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In a fairer world, Umberto Petrin would be a well-known name: His deft hands not only glide across the keyboard with an astonishing delicacy, but practically every note is filled with passionate intensity. Falling somewhere stylistically to the right of Cecil Taylor and in a realm forged by others such as Herbie Nichols and British pianist Howard Riley, Petrin expresses an elegant, even elaborate romanticism that infuses his free improvisations with a melodic base. Nine of the tracks on this album feature the trio of Petrin, bassist Giovanni Maier, and all-star drummer Roberto Dani, with guest reed player Assif Tsahar sitting in on "As the Door Swings Open, Crack or Slam" and "Chiarore Residuo," and Milo De Angelis reciting his poetry (in Italian) on "I e 87." Throughout, Petrin dances among the keys, starting and stopping at a moment's notice, sometimes producing scraping noises and at others waxing eloquently. The pianist composed all the pieces except Monk's "Evidence" and Ornette Coleman's "Lorraine," the latter of which is taken at a snail's pace, and in which Petrin solos brilliantly in double-time, with Maier adding compelling thoughts on acoustic bass. While Petrin's tunes are hardly memorable, he uses them as vehicles upon which to expand, to elaborate, to celebrate. It is unclear how Tsahar came to record with Petrin (Was he simply passing through the country?), but the addition of a horn on the couple of tracks on which he plays is a boon.