Live In Italy
Scholz, 2022
8/10
The drummer extraordinaire Peter Erskine, esteemed pianist Alan Pasqua and meticulous bassist Darek Oles played this live set in Italy on November 19, 2021, following a two week tour of the country, their first tour since the Coronavirus lockdown.
“Agrodolce” opens the listen with graceful piano that, about halfway through, invites bass and drums into the sublime intimacy, and “New Hope” follows with a very pretty meshing of playful bass lines, warm keys and agile drumming.
The halfway point brings “Three-Quarter Molly”, which moves with much bare beauty, while “Turnaround” picks up the pace with frisky drumming, gliding bass work and acrobatic piano in the rhythmic album highlight.
“The Honeymoon” and “Dear Chick” exit the listen, where the former is quite adventurous with the trio working together in dynamic, timeless jazz ways and the latter finishes with both firmness and restraint in the cinematic appeal.
Erskine, Oles and Pasqua are in fine form here, where much energy and a strong attention to detail results in flawless originals and exciting interpretations.
Travels well with: Doug MacDonald- Overtones; Antonio Adolfo- Jobim Forever