Stefano Bollani - Piano Solo (2006)
I listen to a lot of jazz piano. By now rarely does anything make me really, I mean really, sit up and listen. But this one did.
A lot of jazz piano, especially ensemble work, is relatively monodynamic, hovering around the mezzo and rarely troubling itself with subtlety or nuance. This guy, however, has a gift for touch that is rare in jazz. He can turn on a sixpence, and possesses a lightness and sinuous agility that is refreshing. Plus a real gift for invention and sylistic pick-and-mix. Some of these harmonies should be illegal.
If you want something muscular and straight ahead, then this won't be for you. But if you want a feeling of a recital in an intimate venue ( that's ECM for you...) then you won't be disappointed. His version of Maple Leaf Rag is worth the price alone. Deconstructed, disassembled and delightful.
1 Antonia
2 Impro I
3 Impro II
4 Impro On A Theme By Sergei Prokofiev
5 For All We Know
6 Promenade
7 Impro III
8 Media Luz
9 Impro IV
10 Buzzillare
11 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
12 Como Fue
13 On The Street Where You Live
14 Maple Leaf Rag
15 Sarcasmi
I listen to a lot of jazz piano. By now rarely does anything make me really, I mean really, sit up and listen. But this one did.
A lot of jazz piano, especially ensemble work, is relatively monodynamic, hovering around the mezzo and rarely troubling itself with subtlety or nuance. This guy, however, has a gift for touch that is rare in jazz. He can turn on a sixpence, and possesses a lightness and sinuous agility that is refreshing. Plus a real gift for invention and sylistic pick-and-mix. Some of these harmonies should be illegal.
If you want something muscular and straight ahead, then this won't be for you. But if you want a feeling of a recital in an intimate venue ( that's ECM for you...) then you won't be disappointed. His version of Maple Leaf Rag is worth the price alone. Deconstructed, disassembled and delightful.
1 Antonia
2 Impro I
3 Impro II
4 Impro On A Theme By Sergei Prokofiev
5 For All We Know
6 Promenade
7 Impro III
8 Media Luz
9 Impro IV
10 Buzzillare
11 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
12 Como Fue
13 On The Street Where You Live
14 Maple Leaf Rag
15 Sarcasmi
