There is something eerily attractive about the voice of Italian vocalist
Luca LaPenna who wrote many of the lyrics to this collection of tunes by pianist
Bill Evans. (The words to the other Evans tunes were contributed by Gene Lees and
Carol Hall, while the two final tracks are pieces dedicated to the pianist.)
LaPenna sings in English with a somewhat appealingly awkward accent, giving the words a slightly offbeat twist. The depth of feeling expressed by Evans makes him a difficult composer to vocalize, but
LaPenna pulls it off well. You can hear traces of
Chet Baker and even
Bob Dorough in his voice, while the excellent backing of pianist Alberto Tacchini, bassist Zanchi, and drummer
Giampiero Prina, plus the fine trumpet work of
Paolo Fresu, lifts this one a solid notch above the pack. ~ Steven Loewy