Skylark Quartet – Interview

By Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio

Skylark Quartet: Between Tradition and Travel, a European Voice in Jazz

The European jazz scene has always thrived on cultural crossings, where tradition meets experimentation, where stories become sound. Few ensembles embody this spirit as vividly as the Skylark Quartet. Their latest release, Luna Rossa al Belvedere, is not merely an album; it is a travelogue of textures. Rooted in American jazz, it moves through Mediterranean colors, world music, and even hints of pop, creating a sonic landscape that feels at once familiar and startlingly new.

What makes Skylark particularly compelling is their sense of independence: each instrument pursues its own melodic path, like characters in a film, weaving together a collective story. At the heart of this approach lies guitarist and composer Samuele Sorana, joined by saxophonist Patrick Joray, bassist Tobias Melcher, and drummer Marton Juhasz, four voices converging into a single narrative.

I sat down with the quartet to explore their creative chemistry, the roots of their inspiration, and the personal journeys that led them here.

Meeting and the Birth of Skylark

Thierry de Clemensat: The first question that comes to mind when looking at your biographies is simple: how did you meet, and what brought you together to form this quartet?

Skylark Quartet: Each of us pursued our studies at the Jazz Campus in Basel, some attending one university program rather than another, but it was at the renowned institution that we met for the first time. Since we all spent so much time within the campus facilities, it didn’t take long before we started playing together. Samuele and Patrick had already been playing together for quite some time; in fact, when they first met during their early years of study, they immediately began jamming and practicing together.
With Tobias joining the faculty a year later, the connection was quick, and we started playing as a trio. Marton had always been one of the most renowned drummers at the Jazz Campus, and when the time came for Samuele’s final concert, he decided to bring the four of us together. That was the very first time the band performed live on stage in front of an audience. The name Skylark Quartet came later, when Tobias also chose to use the same lineup for his final recital the following year. By then, it was clear that the band was shaping into a more collective project, and we needed a name for the group.

Cinematic Jazz and Collective Alchemy

Thierry de Clemensat: Many jazz groups emphasize melodic conversation, passing themes between instruments. On Luna Rossa al Belvedere, though, each instrument seems to trace its own melodic arc, creating something almost cinematic. Was that intentional, or is it simply the alchemy of your group at work?

Skylark Quartet: It is definitely both. As the years go by, it feels like each of us knows better and better our role within the band, and how everyone can express themselves at their best melodically inside the group. It’s that feeling of freedom you get, of being able to make a musical decision in the very moment, and already knowing that this choice will be evaluated, because we are all listening and moving in the same direction. This surely comes from a strong sense of trust within the band, which of course has only been created through work and perseverance, and can keep growing even more.
Then, on the other hand, in Luna Rossa al Belvedere there are written and thought-out arrangements, where the instruments play very precise and prepared melodic lines.

Samuele Sorana: Melody as Compass

Thierry de Clemensat: Samuele, as the guitarist and composer, your music reflects a deep love for melody, but you also allow your bandmates great freedom in shaping the arrangements. Is it in those moments, during rehearsal and arrangement, that the magic of Skylark happens, setting your work apart in today’s jazz landscape?

Samuele Sorana: Absolutely. Bringing a new composition or arrangement into a Skylark rehearsal is always a magical moment. When I write new music for the band, I like to follow two approaches: sometimes I imagine directly the sound of my bandmates and try to write something that falls within their territory, so that they can feel comfortable and express themselves at their best; other times, however, I prefer to do the exact opposite, writing something not specifically thought out for the band, because I know they will shape it themselves and add their own taste. A lot of the magic comes from these pieces, because even though my musical aesthetics and sense of melody are always present, the final composition takes a unique color and shape given by the interpretation of each member.
During Skylark rehearsals we constantly exchange feedback and ideas, new possibilities open up, and discoveries are made that I would never have imagined on my own at home. This is truly the magic of the process of research and discovery. For me, however, the most magical moments remain those on stage: when the pieces are concrete and fully internalized by everyone, and we don’t need to read from sheet music (a rule we have set for our concerts). In this way, even the tunes we play and replay many times always take on new shapes and new directions.

Patrick Joray: From Ukulele to Saxophone

Thierry de Clemensat: Patrick, your path began with the ukulele, then classical guitar, before discovering the saxophone and diving into jazz after hearing Blue Train. How does that unusual journey influence the emotional and improvisational language you bring to the quartet?

Patrick Joray: I grew up in a musical household. Music was always present at home—my father has a big record collection, my mother is a guitar and ukulele teacher. I have an older brother who was into music early on. That’s why I started out on Ukulele & guitar before switching to saxophone. From the beginning, music felt deeply emotional to me. I remember listening to Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Shakira, …I just enjoyed listening to music. When I was 12 I joined the local wind band and experienced for the first time what it’s like to sit in the middle of a powerful sound cloud. I loved it so much that I’d count the days until the next rehearsal, listening to the recordings over and over until I knew every arrangement by heart.
These are a few experiences that shaped the way I perceive music emotionally; and that perception naturally influences the kind of melodies I create, the sounds I’m drawn to, and how I release them through the horn into the music.

My improvisational language was later shaped by listening to the jazz masters—how they played the instrument, interacted, and reacted within a band. I’m very grateful for all the teachers I had and have along my way. That journey really began after hearing Blue Train by John Coltrane, which completely pulled me into the world of jazz. From that moment on, I’ve been exploring what improvisation means to me and how I want to approach it—a process that continues every single day.

Tobias Melcher: The Melodic Bassist

Thierry de Clemensat: Tobias, critics and mentors alike describe your playing as lyrical and inclusive. How does your approach to the bass, melodic rather than purely rhythmic, shape the dialogue within the quartet?

Tobias Melcher: I have always been drawn to musicians who approach music melodically. Paul McCartney’s basslines, with their hidden worlds waiting to be uncovered, or Charlie Haden’s improvisations and subtle comping, have shaped the way I listen and play. What fascinates me most is the moment when the boundaries between comping and soloing dissolve, and a single line becomes both foundation and expression.
With that in mind you quickly realize how much impact the choice of notes has on the whole group. I am deeply impressed and inspired by those bassists who explore this profoundly. This approach is what I believe can add depth, nuance, and emotion – offering both musicians and listeners new layers to discover within our music.

Marton Juhasz: Rhythms Across Borders

Thierry de Clemensat: Marton, your career spans Berklee, award-winning projects, and recognition as one of Hungary’s leading jazz musicians. How does your rhythmic sensibility and experience as a composer influence the way Skylark’s music unfolds?

Marton Juhasz: Firstly, the music, the songs speak to me with their controlled but heartfelt lyricism and I have completely free reign to play and orchestrate them as I want. This would already be a lot of fun but what makes this project extremely special for me is the very detailed, close interplay that happens between the band, I absolutely love to comp in this setting. I feel like I can use 100% of my creativity and feel safe knowing the band will react and make music whatever happens.

Austria as Inspiration

Thierry de Clemensat: Your new album draws inspiration from your 2023 Austrian tour. For audiences less familiar with Austria, or its enthusiastic jazz listeners, where does that influence surface most strongly in the album’s tracks?

Skylark Quartet: Well, it’s hard to say. Let’s put it this way: the pieces for our tour in Austria weren’t written with the thought of “we’ll be playing in Austria” but rather with the thought of “we’ll be playing with Matthieu Michel.” In fact, we treated this tour very much as an experiment—it was a way for us to understand whether an additional element like Matthieu would bring new energy and new influences to the band.
After the tour with Matthieu turned out to be a real success, and seeing how naturally he integrated with the group, we then decided to take the tour repertoire into the studio.
And of course, it should be mentioned that Matthieu Michel is a much-loved figure in Austria, a country where he has been musically active for many years in his career, so the Austrian audience simply appreciated his presence on stage.

The Name Behind the Quartet

Thierry de Clemensat: “Skylark” is an evocative name, but also an ambiguous one. A bird? A reference to a standard? Or something else entirely? How did you choose it?

Skylark Quartet: There was a period when we were obsessed with the jazz standard “Skylark”. We would play it almost all the time—at least once during rehearsals, and we always found space for it in the setlist of our concerts. Like with any search for a band name, we went through endless ideas, until one day we said to ourselves: “Since we like this standard so much, why not call the band the Skylark Quartet?”

We are all nature and animal lovers, and when we realized that a skylark is in fact a bird, gifted with a strong and melodious voice, it really felt like the right choice. Today the skylark has become a recurring symbol in our albums: in our previous release Risveglio there were four skylarks, while on Luna Rossa al Belvedere, with the addition of Matthieu, there are five. And we absolutely love keeping this format.

Music as Reflection and Experience

Thierry de Clemensat: Looking at the track list, one senses themes of reflection and lived moments. Does that mean anything you encounter on the road, landscapes, conversations, even fleeting moods, can spark the beginnings of a new composition?

Skylark Quartet: Certainly. First of all, it should be said that, since our repertoire is made up of Samuele’s and Tobias’s compositions, the stories behind the pieces and their titles are closely connected to their personal experiences and emotions.
In any case, we try to draw inspiration from anything: a particular moment, an encounter with someone, the discovery of something new that sparks our curiosity, and why not—even feelings of discouragement. They don’t always have to be positive to ignite the compositional process. Composition is certainly a tool to convey emotions, and if one uses it as an outlet, because they feel the need to express and process what they are feeling in the moment, there’s a good chance that something of value will emerge.
We also believe that sometimes compositions, or even before that, the main idea that will guide the building of the piece, arise on their own, almost like magic. They appear in moments of deep connection with ourselves, when we are far from what troubles us and truly able to listen to our inner selves.

A Place in European Jazz

Thierry de Clemensat: Finally, where do you see yourselves on the European jazz scene today? How do you balance respect for tradition with the push toward innovation?

Skylark Quartet: Well, it’s quite difficult to say and imagine where we will be in the European jazz scene. Today, the music world is increasingly crowded: more and more people want to be part of it, make themselves known, and share their work. We believe that the best thing to do is to continue on our own path, be ourselves, and write beautiful and honest music. Just that, if done well, is already a lot.

Bill Evans, in an interview, said that the most important thing for him was to always take care of the music 100%, and that if he did it honestly, life would reward him. We can confirm this: the work we’ve done over the past few years has already paid off with several tours, with two albums and we believe this is just the beginning. We hope to play more and more across various European countries.

Regarding tradition, it is something that each of us in the band holds in great respect. It is something that we continue to study diligently on our own and that remains present in our musical language. Tradition has given us solid foundations to become good musicians, and innovation can only exist when built on a strong base. A jazz musician who calls himself innovative, but skips the essential step of mastering tradition to dive straight into modern territories, risks lacking credibility. For us, innovation does not necessarily mean creating something that has never existed, because ultimately everything comes from something else. Innovating means creating something personal, something that resonates within the artist and is truly authentic.

Thierry de Clemensat: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Follow PARIS-MOVE on X