ANDREA REA TRIO – Impasse
Losen Records LOS166-2
Andrea Rea: piano; Daniele Sorrentino: double bass; Marcello de Leonardo: drums
Recorded September 27 and 29, 2015 at Studio Tor Cervara, Italy
This is the third CD released under as leader by the 34 year old Italian pianist. With his trio, Rea continues to mine the sparkling contemporary jazz of 2014’s Arioso. Credit for this sound comes largely from the playing of Sorrentino, who provides a lusciously melodic bass line behind all of the pieces here, and di Leonardo, whose intelligent drumming swings on even the gentlest of numbers. Against such a strong rhythm axis, Rea has plenty of opportunity to cut loose and demonstrate his elegantly tuneful playing. All three players here have plenty of experience playing with many of the big names on the Italian jazz scene, but in this trio they seem to have found a unity that blends their playing into a warm and recognisable sound of its own.
Of the 7 tracks here, four are covers: a rolling version of Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ (track 7) with some great drum fills from di Leonardo, Lins’ ‘Rio de Majo’ and Lauzi / Fabrio’s ‘Almeno tu nell’ universa’. These latter pieces are played in a straight-ahead manner, ringing as much out of the melodies as possible.
The remaining compositions are from trio members - Sorrentino contributes ‘Black Bridge’ (track 2) which has a nicely balanced jitter in its rhytm; and Rea contributes three tracks ‘De Repente’ (track 1), Endangered Species (track 4) and ‘Il Pirata’ (track 5). On these pieces, the trio work in imaginative rhythmic grooves, bouncing ideas from drums to piano to bass and back again in the best traditions of piano trios. It must have helped that the recordings took place over just two days, because there is a sense of spontaneity here.
The title of the collection, ‘Impasse’, is intended to refer to the feeling of being stuck in a dead end, needing strength to change direction. This is not a trio that feels in any sense stuck or needing to change direction: they can just keep playing like this and let the audience of bona fide jazz lovers find them.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen Records LOS166-2
Andrea Rea: piano; Daniele Sorrentino: double bass; Marcello de Leonardo: drums
Recorded September 27 and 29, 2015 at Studio Tor Cervara, Italy
This is the third CD released under as leader by the 34 year old Italian pianist. With his trio, Rea continues to mine the sparkling contemporary jazz of 2014’s Arioso. Credit for this sound comes largely from the playing of Sorrentino, who provides a lusciously melodic bass line behind all of the pieces here, and di Leonardo, whose intelligent drumming swings on even the gentlest of numbers. Against such a strong rhythm axis, Rea has plenty of opportunity to cut loose and demonstrate his elegantly tuneful playing. All three players here have plenty of experience playing with many of the big names on the Italian jazz scene, but in this trio they seem to have found a unity that blends their playing into a warm and recognisable sound of its own.
Of the 7 tracks here, four are covers: a rolling version of Shorter’s ‘Speak No Evil’ (track 7) with some great drum fills from di Leonardo, Lins’ ‘Rio de Majo’ and Lauzi / Fabrio’s ‘Almeno tu nell’ universa’. These latter pieces are played in a straight-ahead manner, ringing as much out of the melodies as possible.
The remaining compositions are from trio members - Sorrentino contributes ‘Black Bridge’ (track 2) which has a nicely balanced jitter in its rhytm; and Rea contributes three tracks ‘De Repente’ (track 1), Endangered Species (track 4) and ‘Il Pirata’ (track 5). On these pieces, the trio work in imaginative rhythmic grooves, bouncing ideas from drums to piano to bass and back again in the best traditions of piano trios. It must have helped that the recordings took place over just two days, because there is a sense of spontaneity here.
The title of the collection, ‘Impasse’, is intended to refer to the feeling of being stuck in a dead end, needing strength to change direction. This is not a trio that feels in any sense stuck or needing to change direction: they can just keep playing like this and let the audience of bona fide jazz lovers find them.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
