The Italian pianist
Franco d'Andrea's work is best known to European jazz fans because of his recording for the Italian labels Red and Philology, but he deserves wider recognition. This trio session with bassist
Giovanni Tommaso and drummer
Roberto Gatto is full of surprises even though much of the material is quite familiar. His reworking of
Monk's "Misterioso" is a roller coaster ride of dissonant chords, while Gattto's drum solo introduces a rather wild, playful take of
Sonny Rollins' "Airegin." The classic composition "Blue in Green" has a disguised introductory vamp and only brief flirts with its theme. His treatments of the jazz standards "Epistrophy," "Doxy," and "Lover Man" are more conventional. Each member of the trio had a hand in creating "Things Called" (clearly based on the changes to the standard "What Is This Thing Called Love?") and "Bop Abstractions," which hints at some bop classics but is better described as a group improvisation. This adventurous trio CD is very rewarding and worth seeking. ~ Ken Dryden