Evanscape

Description

With his clear and balanced phrasing rich in the entire history of modern jazz piano; this miraculous touch of precision and delicacy where the legacy of the Western classical tradition shines through in every inflection; this inimitable sensitivity, both melancholic and lyrical, which undoubtedly places him among the most elegant and refined specialists of the intimate ballad - Enrico Pieranunzi is not only one of those enchanting masters of the keyboard that Italy keeps secret but also one of the handful of European pianists who, over the last 50 years, have left their mark on the international jazz landscape. After initially drawing from the most orthodox bebop, it was while accompanying American musicians passing through Rome, his hometown, that Pieranunzi, in the early 70s, began his career as a jazz musician. He then met Johnny Griffin and Art Farmer, followed successively by Chet Baker, Jim Hall, Lee Konitz - all great musicians with whom he would record some foundational albums in the following decade (The Heart of The Ballad with Chet Baker, Solitude and Blew with Konitz, etc.) It was during these same years (1975) that he created his first trio and truly launched his career as a leader. From then on, multiplying sessions and personal projects, Enrico Pieranunzi has over the years and albums (more than 80 as a leader to date) developed a personal style, both sophisticated and lush, constantly oriented towards the intoxication of swing and melodic seduction. Comfortable in the most diverse orchestral formats (with a slight preference for the trio and the initiatory challenge of the solo), Pieranunzi has notably specialized in the art of conceiving albums around great figures of his personal pantheon - whether they are, of course, jazz musicians (cf. Infant Eyes exploring the universe of Wayne Shorter or Dukes's Dream dedicated to the Ellingtonian jungles) but also composers for cinema (from Morricone to Nino Rota) and venerable masters of the Western classical tradition (Scarlatti, Bach, Handel, Martinu, Debussy...) magnificently revisited.