Robert Castelli BOOM! Quartet, Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester, 09/10/2025.

Robert Castelli – drums, Francesco Lo Castro – guitar, Jonny Wickham – electric bass, Anita Lazinska – keyboards

Drummer, composer and bandleader Robert Castelli made a triumphant return to the Marr’s Bar as part of Music Spoken Here’s Re; Play Series, which sees acts that visited the Marr’s Bar in MSH’s early days being invited back to perform in front of a larger audience than first time round, now that MSH has begun to build a following.

Castelli’s performance in March 2023 was the first MSH performance that I ever attended. I was an instant convert to the MSH cause and have attended and reviewed many events since. MSH instigator Dave Fuller has done a superb job in bringing so much quality music to Worcester, often featuring musicians rarely seen outside London.

MSH has now been running for three years and has developed a loyal following. The audience for tonight’s show was at least double in size to that of 2023 and there was a palpable feeling that this evening represented a significant EVENT for band, promoter and audience. The crowd were fully behind the quartet from the get go and the band responded accordingly with some terrific playing. Credit is also due to sound engineer Willis who achieved an excellent balance throughout, allowing each instrumentalist to be heard clearly and at their best.

It was slightly different version of Castelli’s London based BOOM! Quartet line up than visited the Marr’s Bar previously. Castelli, guitarist Francesco Lo Castro and bassist Jonny Wickham had all been present in 2023 but Marco ‘Monster’ Marconi was unavailable and was replaced on keyboards by the Polish born musician Anita Lazinska, who was playing her first gig with the band. She acquitted herself superbly and seemed to be absolutely delighted to be playing with such high quality musicians in front of such a supportive audience. She fitted in brilliantly and won herself a lot of new fans in the process.

Born in New York State of Italian heritage into a drumming family (his father and uncle were both pro drummers) Castelli started playing at a very early age and in addition to his obvious skill behind the kit he is also a talented composer and bandleader. He has lived and worked in Europe for many years, first basing himself in Austria before moving to Spain and settling in Barcelona.

I first saw Castelli perform back in 2010 at that year’s Brecon Jazz Festival when he led a London based quartet featuring guitarist Nicolas Meier, saxophonist Dave O’Higgins and bassist Patrick Bettison at Theatr Brycheiniog. That was an early morning gig but it was a highly enjoyable event that helped to get the day off to a great start. My review of that performance can be found as part of my Festival coverage here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/saturday-at-breon-jazz-festival-07-08-2010

After the Brecon show I spoke with Castelli and he was kind enough to provide me with a review copy of the first Boom! Quartet album from 2008, which included a number of the tunes that had been played at Brecon. It featured an Austrian quartet comprised of saxophonist Tom Muller, guitarist Mike Scharf and the curiously named bassist Struzi, who also acted as recording engineer. My review of that recording, which I described at the time as being “a muscular but intelligent brand of fusion and funk” can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/robert-castelli-boom-quartet

2010 saw Castelli introducing new material and a new Austrian quartet featuring saxophonist Sebastian Grimus, guitarist Roland Stonek and bassist Hannes Steif on the live recording “Live at Porgy & Bess Vienna”.  Besides leading from behind the kit Castelli also enjoyed a brief cameo on acoustic guitar in a flamenco flavoured duet with Stonek. Album review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/robert-castelli-boom-quartet-live-at-porgy-bess-vienna

In 2020 and now resident in Barcelona after thirteen years in Austria Castelli introduced another new version of Boom!, a truly international quartet featuring other musicians based in Barcelona. In addition to the leader the group included Argentinian guitarist Dani Perez, Swiss keyboard player Gilles Estoppey and the only Spaniard in the group, bassist Emilio Martin, who hails from Gran Canaria.

Their album “Party at One World Plaza” features Castelli’s writing exclusively (the two earlier albums had also included compositions by other band members) and is a digital only release. I usually only cover physical releases but after having remained in regular email contact with Robert since 2010 I was prepared to make an exception and was very pleased that I did so. “Party at One World Plaza” represents Castelli’s most satisfying album thus far and is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/robert-castelli-and-boom-party-at-one-world-plaza
I still wish it was also available on CD though.

The 2023 show had featured material from “One World Plaza” in addition to several pieces by Lo Castro, a talented and prolific composer. Indeed the guitarist was to bring his own group to the Marr’s Bar for an MSH event in May 2023. This was another excellent performance from a band that also featured Sam Leak on keyboards, Rob Statham on electric bass and the Midlands’ own Neil Bullock at the drums. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/artists/profile/robert-castelli-boom-quartet-tom-hodgkins-trio

Tonight’s performance again featured a mix of material from Castelli and Lo Francesco. Some of the tunes had been played last time round, but it was great to hear them again and nobody was left feeling disappointed.

The performance began with the funk and Latin flavourings of “Vamos”, a Castelli composition from the “Party at One World Plaza” album. This combined infectious grooves with breezy melodies and included powerful solos from Lo Castro on guitar and Lazinska on keyboards, deploying an electric piano sound on her Nord Electro 4. The leader was also featured at the kit as the evening got off to a lively and exhilarating start.

Taking the mic for the first time Castelli was quick to ‘big up’ Dave Fuller and the work of Music Spoken Here, while stressing the importance of grass-roots music in general. It’s a theme that runs throughout his interview with Dave as part of MSH’s “Piece Talks” series on Youtube and Facebook. Castelli is also scathing of the general ‘dumbing down’ of popular culture and the concentration of wealth in the hands of an increasingly rich few. He comes at it from an American perspective, but you can see what he’s talking about happening in the UK and Europe too. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom as he encouraged his bandmates to applaud the adventurous listeners making up tonight’s audience. To paraphrase an ex PM whose name I’d rather not mention we really are all in this together.

Dave Fuller’s work is acknowledged in the title of Lo Castro’s tune “Music Spoken There”, a dedication to the MSH series. It’s a fitting tribute, a highly melodic piece led by Lo Castro’s Metheny-esque guitar and also including a searing synth solo from Lazinska, played on (I think) a Novation synthesiser. The combination of guitar and synth melody lines was sometimes reminiscent of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, a comparison that is very much intended as a compliment.

Also from the “Party At One World Plaza” album the funky “Your Lucky Number” featured Lazinska playing a mix of organ and synth sounds and deploying an organ sound for her solo. Driven by Castelli’s ‘in the pocket’ drum grooves the piece also included a feature for bassist Wickham and a stratospheric guitar solo from Lo Castro, with John Scofield, one of Lo Castro’s acknowledged influences, perhaps the most obvious reference point.

Castelli is an exuberant character who presents his shows with an obvious enthusiasm. “Can drummers be quiet?” he asked the audience, “especially if they’re American – and Italian?”. All this was by way of introducing the ballad “For The Fallen”, a beautiful piece from the “One World Plaza” album. More seriously Castelli suggested that before the band started playing the music that the audience members should pause for a few moments of silent reflection for those they had lost. At the 2023 show we had just lost Wayne Shorter, and once again he entered the thoughts of some audience members. I also remember the 2023 show as featuring an arrangement of “Footprints”, perhaps Shorter’s best known composition, as a further tribute.
Tonight’s performance saw Castelli taking up the brushes for the first time as Wickham played a liquidly melodic electric bass solo above the sound of keyboard washes and gently rippling guitar arpeggios. Lazinska introduced a softly chiming Rhodes like sound before soloing on synthesiser, the momentum of the music gradually increasing as Castelli switched to sticks. As previously this unexpectedly poignant piece helped to provide a welcome element of light and shade and again represented a set highlight.

During 2019, Lo Castro successfully completed the self imposed challenge of writing a new tune for every week of the year. Tonight’s first first set concluded with an original simply titled “Week Nine”. This closed things out in an upbeat, breezy fashion and featured Lazinska on both ‘acoustic’ piano and synth either side of a soaring guitar solo from the composer. Band leader Castelli was also featured with a lengthy unaccompanied drum passage, an extended hammering that eventually led into a collective reprise of the main melodic theme. Terrific stuff, which left the audience feeling very satisfied as they went into the break.

Set two maintained the high standards and commenced with “Floatin’”, another Castelli composition from the “World Plaza” album. Introduced by Castelli’s drums, underscored by Lazinska’s synth washes, this featured taut,  Scofield like guitar melodies, a distinctive fuzz bass solo from Wickham and additional solos from Lo Castro on guitar and Lazinska on organ.

By his own admission Lo Castro finds naming tunes more difficult than writing them. His titles range from the prosaic (“Week Nine”) to the whimsical as evidenced by the next piece “The Adventures of Big Watermelon Squishy Ball”, surely the most unusual, and probably the longest, tune title we’ve encountered at MSH. Its composer was quick to establish a fast shuffling funk groove that provided the platform for solos from Lazinska, mixing organ and synth sounds, Lo Castro and Wickham.

Shorter’s “Footprints” had represented the only ‘outside’ item at the 2023 show. Tonight it was an imaginative arrangement of the jazz standard “Stella By Starlight”, ushered in by the layered sounds of guitar and keyboards, these augmented by Castelli’s deft cymbal work. The leader continued to deploy brushes as he helped to underscore Wickham’s melodic electric bass solo. The momentum began to increase during the course of an electric piano solo that saw Lazinska singing along wordlessly to her melodic inventions – she’s also an accomplished vocalist. The increase in pace saw the adaptable Castelli switching to sticks before moving back to brushes for one of Lo Castro’s more considered and gentle solos.

Lo Castro’s composition “Fly High” had been a highlight of both his own and Castelli’s shows back in 2023 and was to be so again here. Following an atmospheric solo guitar intro Castelli established a groove that underpinned the composer’s melodic guitar phrases and Lazinska’s synth washes in a manner that reminded me a little of Metheny’s “Last Train Home”. But soon Lo Castro was heading for the stratosphere, with a solo that combined the guitar twang of Bill Frisell with the soaring atmospherics of Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour. His ascent was fuelled by Lazinska’s spiralling synth sounds, she was also featured as a soloist, and Castelli’s dynamic drumming. The performance culminated in a powerful drum feature underscored by Lo Castro’s circling guitar motif. As before it felt as if we had been taken on an epic space flight and the audience responded with rapturous applause.

Lo Castro was clearly still full of ideas even towards the end of his “tune a week” challenge, as evidenced by “Week 51”, which concluded tonight’s performance. Again the piece was introduced by unaccompanied guitar and included subsequent solos for guitar and electric piano. But although Lo Castro was the writer this was Castelli’s band and the piece also acted as a vehicle for the leader’s drumming as Castelli unleashed a series of truly volcanic salvos, these followed by a more reflective guitar and synth outro

This was an exciting and memorable event and represented a triumph for both Castelli and the band and MSH promoter Dave Fuller, with one of the most positive audience reactions I’ve ever seen at the Marr’s Bar. The standard of the playing was exceptional, the sound excellent and there was a real frisson of excitement throughout. These are musicians who deserve to be far better known than they are, and particularly Castelli and Lo Castro who provided the majority of tonight’s material. Lazinska also enhanced her reputation with tonight’s performance. She works regularly with Lo Castro and it would be nice to see these two return to MSH with a project of their own.

IAN MANN

Dave Fuller of Music Spoken Here adds;

Robert Castelli’s explosive return with BOOM!

Huge thanks to everyone who came through on Thursday for Robert Castelli, who returned with BOOM! featuring Francesco LoCastro on guitar and Jonny Wickham on bass from the lineup that made their Worcester debut with us in March 2023. This time round, we added another fine musician to the Music Spoken Here roster with Polish keyboardist Anita Łazinska, who was clearly enjoying every moment of this spectacular performance as much as we were!

It was a special honour to have LoCastro’s beautiful composition “Music Spoken There” performed for the second time at The Marr’s Bar, originally dedicated to our tidy little operation in Worcester, when his quartet played for our first anniversary in May 2023. At a stretch, I can say we are now alongside the iconic New York jazz club Birdland, among what is surely a small number of clubs to have a piece of music dedicated to them!

As always, Willis did a superb job on sound and also came to the rescue tracking down a local drummer who dropped off a pair of drum brushes, after Castelli opened his stick bag at soundcheck to realise (and voice with appropriate expletives) that his brushes had been left behind in the studio!

Our resident, award-winning jazz journalist Ian Mann didn’t waste any time writing up his four-star review, which was published on Friday! We also got some brilliant photos from Carl Freeman. Along with our resident DJ MooreFeJazz, these three turn up to pretty much every gig and generously give us their time before, during and after the gigs to help make Music Spoken Here the ‘beacon of hope’ for original, independent musicians, for which I am hugely grateful.

I’ll get a video from the performance produced at some point this week. If you subscribe to our YouTube Channel, you’ll be notified as soon as it’s published.

DAVE FULLER
http://www.musicspokenhere.club

 

 

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