Stefano Bollani - stefanobollani.com

Just like the title of his latest album, Joy in Spite of Everything, joy is what the Italian virtuoso Stefano Bollani looks for when he plays music.

And joy was what the audience got when he performed at Usmar Ismail Hall in South Jakarta recently to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Italy.

'€œMy purpose here [in Jakarta] is to have fun,'€ the 42-year-old said before the concert, which was organized by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute.

Bollani added that he had to have fun first before he could entertain the audience. '€œIf I have fun, there'€™s a good chance that somebody else is having fun with my music.'€

Without offering an advanced set list, Bollani showed his virtuosity in the 60-minute gig, playing the piano and electric piano, while scat-singing and hamming it up on stage.

'€œI'€™m happy to be here again with a different project,'€ Bollani said. '€œI was here the last time with my band, and now I'€™m alone '€” where I can play my own compositions, as well as improvising the whole night to determine the repertoire.'€

The Jakarta show '€” his second time performing in the city, after the 2007 Java Jazz Festival '€” was part of Bollani'€™s '€œSuoni Italiani'€ Asian tour.

Since his last visit to the city, Bollani said he has immersed himself in many new projects to improve his skills, trying improvisational techniques to avoid monotony.

'€œIf I play the same song, I'€™m playing it in a different way over time,'€ he said. '€œOtherwise, being a musician could turn into a regular job, doing the same thing all day.'€

Bollani said he also liked the idea of playing in the moment and not worrying about his past performances or mistakes, allowing himself to improvise and be calmer every time he was on stage.

'€œI don'€™t go on stage trying to control the music '€” I'€™m trying to let the music flow instead. That means I have to be prepared to play a concert that may not the best, as I work on the idea of not worrying about making good or bad music, as I'€™m just trying to play,'€ he said.

Born in Milan, Bollani says his relationship with music started from a young age, listening to old songs that his father played on tape. He learned to play the piano to accompany his singing, but later decided to focus on the instrument only.

Bollani enrolled in the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Florence at 11, where he studied jazz and pop music. Upon graduation in 1993, he played keyboard for several prominent Italian pop stars, including Laura Pausini, Irene Grandi and Jovanotti.

However, it was a meeting with avant-garde jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava, who invited him to play with him in Paris, that marked a turning point. Aware of his talents, Rava suggested that Bollani abandon pop for jazz, which the Milanese agreed to immediately.

Courtesy Modica Miete Culture

His career has since soared, following the release of this solo album Småt Småt in 2003, as well as a duet with Rava on the Third Man album in 2006 and releasing albums Gleda: Songs from Scandinavia and I Visionari.

Bollani has played with many notable musicians, such as Richard Galliano, Pat Metheny, Han Bennink and Lee Konitz, and has appeared on the world'€™s most prestigious jazz stages in New York, Montreal and Milan.

Although he has performed as a soloist with Germany'€™s Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with who he recorded an album in 2010, he prefers smaller ensembles.

'€œI love playing in a duo or trio, because I can take my time to know the other guys, where I can play something and they answer it right away. It'€™s more intimate,'€ said the recipient of the best young talent prize awarded by Musica Jazz magazine.

Bollani is currently preparing a new album, which will feature him singing.

'€œI'€™m a shy singer, and I'€™m trying to sing more. I think when I get to 80 years old, I probably will have become a good singer,'€ he said, laughing.

In addition to preparing for a new album, Bollani, who is also hosting a TV show, is working on a theater project, planning to write and act on stage.

'€œI'€™m trying to surprise myself, that'€™s the most important thing for me, and that'€™s why I always talk about having fun, so I won'€™t be bored with what I do,'€ Bollani said.