MAURIZIO MINARDI – Piano Ambulance
BELFAGOR MM12
Maurizio Minardi (piano); Nick Pini (double bass); Jason Reeve (drums);
Shirley Smart (cello)
Recorded at Master Chord Studio London April 2014
Since re-locating to London in 2008, the Italian pianist/accordionist/composer Maurizio Minardi has been creating quite a stir on the British music scene. A truly eclectic spirit, he is equally at home in techno-beat and tango as he is in genre-busting European acoustic jazz of which this CD is a perfect example. In Piano Ambulance he dispenses with the accordion which was so pivotal to his previous album – The Cook, The Clown, The Monk And The Accordionist ( 2013 ), preferring to emote exclusively on piano on this impressive disc.
First aid is duly administered by way of three virtuosi: bassist Nick Pini, drummer Jason Reeve and cellist Shirley Smart. They are all highly intelligent, sensitive and nuanced players who balance themselves wonderfully throughout the entire collection of nine Minardi originals.
The world lamented the untimely death of Esbjorn Svensson in 2008 but it is heart-warming to know that musicians like Minardi are absorbing the Swede’s musical language and incorporating his syntax into their own style. The simple well-sculpted melodies, infectious riffs and hooks, and the clean, transparent textures may remind us of E.S.T. but Minardi never slavishly copies. We may hear echoes but never mimicry.
Other elements that inform Minardi’s music include Bach and modern classical minimalism, the powerfully epigrammatic style of Michael Nyman particularly coming to mind. Everything goes into the melting-pot and the result is a rich and potent brew.
The addition of Smart’s cello to the well-worn piano trio format is a real boon, greatly enhancing the dramatic impact of the music, just as it had done so on The Cook. Every track is a gem, each telling its own unique little story. “April Sun” is a charming, wistfully hypnotic opener, “Piano Ambulance” a soundscape of subtly changing moods. “Indulgence” with its classical overtones is gloriously anthemic, “Dangerous Innocence” a breathtaking rollercoaster ride in five time, replete with Bachian / Nymanesque ostinati, “Francesca’s Gloves” a gently swaying samba with harmonies that melt the heart. Indeed, the music on display on this record is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Reviewed by Geoff Eales
BELFAGOR MM12
Maurizio Minardi (piano); Nick Pini (double bass); Jason Reeve (drums);
Shirley Smart (cello)
Recorded at Master Chord Studio London April 2014
Since re-locating to London in 2008, the Italian pianist/accordionist/composer Maurizio Minardi has been creating quite a stir on the British music scene. A truly eclectic spirit, he is equally at home in techno-beat and tango as he is in genre-busting European acoustic jazz of which this CD is a perfect example. In Piano Ambulance he dispenses with the accordion which was so pivotal to his previous album – The Cook, The Clown, The Monk And The Accordionist ( 2013 ), preferring to emote exclusively on piano on this impressive disc.
First aid is duly administered by way of three virtuosi: bassist Nick Pini, drummer Jason Reeve and cellist Shirley Smart. They are all highly intelligent, sensitive and nuanced players who balance themselves wonderfully throughout the entire collection of nine Minardi originals.
The world lamented the untimely death of Esbjorn Svensson in 2008 but it is heart-warming to know that musicians like Minardi are absorbing the Swede’s musical language and incorporating his syntax into their own style. The simple well-sculpted melodies, infectious riffs and hooks, and the clean, transparent textures may remind us of E.S.T. but Minardi never slavishly copies. We may hear echoes but never mimicry.
Other elements that inform Minardi’s music include Bach and modern classical minimalism, the powerfully epigrammatic style of Michael Nyman particularly coming to mind. Everything goes into the melting-pot and the result is a rich and potent brew.
The addition of Smart’s cello to the well-worn piano trio format is a real boon, greatly enhancing the dramatic impact of the music, just as it had done so on The Cook. Every track is a gem, each telling its own unique little story. “April Sun” is a charming, wistfully hypnotic opener, “Piano Ambulance” a soundscape of subtly changing moods. “Indulgence” with its classical overtones is gloriously anthemic, “Dangerous Innocence” a breathtaking rollercoaster ride in five time, replete with Bachian / Nymanesque ostinati, “Francesca’s Gloves” a gently swaying samba with harmonies that melt the heart. Indeed, the music on display on this record is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Reviewed by Geoff Eales
