ROSSANO SPORTIELLO / NICKI PARROT / EDDIE METZ - Strictly Confidential
Arbors Records ARCD 19449
Rossano Sportiello( pno ) Nicki Parrott ( bass / vocal ) Eddie Metz ( drs )
Recorded New York City, October 2015
If it were not enough to be a talented bass player Nicki Parrott is also a singer of some note which uses to good effect on four of the tracks on this album.
There does not appear to be a nominal leader on this recording date but as a piano trio it is a triumph. Rossano Sportiello is appearing on more and more recording sessions both under his own name and that as a sideman, he has the skills and ability to fit into most situations he can swing with ease but can also breathe life into a ballad.
Drummer Eddie Metz is a welcome addition to the trio and brings a subtle swing to the session without being intrusive. As you would expect with three talented individuals each one of them gets a chance to shine on most numbers.
The album opens with a lightly swinging little heard Bud Powell original “Strictly Confidential” which apart from Rossano Sportiello’s fluent piano is notable for some sterling work by Nicki Parrott and Eddie Metz.
Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s “Sunset and the Mockingbird” from “The Queen’s Suite” is not the obvious number you would expect to be chosen for a piano trio but it is a triumph and a experience of great beauty.
Nicki Parrott’s choice for her first vocal offering is “What a Difference a Day Makes” and has completely different in approach than Dinah Washington’s famous version and works brilliantly. Bringing out hidden depths of the song.
Erroll Garner’s “Misty” is a tune that receives a great deal of attention but Rossano Sportiello brings a freshness to the tune and with the bass and drums creating a subtle background it is a welcome addition to the repertoire.
After an opening which belongs to another era “Shoe Shine Boy” moves into a groove which belies its roots “Pure Imagination” from Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is pure joy from start to finish. We are used to hearing Frank Foster’s over played composition in the big band but the trio successfullyadapt it to a trio setting.
The album closes with a beautiful rendition of Robert Fanon’s “How Beautiful is the Night” which sums up the entire album.
This is an album of great depth with an inspired choice of material played and sung with feeling, this is one not to be missed.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Arbors Records ARCD 19449
Rossano Sportiello( pno ) Nicki Parrott ( bass / vocal ) Eddie Metz ( drs )
Recorded New York City, October 2015
If it were not enough to be a talented bass player Nicki Parrott is also a singer of some note which uses to good effect on four of the tracks on this album.
There does not appear to be a nominal leader on this recording date but as a piano trio it is a triumph. Rossano Sportiello is appearing on more and more recording sessions both under his own name and that as a sideman, he has the skills and ability to fit into most situations he can swing with ease but can also breathe life into a ballad.
Drummer Eddie Metz is a welcome addition to the trio and brings a subtle swing to the session without being intrusive. As you would expect with three talented individuals each one of them gets a chance to shine on most numbers.
The album opens with a lightly swinging little heard Bud Powell original “Strictly Confidential” which apart from Rossano Sportiello’s fluent piano is notable for some sterling work by Nicki Parrott and Eddie Metz.
Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s “Sunset and the Mockingbird” from “The Queen’s Suite” is not the obvious number you would expect to be chosen for a piano trio but it is a triumph and a experience of great beauty.
Nicki Parrott’s choice for her first vocal offering is “What a Difference a Day Makes” and has completely different in approach than Dinah Washington’s famous version and works brilliantly. Bringing out hidden depths of the song.
Erroll Garner’s “Misty” is a tune that receives a great deal of attention but Rossano Sportiello brings a freshness to the tune and with the bass and drums creating a subtle background it is a welcome addition to the repertoire.
After an opening which belongs to another era “Shoe Shine Boy” moves into a groove which belies its roots “Pure Imagination” from Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is pure joy from start to finish. We are used to hearing Frank Foster’s over played composition in the big band but the trio successfullyadapt it to a trio setting.
The album closes with a beautiful rendition of Robert Fanon’s “How Beautiful is the Night” which sums up the entire album.
This is an album of great depth with an inspired choice of material played and sung with feeling, this is one not to be missed.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
