Gabriele Mirabassi - Simone Zanchini: Rhythm without a rhythm section

Clarinet and accordion, nothing else. No bass, no drums. And yet it still swings. Simone Zanchini plays the low notes on the accordion, whilst Gabriele Mirabassi takes the higher register on the clarinet. In this way, two instruments carry a sound that would otherwise often require an entire rhythm section.

On their joint album *Il gatto e la volpe* from 2022, Mirabassi and Zanchini perform their own compositions as well as music by other composers. This includes Charlie Haden’s *Our Spanish Love Song*. Swing and jazz feature alongside influences from South America and Italy.

Both have a background in classical music. Mirabassi studied the clarinet in Perugia and initially focused primarily on contemporary music. Later, he was increasingly drawn to jazz. As early as 1992, he recorded with Richard Galliano. After that, Brazil became an important influence for him. He played with Guinga, Sérgio Assad and André Mehmari, and found in choro a style of music that suits his clarinet exceptionally well.

Simone Zanchini also has a classical background. He studied the accordion in Pesaro and has been working in a wide variety of contexts for many years. He plays jazz and free improvisation, experiments with electronic music and performs regularly with musicians associated with La Scala in Milan. In doing so, he never treats the accordion merely as an accompanying instrument.

When Mirabassi and Zanchini play together, you quickly realise why this line-up works so well. The accordion provides depth and harmony, whilst the clarinet brings agility and sharpness. And there’s no need for the rhythm to be added from somewhere else – it’s already there in the two instruments.
Two musicians, two instruments, and not a drum in sight. Hardly anyone is likely to miss it.