Within

Italian pianist Guido Manusardi lived seven years (from 1967 to 1974) in Romania, during which time he performed and recorded regularly. Each of the ten pieces on this album sprout from Romanian melodies, which Manusardi arranges in his inimitable style. Working with a varied and talented Italian octet, consisting of trombone, trumpet, clarinet, saxophones, and rhythm, the pianist, in his own understated way, travels through curves and valleys, with not so unconventional harmonies, to produce music of lasting value. While Manusardi falls squarely in the modern mainstream, he distinguishes himself with structures that ever so slightly disregard expected norms. Tempos change, rhythms vary, harmonies weave, forming an undercurrent over which the horns take turns improvising. At first blush, the pianist does not seem to be doing anything unusual.