His compositions are ambitious, idiosyncratic and imaginative. Nevertheless, the purely physical component of making music is an essential factor for Jonathan Salvi. "When I play the vibraphone, I dance!" This is also conveyed when you experience him live, as people tell him time and again. The impression of dancing is reinforced by the fact that the Swiss musician always plays with four mallets. His excellent technique goes hand in hand with improvisational brilliance. It was long overdue for the international jazz world to discover his class.
"Arugula" is Jonathan Salvi's second own production. He had already released the first in 2017 together with compatriot Samuel Blaser, the renowned trombonist. A project with an historical reference: both love the Blue Note album "Destination... Out!" recorded by alto saxophonist Jackie McLean in 1963. The young Bobby Hutcherson, who played in other grandiose album recording of progressive jazz at that time, played the vibraphone on that album:. Salvi’s acknowledgment is obvious: "Of course, Gary Burton is technically outstanding, but the big inspiration for me is Bobby Hutcherson." Jonathan Salvi’s sound and playing style are emphatically percussive. However, this is also related to other musical preferences. African musical styles have influenced him as well as various variations of Latin percussion, especially Cuban.
The musicians, who he engaged for Arugula, live in various cities in Switzerland: Bern, Lausanne and Biel. Jonathan Salvi is from Neuchâtel. After receiving training in Lucerne, Lausanne and Strasbourg, France, he returned to his hometown. He still knows the core of the line-up from his seminal years of study in Lucerne, above all pianist Robinson de Montmollin. Vibraphone, piano and guitar together in such a formation: that’s quite a courageous decision. This was no big deal for Salvi, because it simply corresponded to his specific conceptual and compositional ideas. The clever, multi-layered arrangements show how well this can work, according to the principle: it's all a question of the distribution of roles.
Salvi's pieces and arrangements are rich and complex, starting with the multi-layered rhythmic structures. Before the studio date, the band performed a series of concerts: the perfect warm-up to give the demanding tracks a natural flow. This creates the perfect connection for Salvi: "Composition and arrangement are at least as important to me as the solo contributions. I usually don't like it when the most interesting thing about a piece is the improvisation." The fact that he also possesses enormous lyrical qualities is revealed by the atmospheric "Warning". "Floating River" sounds atmospheric in a different way.
Jonathan Salvi is in his early 30s. Even though "Arugula" is a stable band, the vibraphonist admits that he cannot be satisfied with just one band. There is currently also a trio and an eleven-piece formation for which he has written music. He also finds it attractive to perform as an interpreter in the context of classical and contemporary music. He plays that music time and again. However, "I feel more comfortable on a jazz stage".
Jonathan Salvi, an enthusiastic chef, came up with the idea of the sextet name while preparing a meal. In a cooking recipe, he came across the plant called “arugula” several times. "I just like the sound of that word." And he thinks that his music has many things in common with the tasty arugula: the spicy and refreshing aspects, for example.
