable paths of the great Canadian’s musical world, where it’s easy to get lost. Here, however, measure, taste, and elegance are guaranteed.”
(...) An arrangement – crafted by Francesco Chebat – that is never over the top, elegant and creative, a solid voice at times extraordinarily similar to that of the singer-songwriter, and a quartet in a state of grace that has managed to recreate that Mitchell-esque atmosphere of open tunings, long reflections translated into good jazz, with a rhythm section that is not just "rhythm" but expands in its own form (...) Beppe Ceccato - Read full article
“(...) From a vocal standpoint, Martha J is composed and gracious, soft in the mid-high range and naturally inclined towards lyrical passages that seem to be the emotional center of the performance, in absolute harmony with the sonic interplay of the musicians chosen for this attractive, perfectly swinging, and airy album that brings joy to the listener (...) It is worth highlighting the skill of the band, which unquestionably has Jazz in its heart and mind: the beautiful registers of Francesco Chebat for a floating and fluid Fender Rhodes, equally elegant on the piano, the harmonious lines of Giulio Corini's double bass, and Maxx Furian's drums.
The journey of Martha J and Chebat is a mature one (...) without any drop in tension and always coherent. Therefore, it will be enough to be surprised by the meticulous preparation of the album, immerse oneself in the well-defined rhythms guided by the vocalist's sensitivity—tempered, clear, warm, expressive, refined, I would say steeped in an intense Love for Joni Mitchell's Art without ever feeling the need to imitate its collected nature, but rather caressing its magnificent jazz evolutions, essential flavors of a suggestive, brilliant, and poetic album.” Fabrizio Ciccarelli - Read full article
(...) a refined and elegant jazz, never over the top, which fits into a path designed and already traced by the artist. But an album like Amelia is not important just because it is elegant or addresses important themes; it is fundamental in a historical time when the memory of the greats of music seems to have been lost in the new generations, who with their works have given poetry. And if the music business serves its own interests, the media do even worse to cater to the market, but that's another story... Now is the time to surrender to the music.. Fortunato Mannino - Read full article.
“(...) a jazz combo that has fully succeeded in revisiting 11 tracks among Mitchell's lesser-known ones, those more linked to fusion (...) They are the Martha J. & Chebat Quartet (vocals and piano) supported by Giulio Corini on double bass and Maxx Furian on drums. The album, splendid, is titled "Amelia" and offers their sensitive vision of the music of the Canadian singer-songwriter, marking it with classic blues swing but also with a lot of contemporaneity starting from jazz. Martha's voice is pure emotion and she immerses herself in this project with great sensitivity and sophistication, just like Francesco Chebat's acoustic and electric piano, which manages to perfectly synthesize classical style with modernity. Furthermore, the rhythm section with its pulsating beat is able to move between various moods. (...) A clear, pristine sound with truly high-level arrangements for a work that I feel confident recommending to both Joni Mitchell fans and jazz lovers, but above all, to enthusiasts of quality music”. Luca Redapolis - Read full article
"Amelia" is a well-executed tribute, simultaneously an act of love for Joni Mitchell and a personal expression of the Chebat Quartet, composed of highly skilled musicians, here aided by well-crafted, original, and respectful arrangements. EM - Read full article.
“Swing, groove, and the quartet's feeling are the leitmotif of the entire album. All embellished with enticing funk-soul nuances, modern sounds that nod to contemporary jazz, and the soulful spirit that characterizes the four protagonists of the CD. (...) Martha confirms herself to be that classy, refined, and versatile singer with a velvety and enveloping timbre, along with an engaging interpretative lightness.“ Antonino Ianniello - Read full article
(...) It's a true pleasure to be enchanted once again by the notes of songs like "Free Man In Paris," "Black Crow," "Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire," and "Amelia," presented with interesting musical nuances that blend funky and soul with modern jazz. (...) The undertaking was courageous, as the risks involved in such a comparison were many, but the success is truly fantastic, and we highly recommend listening to this album, happily inspired and well-executed. (...) Giancarlo De Chirico - Read full article.
“ … An album that shines for the clarity of its ideas, for the vocal interpretation, for the arrangements, for the elegant performances, and for its ability to compact different souls (folk, jazz, rock) into a cohesive, distinctive vision— not vacuously provocative, but instead capable of offering a different perspective on what remains an important legacy. Accessible to everyone, even die-hard Mitchell fans.”. Vittorio Formenti - Mescalina - Read full article.
“(...) Martha J.'s originality emerges in all its adamantine clarity, and where the jazz atmospheres sometimes thicken, (...) the eleven tracks contained in "Amelia" are reborn through parthenogenesis, after being regenerated in a new creative amniotic fluid. Not an easy or obvious operation, but entirely evident (…) Part of the credit goes to the three musicians accompanying her, who constantly manage to create that typical jazz mood capable of infusing new vitality into any sound and vocal composition. (...)” Francesco Cataldo Verrina - Read full article
“(...) (Amelia) is a dense and substantial work, without unnecessary aesthetic contortions. Moving within the realm of essential jazz, often infused with rock and soul, supported by the technical prowess of its members and the sound compositional principles of the arrangement, the group orbits with its own personal trajectory around the Mitchellian planet, without being overly drawn by its gravitational field.
Francesco Chebat (...) his pianism is surprisingly fresh and imaginative and reminds me, at times, of Bollani's ever-changing improvisation. Martha J. & Chebat Quartet possesses the perfect grammar that allows for the rewriting, in a new, respectful yet courageous form, of some of the most beautiful pages of music from recent decades. The relationship with the recent past demonstrated by this ensemble, and particularly by Martha J., is characterized by the preservation of Mitchell's intense dreamy capacity, moving on the sometimes dizzyingly narrow steps of her singing style, offering a brilliant reinterpretation far from twilight excesses. Riccardo Talamazzi - Read full article.
“(...) "Amelia" is a project in which the protagonist's love for the Canadian legend shines through, unfolded in eleven tracks that perfume and sprinkle the atmosphere with purest Jazz, sometimes brilliant and assertive, other times more rarefied. The balance between the singer and the band is of a visceral elegance, perfect. Martha J.'s voice not only serves as a medium for music but also knows the art of pauses and silences, no less resonant, where the accompanying musicians venture forth, each time with a different sign. (...)” Giuseppe Attardi - Read full article
“(...) a clearly cohesive quartet, led by Martha J. on vocals and Francesco Chebat on piano and Fender Rhodes, complemented by the imaginative instrumental solidity expressed by Giulio Corini on double bass and Maxx Furian on drums. A solid yet fluid instrumental setup, as evidenced by the various atmospheres sketched with a communicative, lively, and immediate approach in the eleven tracks gathered on this album. (...)” - Alessandro Rigolli
“(...) Martha J., Francesco Chebat, Giulio Corini, and Maxx Furian take on (with courageous arrangements) eleven songs, transforming them into a key often more accessible and "cool" than the originals. Mission accomplished, with grace, elegance, and sophistication, combined with the band's superb technique. Fans of the Canadian singer-songwriter will be more than satisfied.” Antonio Bacciocchi - Read full article.
“… a first-rate achievement by Martha J. and her three fellow adventurers… Martha J. has a flexible, agile voice, unhesitating in seeking ‘other chords’… Francesco Chebat’s piano notes are magical, weaving a network of communication with Martha J.’s vocals throughout the pieces… a fresh and modern album that feels like riding a roller coaster without any danger, experiencing only enjoyment.” Mimmo Mastrangelo - L’Avvenire
Leggi l’articolo. Fabrizio Basso -SkyTG24
RADIO
MARTHA J. (vocals) Very young, she embarked on her singing and guitar-playing journey as a self-taught enthusiast, driven by an unwavering passion for music. She commenced her career in 1986, performing at various venues across Milan and Northern Italy as a singer and guitarist, with a repertoire of songs by English and American bands and singer-songwriters such as The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, along with English and Irish folk music including influences like The Pentangle. In 1988, she founded the band “Proxima", in which she is lead vocalist and co-author. With the band, she participated in the Sanremo Festival in 1990, released two CDs under PDU/EMI, and performed numerous concerts in Italy and abroad, particularly in Canada.
From 1999 onwards, she primarily focuses on jazz, adopting the nickname "Martha J.," and embracing a repertoire of timeless classics and from the jazz tradition. Her inspiration is drawn from luminaries such as Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, and Billie Holiday. In 2008, she releases her first two jazz standard albums: "That's it!" as a quartet (featuring Francesco Chebat, Roberto Piccolo, and Stefano Bertoli), and "No One But You" (voice and piano with Francesco Chebat). The following significant reviews emerge: "Martha J. is a natural in classic jazz fittings with a smooth melodic mannerism reminiscent of Edith Piaf and the vivacious swing-jazz incisions of Jane Monheit..." – Jazz Times.com - Sheer loveliness, Italian-born vocalist/goddess Martha J. has the dulcet pitch of Petula Clark, the bedroomy-eye timbres of Lena Horne, and the exquisite nuances reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald." - Susan Frances, jazzreview.com
In the following years, she continues her collaboration with Francesco Chebat and releases several albums, some of which feature original compositions (see Discography). Throughout her career, she joined forces with a myriad of Italian and international musicians, both live and in studio, including Maxx Furian, Antonio Zambrini, Tino Tracanna, Ellade Bandini, Attilio Zanchi, Toni Arco, Lele Melotti, Giulio Corini, Francesco Chebat, Stefano Bertoli, Roberto Piccolo, Sergio Orlandi, Giovanni Monteforte, Marco Bianchi, Guido Bombardieri, Marcello Noia, Francesco D’Auria, Michele Bozza, Enrico Galetta, Vittorio Castelli, Carmelo Tartamella, Carol Sudhalter, Larry Ray, Richard Lanham, and many other exceptional talents.
Over the years, she has participated in thousands of musical events of various sizes, including festivals, clubs, theaters, private events, television, and radio. These experiences enable her to deliver high-quality performances on any stage, conveying authenticity and engaging the audience both in significant settings and more intimate environments, on TV, radio, studio and live performances. In the Pop realm, she participated in various programs on the RAI (Italian Radio and Television) and Mediaset networks, and major radio networks. She has performed many concerts in Italy and Canada.
As a jazz singer, these are the events she most loves to remember: Festival Mutamenti (Levico and Aulla), Mendrisiotto Jazz Club (Switzerland), Bonaventura Jazz Club (Milan), Piacenza Jazz Fest, Estate In (Bergamo), Dieci10 Jazz Club (Bergamo), Teatro Tirinnanzi (Legnano), Le 2 Rive del Jazz (Boario Terme), Donne In-Canto (Milan), Open Jazz Festival (Ivrea), Match Music (Sky tv), Il Ritmo delle Città (Magenta), Festival del Cinema, Spazio RSI, Locarno (Switzerland), Osijek Jazz Festival, Valtidone Festival, Brianza Open Jazz Festival…
FRANCESCO CHEBAT (piano) born in Trento (Italy) in 1978, studied classical music at the Milan Conservatory (piano and composition). During his studies, he started listening to jazz and jazz-rock, more specifically to Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Jimmy Smith. He studied jazz music with teachers from Berklee College (Larry Monroe, Jeff Stout, Russel Hoffman) and with Italian jazz musicians (Tino Tracanna, Giovanni Tommaso). He began performing in clubs in Milan and since then he has played with several important musicians, such as Dave Weckl, Tino Tracanna, Attilio Zanchi, Gianluigi Trovesi, Maurizio Giammarco, Giovanni Falzone, Riccardo Fioravanti, Maxx Furian, Yuri Goloubev, Emilio Soana, Paolo Tomelleri, JW Orchestra (diretta da Marco Gotti), Luca Meneghello, Javier Girotto, Andrea Tofanelli, Sergio Orlandi, Tony Arco, Enrico Intra, Kyle Gregory, Paolo Pellegatti and many others.
Over these years, he performed in more than a thousand musical events, both large and small: jazz festivals, clubs, theaters, television broadcasts, private events, among which the main ones are: Festival Mutamenti, Mendrisiotto Jazz Club (Svizzera), Monfrà Jazz Fest, Ambria Jazz Festival, Bergamo Jazz Festival, Piacenza Jazz, Le 2 Rive della Jazz, Blue Note Milano, International Jazz Festival Osijek (Croazia), Iseo Jazz, Brianza Open jazz festival, Lario Festival, Valtidone festival, Match Music (Sky tv), Jazz Club Bergamo, Ivrea Jazz Club, Società del Quartetto (Bergamo), Locarno Film Festival, Radio Popolare Roma, Auditorium della Camera del Lavoro di Milano, Piccolo Teatro…
He has been working with vocalist Martha J. as pianist and arranger, since 2008. They produced eight albums together, with different bands. They recorded songs from the traditional jazz repertoire and many originals. Their latest album is dedicated to The Beatles and it features jazz arrangements of a selection of their songs. Since 2006, Francesco has also been playing with JW Orchestra, conducted by saxophonist Marco Gotti, who has written many avant-guard arrangements for this big band. Francesco Chebat is pianist and composer of the Saddex project, whose debut CD has recently been released, together with Alessandro Bottacchiari on trumpet, and Maxx Furian on drums.
REVIEWS: "…What strikes the most is the simplicity and elegance of Francesco Chebat: and this makes his music a work of extreme interest." Luca Labrini – Jazzitalia.net - "Francesco Chebat: essential, refined, never arbitrary… displays intense interpretive distinction and a beautiful, evolved, intelligent, versatile play, rich with imaginative rhythmic insights and virtuosity, guided by airy harmonic sophistication." Bruno Schiozzi – Musica Jazz
GIULIO CORINI (double bass), Graduating in 2001 with top honors from CPM under the guidance of Dino D'Autorio and Attilio Zanchi, Giulio Corini later specialized in double bass and improvisation under the tutelage of Franco Testa, Giovanni Maier, Paolino Dalla Porta, Furio Di Castri, Piero Leveratto, Scott Colley, Drew Gress, and Ben Allison.
From 2003 to 2008, he participated in the "Permanent Laboratories of Musical Research" led by Stefano Battaglia at the Siena Jazz Foundation. In 2009, he won a scholarship to represent Italy at the 20th International Meeting of the I.A.S.J. (International Association of Schools of Jazz) directed by Dave Liebman in The Hague, Netherlands. Among the most intriguing improvisers of his generation, Giulio Corini has collaborated for years with prominent names in international jazz: from Enrico Rava to John Abercrombie, from Francesco Bearzatti to Stefano Battaglia, Ralph Alessi, Jim Snidero, Sandro Gibellini, Tino Tracanna, Bebo Ferra, Giovanni Falzone, Garrison Fewell, Javier Girotto, and more. Since 2005, he has directed the musical research project Libero Motu, with which he has released "Libero Motu" (2007), "Off-Site Meetings" (2009), and "Future Revival" (2015).
He was selected for the "Take Off" project, an original production by the Fondazione Teatro Grande di Brescia, performing specially composed scores by Maestro Mauro Montalbetti. During various artistic residencies at the Teatro Grande, the ensemble hosted Estonian composer and saxophonist Maria Faust, singer Gaia Mattiuzzi, electronic music composer Økapi, and American singer-songwriter Julia Holter. He was invited to the first edition of "Tutto questo sentire - international encounters on matters of sound," an artistic residency involving excellence from around the world in the fields of jazz, electronic music, multimedia performance, and new classical music.
The quartet Double Cut, co-founded with Tino Tracanna, Massimiliano Milesi, and Filippo Sala, ranked second in the "Group of the Year 2018" category in the Italian critics' referendum by the magazine "Musica Jazz" and embarked on a tour in Africa. Alongside Simona Severini and Daniele Richiedei, he is a member of "Fedra," an ensemble that offers a reinterpretation of ancient music, performing at various events including the "Concerts of the Cappella Paolina" series at the Quirinal Palace and the music season of the Italian Institute of Culture C.M. Lerici in Stockholm. As part of "Bergamo Brescia capitale della cultura 2023," he was involved by the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo in the "Panorchestra," a ten-member orchestra led by Tino Tracanna with guests Jonathan Finlayson and Steven Bernstein. With various formations directed by Mauro Ottolini ("Ottovolante," "Nada Mas Fuerte," "Sea Shells," "Sousaphonix"), he has participated in various editions of Umbria Jazz and major Italian jazz festivals, accompanying various singers and songwriters including Morgan, Vittorio De Scalzi, Gigi D'Alessio, Riccardo Fogli, Renzo Rubino, and Francesco Baccini.
His discography includes more than 60 titles released by El Gallo Rojo Records, Auand Records, CAM Records, Parco della Musica Records, Sony Classical, Abeat, Ritmo&Blue Records, Caligola Records, and more.
MAXX FURIAN (drums) was born in Milan on November 8, 1966. His first encounter with the drums happened at the age of 10 when he began studying with the renowned educator Enrico Lucchini. Remaining true to the jazz tradition, he pursued various paths that led him to become a highly skilled fusion drummer, simultaneously developing a strong musical identity he himself dubbed as the "Liquid Groove Drummer."
In 1993, Maxx relocated to Los Angeles to study under Chad Wakerman, an experience that proved pivotal to his artistic inspiration. He also specialized in R&B, jazz, and funk grooves. In March 2002, he participated in the Memorial Tribute to Jeff Porcaro in Koblenz, Germany.
In the realm of jazz, he has collaborated and continues to collaborate with notable artists such as Randy Brecker, Antonio Faraò, Mike Mainieri, David Garfield, Mario Rusca, Riccardo Fioravanti, Paolo Birro, Federico Malaman, Alberto Bonacasa, Stefano Senni, Ada Rovatti, Jeff Berlin, Stefano Cerri, Marco Micheli, Paolo Fresu, Janek Gwizdala, Bob Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Mauro Negri, Mattia Cigalini, Marco Ricci, Tullio Ricci, Alberto Tafuri, Michael Blake, Marco Micheli, Perico Sambeat, Mark Nightingale, Emanuele Cisi, Aldo Mella, Andrea Dulbecco, Enrico Rava, Furio Di Castri, Horacio “el negro” Hernandez, Mike Stern, Flavio Boltro, Sonny Taylor, Laura Fedele, Massimo Moriconi, Marco Bianchi, Gigi Ciffarelli, Christian Galvez, Bebo Ferra, and many others.
In 1992, he founded the jazz trio "New Trio One" with Marco Bianchi, participating in prominent festivals in Europe, recording three albums, and currently preparing a fourth CD. Another spectacular ensemble he plays with is "La Drummeria," a group of five top-level drummers performing without the accompaniment of other instruments. In 2010, he established the "Timelin3" formation with Federico Malaman, Alberto Bonacasa, and Marco Scipione, resulting in two albums.
Among his recent projects are: Andrea Dulbecco Trio (with Michele Tacchi), The Thieves (with Tullio Ricci, Marco Ricci, Roberto Tafuri), Liquid Places (with Mauro Negri, Paolo Birro, Stefano Senni), Nick the Nightfly Big Band, Tlife (with Lorenzo Feliciati, Francesco Chebat, Luca Meneghello), Saddex (with Alessandro Bottacchiari, Francesco Chebat, Yuri Goloubev).
Masterclasses: Drummers Collective NY, MI Los Angeles.
In the pop genre, he has collaborated with Laura Pausini, Nek, 883, Max Pezzali, Franco Battiato, Patty Pravo, Dj Francesco, Suor Cristina, Enzo Jannacci, Rossana Casale, Paola e Chiara, Luka Jurman, Fabio Concato, and Ornella Vanoni.