Stories

A creatively inspired trio. Once again Enrico Pieranunzi has joined up with Scott Colley on double bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums for a recording session which gave rise to the amazing “Stories”, an enlightened, flowing, joyful CD. This album, recorded at Avatar Studio, New York, in February 2011, is a collection of eight tracks, most of which were composed by the Roman pianist. Jazz, Pieranunzi’s fondness for classical music, a Latin flavour by Sanchez: everything merges in a single discourse that perfectly combines different accents, allowing listeners 49 minutes of highly enjoyable, engaging, magnetic compositions. The passionate three-track opening with “No Improper Use”, “Detrás Más Allá” and “Blue Waltz”, gives way to the soft “The Slow Gene” by Scott Colley, the only song which wasn’t written by the Roman pianist. Then there are the experiments of “Which Way Is Up”, a frenzied piece lasting less than four minutes in which the trio runs through a vibrant game of improvisation. The final part of the CD opens with “Where Stories Are”, which has the honour of and is credited with giving the title to this work, then flows into the peaceful haven of “Flowering Stones”. There is nothing left to do but close with a dreamy “The Real You”. After Permutation, this is a great second test for the trio, which proves more inspired and tighter here, capable of interacting in a smooth, natural, careful but never restrained fashion: a successful evolution of the “sound laboratory” ambiance (as defined by Pieranunzi) that had been created when they first met.

Recorded in New York in February 2011 at Avatar Studio  Recording engineer James Farber

Cover photo by Andrea Boccalini

Liner notes by Brian Morton