Across the Lines is an international quartet born from an encounter at the Italian National Academy of Jazz. Their first album was recorded in June 2024 in Siena and was released on March 4th under the Dodicilune label. The quartet is composed of Franco-Italian trombonist and tubist Andrea Glockner; Italo-Dominican pianist and keyboardist Santiago Fernandez, known for his generosity and sensitivity; Silvia Bolognesi on double bass and electric bass, a symbol of free improvisation in Italy and a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago; and Italo-Swiss drummer Alessandro Alarcon, active on both the Swiss jazz and today’s music scenes.

The name of the project evokes the lines we cross, as well as the music that liberates us and helps us transcend boundaries of all kinds when they become vectors of confinement and division. The quartet offers jazz that bridges tradition and modernity, influenced by other genres such as rock and funk for their energy, free improvisation, and hip-hop for its fluidity and lightness. The musicians’ camaraderie, their joy in playing together, and their desire to share their music are palpable within the group. In this ensemble, Andrea Glockner plays various unconventional brass instruments similar to the slide trombone, aiming to highlight each one’s unique character, tonal nuances, and articulation possibilities.

« For certain tracks on this album, I was seeking energy and scenarios similar to those of John Coltrane’s quintet with Pharoah Sanders, and I’m thrilled to announce a special guest on the album: Joseph Bowie. He’s a significant figure for me, like a musical grandfather. I met him two years ago while studying at Siena Jazz, and during the last two days of recording, I truly understood what it means to play from the heart. I want to warmly thank Joseph Bowie for his participation, energy, and positive vibes, and I can’t wait to share the stage with him. »

The album was recorded from June 14 to 16 2024 by sound engineer Griffin Alan Rodriguez at his studio in Siena.

« A modern jazz that grooves, but above all reveals a beautiful richness… nods to hip-hop and a deep respect for jazz history… Coltrane doesn’t feel far off, especially in the flashes of the bass trumpet and trombone, in the free-flowing developments that emerge with coherence… a colorful, virtuosic, and above all, melodic music. … Here comes “Swiss Interval”, also unfolding its narrative for more than twelve minutes, Pharoah is not far away, it grooves to the distinctive brassy sound of the bass trumpet which is Andrea’s signature. … The album concludes with “Playground”, a very soulful track with a hip-hop touch provided by Bowie’s voice. It’s hot and swings terribly. » Philippe Desmond for Action Jazz (France) – 1, 2

« A surprising album, thanks to the variety of styles… A truly 10-out-of- 10 tracks, full of embedded rhythmic changes, Andrea on the bass trumpet with killers’ improvisations-such insane jazz language and total command of the instrument, what a deep and rich sound he has! » Miquel Tuset Mallol for Jazz Club De Nit Radio (Spain)

« The trombonist becomes increasingly expressive in his playing, it’s clear that he gives his quartet space to explore. » Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther for Jazz’halo (Belgium)

« One cannot fail to appreciate the groove of his quartet, thanks in no small part to the impressive playing of the solid bassist Silvia Bolognesi. … What stands out most are four spontaneously recorded pieces whose rhythmic imprint shifts between spirited funk sequences and more introspective interludes, providing fertile ground for brilliant exchanges between horns and keyboards, spiced up by Joseph Bowie’s uninhibited vocalizations and some delightfully playful trombone duels. A session whose main strengths lie as much in the collective interplay as in Glockner’s undeniable mastery. » Jean-Pierre Vidal, Jazz Magazine (France)

« “Across The Lines” is a multithematic work that transcends simple listening to become a penetrating and shared practice, dispensing a mix of energy, inventiveness and respect for the idiomatic tradition. Andrea Glockner and his quartet establish themselves with a reading of jazz that is simultaneously innovative and intensely rooted in the founding acts of the African-American vernacular. In a world often torn apart, Glockner and associates’ concept becomes a reminder of the unifying and salvific power of music. » Francesco Cataldo Verrina, Doppia Jazz (Italy)

« “Across the Lines” by the Andrea Glockner Quartet is precisely this: the demonstration that jazz, when entrusted to prepared, curious and compositionally mature musicians, not only resists time, but crosses through it, absorbs it, renews itself. It is not a genre that takes refuge in nostalgia, but a living language that continues to expand, to welcome new forms, new rhythms, new sounds — without losing the intensity of the gesture, the lucidity of listening, the desire to tell stories. It is a record that is born within a tradition and then surpasses it, without denying it. And it does so naturally, without need for proclamations. Simply by playing.
“Across the Lines” is one of those albums that escapes any rigid classification. It is born in jazz, certainly, but doesn’t remain confined there. It moves naturally between funk pulsations, lyrical openings, hip-hop references, electronic intuitions that appear and vanish like flashes. Yet, it is never a demonstration of style, nor a parade of genres: it is a flow, a story made of atmospheres, of breaths and silences chosen with care.
It is a record that seems to ask you to get comfortable, but also to stay alert. Because beneath the apparent lightness lies deep thought, a search for meaning that is not afraid to cross through shadowy zones as well. There is never judgment, however. Only open questions. And this is perhaps the most beautiful thing: the way “Across the Lines” involves you without imposing itself, leaving you space to feel what you want — or what you can — in that moment.
At the end of the listening experience remains a strange and precious sensation: that of having been accompanied, not overwhelmed. Of having taken a brief but intense journey, in the company of someone who knows how to play, but first of all knows how to listen. » Redapolis Music Blog | Luca Redapolis (Italy)

« Some tracks truly manage to transcend the boundaries imposed by the genres into which we divide (artificially) the world of musical production: “Across the Lines” is certainly a record to put in your collection in the jazz section, but I can’t tell you whether it’s old or new jazz; I then suggest placing it not at the center of your library, but near the funky section, not far from hip-hop and not far from rock either. In short, it shouldn’t be very distant from where you’ve placed Tale Spinnin’ by Weather Report or Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth: if you want to make us happy, go and check the distance from the seminal Live in Seattle by John Coltrane with Pharoah Sanders. » Giancarlo Passarella | Musical News (Italy)

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