Garo Tanzi - Chasing Rhythm

Written by Liz Warr 

Hidden by the smooth shadows of the stage, his hands begin to explode with impromptu rhythm and pulse.

He is uninhibited; he is passionate and within him there is a burning intensity that is capable of inspiring those who watch him.

The sensuality of jazz and his awe inspiring performance makes it easy to forget that Perth jazz drummer, Garo Tanzi is just 20 years old.

When asked ‘what is jazz?’ Tanzi’s response illustrates the maturity which exists in all facets of his musical and personal life.

“Jazz is one hundred percent truthful because jazz is now, it happens on the spot and anything that isn’t now is a lie,” explains Tanzi.

“Jazz is ever evolving, it’s a living thing; it never stops, it just keeps going,” he adds as his fingers dance to an inaudible beat which echoes across the table.

“I can’t switch off, I’m thinking about it right now,” he admits.

Tattooed around Tanzi’s wrist is the word ‘ambition’, an attribute he has combined with extreme dedication and a natural ability to play the drums.

Music and performing have greatly influenced Tanzi’s life.

His mother Dee Dee Anderson was a jazz singer whose band achieved Gold Album status in Europe and his late father Lello Tanzi was a talented guitarist.

List of accolades

In light of a long list of musical accolades including Best Drummer Award in the High School Big Band Competition 2005 and selection for the Western Australian Youth Jazz All-Star Band, as well as having the opportunity to play alongside jazz’s international elite at Paris’s Jazz Club and the Berlin B-Flat Jazz Club, Tanzi has remained a brutally honest realist.

“I can see myself working successfully in music because I’ve always wanted it and I won’t let myself fail because then it’s like 'shit, I’ve screwed up my life',” Tanzi declares.

“Luckily, so far everything has fallen into place,” he exclaims with a sigh of relief.

Recently, his original instrumental composition ‘Lello’ was nominated as a finalist for a jazz category WAM (West Australian Music Industry Association) Song of the Year 2010 award.

Lello was dedicated to the memory of his father, who died when Tanzi was a baby but whom he still feels connected to through his music.

 

'Great potential'

Melbourne born jazz drummer Danny Fischer who has been a mentor to Tanzi believes “that he has the potential to be one of Australia’s finest drum set players”.

“There are days when I want to use my drum kit as firewood, but we do what we do because we love it,” Tanzi explains.

It is this love of music and a sheer determination that has opened the door to the opportunity to informally study jazz in New York City, the hub of jazz music.

The opportunity presented itself following a master class presented by internationally renowned jazz musician Jacam Manricks and Fischer at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where Tanzi is currently completing his final year.

“From hearing him [at the masterclass at WAAPA], he clearly demonstrated himself as a highly talented and highly skilled drummer showing great maturity as a musician,” Fischer said.

Tanzi is looking forward to the challenge of undertaking five weeks of intensive study in New York next January.

He will have the opportunity to learn from several of the most renowned jazz musicians and drummers in the world, including Fischer, Manricks and Aaron Goldberg as well as being introduced to the buzzing jazz scene.

This once in a lifetime experience comes at a cost and while studying; Tanzi must balance up to five hours of practice and rehearsals per day with the commitments of WAAPA.

Off to New York

Tanzi has organised fundraising performances at the Ellington Jazz Club, and has even participated in catwalk modelling shows in Newdegate, in rural Western Australia.

Despite being turned down last year, Tanzi has reapplied for the West Australia Arts Council Young People in the Arts Study Development Grant, as well as the Australian Arts Council Study Development Grant, each to the value of $7,500.

In order to be eligible for these grants, Tanzi must show that his experience in New York will be beneficial to the wider community.

Drawing Meaning

Tanzi draws meaning from the quote by renowned jazz artist Herbie Hancock: "What is the purpose of music? To serve humanity. What is the purpose of your life? To serve humanity.”

He strongly believes this experience will enable him to improve the “small and tight knit” jazz scene in Perth.

Tanzi plans to record and reteach the lessons he will learn in New York to his peers and inturn he hopes this will enrich the quality of the overall jazz scene in Perth.

“I am certain the knowledge and experience Garo will obtain through his proposed study program in New York will immensely inspire and lift the overall level of the jazz music scene not only in Perth but across the whole of Australia,” explains Manrick.

“I believe Garo has the potential to become one of the best jazz drum-set players in Australia if he fulfils the study program in New York.”

During his time in New York, Aaron Goldberg who is a jazz pianist, composer and master educator at New York’s Instrumental Faculty at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music will mentor Tanzi.

“Australia could use more young drummers with the seriousness of purpose and talent of Garo and there’s no question that coming to New York will be one of the most efficient ways for him to continue to grow,” Goldberg believes.

With such strong commendations from some of jazz’s greatest artists and educators, there can be no doubt that this young musician will have a successful and prosperous career.

Tanzi is brutally honest about why he is dedicated to his craft.

“Obviously the ultimate dream is to make a shit load of money playing music but at the end of the day, no sex or drug or anything could beat playing in front of eighty thousand people,” Tanzi declares amusedly.

"Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, ‘I am alive, and my life has meaning’.