“Drums and passion“ - this could be an accurate slogan for Furio Chirico’s life. He recorded his first album at the age of fifteen, played various styles, like progressive rock, jazz, fusion, R&B, and pop, and was one of the few Europeans who performed at the Modern Drummer Festival. Since the mid eighties, his drum set has been built up symmetrically, with the smallest tom in the middle - long before Mike Mangini, for example, discovered this concept. By now, he can be considered one of Europe’s leading drummers, so it is high time to set a spotlight on this man.
(photo by Naojyu Nakamura)
Please tell us about one of your first successful bands, The Trip. Is it true that Ritchie Blackmore was once the guitar player of The Trip?
Furio: Richie Blackmore and Weg Anderson are the founders of The Trip. In the beginning, they used another name for the band. They came to Italy to make music in the mid 1960s, and stayed on. My uncle was a music promoter who owned a famous local club in Turin, where all famous musicians, like Wilson Picket, Dave Anthony Mood, and Brian Auger, played concerts; among them was The Trip. But, the drummer of The Trip unfortunately fell ill, so the band was looking for another drummer who was able to perform with them at the concert. They asked me because I used to participate in their concerts as a drummer sometimes, and for this reason I had already played with them temporarily. Anyway, after some years Richie left Italy to join Deep Purple. In order to continue playing in Italy, The Trip decided to refresh the band with some young Italian musicians, so Joe Vescovi joined as a keyboard player, and around 1970, I officially joined The Trip as a drummer.
Was it easier to become a professional musician in the seventies than it is now?
Furio: In 1970, obviously, there were less good musicians, but it was a time when creative ideas were everywhere - a very special era. In a sense, you can say that there were many men of genius in the music business. In the 1970s, recording and playing were two essential elements, and so being professional was indispensable. Nowadays, there are millions of great musicians. They are musicians with a distinguished technique in finishing a good product, but the artistic contents are missing. The quality of their musical compositions is poor. Not all contemporary musicians lack originality, but most of them are clones, by some means or other.
You were one of the founding members of the band Arti & Mestieri. What musical goals did you have with this band, and did your goals come true?
Furio: In 1973, Arti & Mestieri was founded by Arturo Vitale, Gigi Venegoni, and I. Then, the band was completed with Beppe Crovella, Giovanni Vigliar, and Marco Gallegi. Our goal back then was to create music, by fusing different musical styles, like rock, classical music, and jazz. All six original members had different musical backgrounds: rock, classical music, jazz, etc. In a sense, the musical character of Arti & Mestieri is based on various musical styles, and so the media reviewed the band as progressive rock or jazz-rock, but the originality of the band consisted in special melody lines combined with intense rhythms. The musical concept we had in mind in our formative years - melting progressive-rock and jazz-rock - never changed, and is still the same. That’s why we have two different band formations today to perform as Arti & Mestieri. One is more progressive rock oriented, while the other is more in the jazz-rock vein.
You are the owner of the prestigious Accademia Musica Moderna in Turin, which even offers English courses. What’s the concept behind this school?
Furio: The Accademia Musica Moderna is a school association that has branch schools all over Italy. I am the responsible director of the entire AMM in the Piedmont region. In every course, we provide all tutor/individual lessons for Italians and foreigners. One aim of our concept is to improve each one’s abilities to perform every genre of music. The other aim is to nurse a professional musician. However, I have to say that our principal goal is to create real artists.
(photo by Naojyu Nakamura)
What do you think of (relatively) modern musical styles, like hip hop, techno, or house?
Furio: Every style of music, simple or complex, is interesting, especially its development. Every musical genre has its specific aspects, and should open up for various influences, which is necessary for it to be released out of its stereotyped boundaries, harmonically, rhythmically, etc. I think it’s the same with hip hop, techno, or house.
Is it difficult to enthuse your drum disciples for progressive rock or fusion?
Furio: No, it isn’t difficult at all, because many of the young students nowadays have an artistic relationship to the drum set. They like progressive metal and extreme metal drumming, for instance, and these genres are heavily influenced by progressive rock or fusion drumming.
In 2001, you recorded your solo CD, “Furiosamente.” What makes this record special, in your opinion, in comparison to other drumming CDs?
Furio: Most of the other drumming CDs I own try to show a drummer’s chops. To me, a drumming CD must contain beautiful and interesting pieces - real songs. It’s not important who composed them. Many solo CDs lack creativity. In respect of this fact, “Furiosamente” seems to be a beautiful project.
Won’t it be time to record another solo CD soon?
Furio: Yes, I released a new solo CD called “Father to Son”. This CD is very important to me, for both personal and musical reasons. It features 14 different bands and 14 various pieces from progressive metal to jazz - 14 types of interpretations by 14 individuals. I am working on the production of a musical/theatrical project, entitled “La Sfera di Stravos.” It deals with all the man-made problems that we are faced with, and it’s a complex and interactive work performed by me as a drummer and singer/actor Iano Nicolo’ (from Arti & Mestieri), with the help of an interactive video projection. The libretto was written by Giuseppe Bovello.
Three years ago, you released the last studio CD of Arti & Mestieri. When will you enter a studio to record a new CD from this wonderful band?
Furio: In December of 2008, the band is scheduled to be back to the studio, preparing for the recordings of “Piramidi,” which will be our new studio album. “Piramidi” is the concept album that is based on the book “Il Gigante Del Nilo,”written by the Italian discoverer of the Pyramids Belzoni. The lyrics were written by an Italian author & journalist, Marco Zatterin. He often works for progressive & theatrical projects, so he is one of the most important writers for bands in this genre. His script will be transformed, artistically and physically, by singer Iano Nicolo’.
Are there any plans for a tour of Arti & Mestieri?
Furio: With my new management, SFERA Entertainment, we are working on the participation of some important live concerts. We’ll see.
Are there any projects you are working on at the moment?
Furio: Apart from realizing my musical/theatrical project, “La Sfera di Stravos,” based on my recent CD “Father to Son,” and the next studio recording album of Arti & Mestieri, I am looking for a record company to release the new CD of my latin jazz project, called Chirico Camarca Project “Speculare”. This CD is very musical and passionate, so I hope I will find a company to launch these wonderful songs soon. And, there is also my new project, Furio Chirico & Friends, a trio of 3 different generations - the members are in their twenties, thirties and fifties. We play power-jazz-rock, so I believe this is a very original and interesting concept.
There’s a video on YouTube, where you play a floor tom, while blowing some air via a flexible tube inside to change the pitch. The idea of a “talking floor tom”- without being able to talk while blowing, by the way - is highly original. Did you invent this technique?
Furio: To do this, you need to have 2 good lungs. You blow simultaneously, while having your lips compressed around the tube, as if you are playing a trumpet. The pitch changes depending on the quantity of air that you blow into the tube, and how hard you are pressing your lips around the tube. The harder you blow, the higher the pitch of the tom will be. I can’t say that I invented this technique by myself, because I don’t know that for sure. Maybe there was someone who did that before me. I can only say that I experimented with a floor tom and a tube at the end of 60’s, after I was felt that some air came out of a hole of my floor tom. I thought by myself, it might be a good idea to blow some air into it so that the pitch may be changed, and it worked.
By the way, did you invent some other things concerning drumming?
Furio: As I mentioned before, it’s difficult to say that I invented something absolutely new, but let’s see… I have done so many experimental things. Some of them had interesting and original results, like my “symmetrical” drum set-up (in the early 1980’s).
What do you like best: teaching, recording, or playing live?
Furio: I do not have a preference, but teaching my students and playing live are more exciting, in terms of the energy needed.
You are not a teenager anymore, but you look very sporty. What’s your secret for staying in shape?
Furio: In order to keep on playing progressive rock for 3 hours without a break, you need a sort of super-stamina. Being in good shape, physically and mentally, are both extremely important, especially if you’d like to be a worthy drummer on the active list, and playing hard for years and years. I do weightlifting and drumming practices every day for several hours, along with a healthy diet, so I am able to play the drums like a young guy, although I am in my fifties. I eat pizza or pasta only once a week. On weekdays, I usually eat something low-calorie. This is my concept for staying in excellent form, and for continuing playing the drums all my life!
What was the reason for setting up your drums symmetrically?
Furio: It developed very instinctively. I sat in front of the drums, first. I had set all instruments in a conventional manner for a right-handed person. I started playing the hi hats with my left hand, because I am a left-handed person, and playing the snare drum with my right hand. The bass drum playing went okay from the beginning, because my right foot is the more able one. Just like a soccer player kicking the ball with his right foot, I started drumming naturally. Then, I started improving all my limbs. I placed the snare drum slanted to get the best positions for my left and my right hand, and I placed my hi hats very low - almost at the same height as the snare drum and the floor tom, cutting, setting all up compactly, so I could reach all instruments comfortably. But, the most important thing is to position the toms in an ergonomic way. The first experiences of setting up my drum set that way I made around the mid1980s at the recording of “Children’s Blues” with Arti & Mestieri. Back then, my set was not exactly set up in the so-called mirror/image way (= “Speculare”). Normally, for “Speculare,” you set a tom in the center, then put the sizes small to large on the left and the right symmetrically, and play from the center to the left or to the right. But, my set-up had a tom in the center, then geometrically put the different sizes on the left and the right alternately, besides the positions of the toms for right-handed drummers put in reverse to left-handed drummers. So,with my original geometric “Speculare” set, you can play open-handed, no matter if you are a left-handed or a right-handed player. If you have a tom in the center of your drum set, you can go to the left and to the right, or you can go to the left and to the right alternately. This adds up to 3 different ways of open-handed playing. With this set-up, you are able to develop millions of geometric drumming exercises.
Please tell us something about the percussion orchestra “Il Bateur.”
Furio: “Il Bateur” is an orchestra workshop for drum set and percussion students of our school Accademia Musica Moderna Piedmont. It is coordinated with other 2 teachers from my branch schools, Gianluca Fuiano and Simone Franchino. In the collaboration with these brilliant teachers, this project is very entertaining, and improves the creativity of our students. Naturally, playing live in an orchestra is the principal now, but we plan to release this concept on CD or DVD in the future.
What’s the idea behind your instructional videos, “Passional Drumming,” and “Singin’Drums”?
Furio: These instruction videos shall pass my personal drumming experience, in terms of technique and various styles of music. My intention was to analyze various styles of music, with the focus on arrangement and completion of each piece.
Do you have any plans for the near future?
Furio: As I mentioned before, realizing various CD productions and live performances and, with the help of my management, SFERA Entertainment, popularizing our music and my drumming all over the world.
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