I Should Care

Pianist Alessandro Lanzoni is one of a number of talent teenaged jazz prodigies discovered and recorded by producer Paolo Piangiarelli for his Philology label. The young man is paired with veteran bassist Ares Tavolazzi for a session that delves into a number of standards from the Great American Songbook and timeless jazz compositions. For a musician who doesn't look old enough to be shaving, Lanzoni not only has formidable chops but often shows a surprising degree of restraint in holding back his volcanic technique. The teenager is at his best romping through Cole Porter's "I Love You." Tavolazzi introduces the famous jazz waltz "Someday My Prince Will Come" alone, with Lanzoni swinging along with him once he enters. The pianist seems a bit hesitant with his complicated introduction to a decidedly Latin arrangement of "Caravan" but quickly regains his focus. Another talented player, alto saxophonist Francesco Cafiso (who was also first recorded by Philology while barely in his teens), is Lanzoni's capable duet partner for an extended concert performance of "Just Friends," though Cafiso shows more than a degree of the influence of Phil Woods. Alessandro Lanzoni is obviously still developing his own style at this point in his career, but he demonstrates plenty of potential on this promising debut as a leader.