Lush Life

Italian pianist Piero Bassini is a giant in his country as one of the instrument's most lyrical and inventive improvisers. His technique, lush, deft, and profound, combines elements of Oscar Peterson's technical literacy, Errol Garner's lyricism, and the harmonic invention of Bill Evans. On this program of originals and standards, Bassini is, with the exception of two tracks, showcased entirely solo. While it's true that the two synth and piano tracks are a bit florid (and it's difficult to understand why they're included), the rest is a truly satisfying collection of Bassini's most profound moments as an instrumentalist. From his own "Sweet Dreams," with its sweeping middle register chromaticism, to his impressionistic take on "Stella by Starlight" to his fleet-fingered, shimmering swing take on Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love," Bassini takes the jazz piano tradition and reinvents it in his own gorgeously sensitive image. There is true remuneration in his interpreting the classics, but perhaps his greatest asset is as a composer. His "Blues by One," with it's striding vamp that moves over the edge of the progression into harmonic invention, is remarkable, and his "Night Moon," with a pedal point in the middle eight, moves beyond ponderousness into meditation on the minor seventh scales. This is a jazz piano record to take in slowly and purposefully; it offers pleasure upon first hearing — except fort the two synth tracks — but gives up its secrets slowly but most assuredly.