The first issue of Musica Jazz International is now available in English language, with previews of columns and articles. The cover story, dossier, interviews, and two accompanying CDs

Ayers died on March 4 in New York. The warm sound of his instrument has fallen silent, leaving an empty void. He was eighty-four years old and had been battling a long illness. His notes, once rays of sunshine in the jazz-funk and soul firmament, now float like precious dust in an endless sunset. The music world is left devastated and suspended, waiting for a final note that will never come. His vibraphone spoke directly to the heart, and every chord he played was a fragment of melancholic light—a thrill we now miss like a lost heartbeat. Roy Ayers leaves behind a bittersweet void—a silence filled with memories in...

The recent death of the Brazilian pianist truly marks the end of an enchanted world: a true la-la land built in the perfect image and likeness of its ingenious creator

I’d like to start with the latest album Bright Spirit. What was the conceptual starting point for Bright Spirit? We felt we were completing a trilogy of albums that began with The Universe Also Collapses in 2018, there seemed to be a thematic journey from there. The title suggests optimism and illumination—was that a deliberate response to current times or an internal band evolution? I think one of the responsibilities of being in Gong is to bring optimism, light and transformation. This has hopefully always present in our work. How does this album reflect where Gong is today as a band? At any point, the music and themes reflect where we are, as a...

The first part of the interview is available here: link And now I wanted to ask: how has your drum set changed over time? Actually, not much at all. When did you start using the bow, for example? Was it your idea or did you see someone else doing it? That’s an interesting question. The first documented use of the bow in my playing appears on Tubworks, which was recorded around 1983 or 1984. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where the idea came from. Maybe I saw it used in 20th-century classical percussion music. I don’t recall taking it directly from anyone, but at some point, I simply had the idea...