Proximity

A new, great album by Enrico Pieranunzi. With Matt Penman on double bass, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, and Donny McCaslin on tenor and soprano sax. Four superb musicians from different generations, each with a different sensitivity to music, who are having fun looking for a common rhythm, paradoxically with no reassuring support from drums, but trying to back one another up, taking all the jazz they have experienced and striving to conceive their own concept.  As in every fine record by the Roman pianist, this CD rests on study, dedication and a respect for jazz, elements that firmly connect Pieranunzi to the traditions of the music he loves and allow him to create and compose new themes. Small steps forward in the wake of great classics. A never-ending search for advancement and new nuances in his songs. Opting to build a fresh musical framework with an unproven quartet is doubtlessly the most concrete evidence of this research and projection into the future.  All of the pieces on this CD were composed by the band leader. “(In)Canto” a soft, exquisite opening track, entrusts its theme to the piano and Alessi’s trumpet. “Line For Lee” displays the amazing talent of Matt Penman, whose excellent rhythmic structures are especially crucial in a drums-free recording. “Sundays” opens up with the sax of Donny McCaslin, a sophisticated sax player acting as a perfect counterpart to Pieranunzi in “Proximity”. In the title track, a convoluted interaction of the horns sets the scene, then leaves an opening for the piano and double bass, with Penman performing a fine solo. This record ends with a lively “Five Plus Five”, Alessi and McCaslin being definitely in top form.

DownBeat Magazine: Best Album (2016)

Recorded in New York on 9 - 10 April 2013 at Sear Sound Studio  Recording engineer James Farber

Photos by John Rogers

Liner notes by Brian Morton